Laurie Nelson

Welcome to Laurie's  CaringBridge website. We are using it to keep family and friends updated in one place. We appreciate your support and words of hope and encouragement. Thank you for visiting.
Laurie (Laura) has been fighting a variation of ovarian cancer since October, 2016.  Soon after being diagnosed, she underwent a laparoscopic surgery which determined widespread cancer in her peritoneal cavity.  Rather than try surgical tumor removal, she was closed up and recommended for chemotherapy. This actually started the next day!  She underwent 6 rounds of chemo with 3-4 week intervals. Her cancer tumor markers (Ca125 & Ca19-9) were followed throughout and dropped consistently and dramatically throughout the chemo sessions, which indicated that the chemo was very likely killing the cancer. 
Her big surgery on April 4, 2017 confirmed that most of the cancer had been eliminated.  Laurie will continue her recovery for 6 weeks, then will have 3 more rounds of chemo to ensure any unseen cancer cells are also eliminated. If her bloodwork shows normal ranges for the cancer markers, she could be declared "in remission" by summer. 
As many of you may know, Laurie has a pretty extensive network of friends and family that have been helping her (and me) out. I've heard mention of "Team Laurie-Battle Creek" and "Team Laurie-Grand Rapids", which I love. She also has many loving cousins & relatives that have provided support.  Thank you to EVERYONE for your kindness and generosity. It ALL helps, whether it's a ride, a meal, a visit, or a phone call (or text). Laurie & I can't thank you all enough.