Nancy Beard Nancy Beard

Welcome to our 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.


Nancy is a very strong woman.  We know how strong now having seen what she has lived with for quite some time now, maybe more then 6 months.  Over that time she did not know there was a Glioma Blastoma tumor growing in her right frontal lobe of her brain.  Her symptoms were not too different from troubles she had experienced before and she sought medical answers.  Doctors were not able to determine its existence until a week ago.  Her MRI showed a softball size tumor that had invaded her brain, pushing into the left lobes and causing massive swelling.  Surgery was done on April 14th to debulk and take a sample to find the nature of the tumor.  We discovered that this tumor is the most aggressive tumor known.  We were told yesterday it is incurable.


Nancy rarely complains.  She had some headaches, migraines, fatigue and confusion.  It was hard for her to get up some days and she decided to cut back her work schedule.  When the symptoms became more pronounced she leaned on her sister Karri.  Nancy has been very close and supportive of her little sister and had brought her into her home.  Because of her generosity Karri was there to help her with the increasing symptoms.  Confusion and weakness, exhaustion and loss of balance led them to the emergency room to find answers.  Finally Karri had to bring in an ambulance due to the severity.  Finally the source of this was found.


Yesterday was the family care conference.  We learned that the tumor has impacted the functioning of most of the brain.  All basic functioning pathways such as eating and breathing have been effected.  She is not able to process all associative tasks, such as recognizing language  and understanding what she sees.  Options including a tracheotomy and feeding tube, rehabilitation in an acute care facility were considered.  An aggressive course of chemo and radiation could be attempted if she was off the ventilator.  Regardless of any extreme measures, the tumor continues to grow aggressively.  The likelihood that treatments could start or have a positive effect is minimal.  Nancy could not come to a place of understanding and expression of her wishes, will not be awake in a meaningful way.


We are gathering family and inviting friends to visit Nancy.  If you are able to visit her at the hospital or raise her up in your prayers please do.  She would want us to celebrate all the joys and ways she impacted all of those around her.  The generous spirit that is Nancy is an inspiration for all who know her.  When you enter her hospital room you can feel that spirit, sense the loving nature.


Nancy needs to rest now.  We will move to palliative care soon.  Keep the prayers and expressions of love coming!