Anyone who knows Linda Budd knows that she is one of the strongest people they have ever met. So when she and my dad called on August 18th to let me know that she had a tumor on her right thigh and they were pretty sure it was cancer, I fell apart. Because she's my mom, and she's the quiet strength of our family that has been torn apart by loss in the last few years. All the thoughts that anyone could think was going through our heads, what does this mean, how do we handle this again. And the answer is; just the way she has handled everything in the past. With grace, dignity and strength that most people never see.
Mom had noticed a pain in her right leg, but thought it was sciatica (a nerve that pinches in your lower back that sends sharp pain down the back of your leg. Both dad and I have it so it was natural that she thought it was the same). Upon closer inspection she noticed a large growth on her thigh and realized she needed to get it checked out. Well the MRI showed the tumor and as they were leaving Glenwood Springs, they got a call from her doctor, there was a blood clot in her leg and they needed to deal with it immediately. Mom and dad headed back to Glenwood where they did a ultra sound and prescribed a regiment of blood thinners.
The following week she and dad headed down to Denver to see Dr. Cynthia Kelly (who ironically operated on my husband's knee twice in 2009) to do a biopsy. Because nothing is ever easy, we found that the docs had sent mom's Ultra Sound and not her MRI so Dr. Kelly went in "blind" but was able to get the biopsy. We found out on Friday, August 26th that it was indeed cancer, but we did get some good news. The initial thought was that it was a sarcoma but the end result was that it was Large B-Cell Diffused Non Hodgkin's Lymphoma. And while a very aggressive form of cancer, it is also very receptive to chemo and radiation and for now, no surgery is needed.
Next steps are getting her prepped for her port tomorrow (9/9/16) and getting the chemo scheduled. We are looking at approximately 18 weeks of chemo but only 6 treatments. Radiation may get applied also, the doctors reserve the right to add it in if the mass doesn't shrink as fast as they expect.
We will do our best to keep this as up to date as possible. Mom and Dad (and Chris/Bethany, Johanna/Jason) have been very blessed in our lives with friends that support us like family, and of course a wonderful family, and this Caring Bridge is the main way we would like to communicate. Please use that network of prayers that has lifted up this family for so long to continue to lift us up. We are thankful for you every day. You all have helped us get through some tough times. If you have specific questions, please don't hesitate to reach out directly to me at johannahauck@comcast.net. I'm running interference for mom and dad.
If you would like to help contribute to the Linda's monetary fight against cancer, please visit
https://www.youcaring.com/linda-lynch-budd-646154Please note that any contributions made on the Caring Bridge site do NOT go to my mom. They instead go to Caring Bridge which helps keep this site available to all that are fighting.
