Linda Streckfuss Linda's Prayer Wheel

On December 15, 2016 life as we knew it changed. Linda was rushed to the emergency room with intense pain in her chest accompanied by shortness of breathe. After several hours and several tests, the ER doctor informed us that she had cancer and that it had spread to almost every organ in her body. We will never forget those words and the shock of such a dramatic diagnosis. Linda had been in and out of the doctor's offices in 2016 and even had spinal surgery in June. We are still baffled that this cancer had not been discovered before now, but we had to focus on going forward, not backwards. After hearing the news, she was then admitted into the hospital for further testing. They found a tumor the size of a baseball in her lung and did a biopsy to determine what kind of cancer it was and how to treat it. From the biopsy we learned that she has stage four lung cancer (pulmonary adenocarcinoma) that has spread everywhere (metastatic cancer). After even more tests we discovered that the baseball tumor in her lung has arms that are wrapped around her airway and around the artery that goes from the lungs to her heart and another arm that goes down to her diaphragm which has formed a hiatal hernia. The tumor also caused a very large blood clot in her lungs that is being treated by blood thinners. There is a tumor on her spine that is also a cause of concern as well as several bone metastasis along her spine. In her brain there are eight lesions that are located in various areas, one of which is located in the part of the brain that controls the heart and lungs. From the lungs she has metastasis in her brain, spine, kidneys, liver, spleen, pancreas and several in the bones. This cancer has taken over her whole body and all that we can do is try and slow it down. She has started both chemotherapy and radiation treatments. We are trying to shrink the tumors as much as possible with radiation and use chemotherapy to prevent the cancer from spreading even further. The doctors originally gave us a prognosis of 6 months to 2 years but recently told us that it has been reduced to 2-6 months. However, we have faith in our Lord, Jesus Christ, and we know that only He knows the time left on this earth for Linda. She is being brave and fighting hard to spend as much time with her family and friends as possible. We are scared, devastated, and humbled by this disease, but we are fighting! Every day we have with her is a blessing. She is a wonderful wife, mother and friend that can never be replaced and she will never be forgotten! We made this site for all the people that she has touched in her 59 years of life. We hope to keep everyone informed as best as we can. Below are ways that you can help if your heart desires to do so. The biggest request we have is for you to pray for comfort, strength, and most of all healing. Please send her words of encouragement and help us celebrate her life and the amazing person that God created her to be. Thank you to all our friends, family, and prayer warriors!