Hello friends, family, co-workers and anyone really who is visiting this site. We received some bad news last week, with further clarification this week that we want to share with you. Mom was diagnosed with Ovarian Cancer last week. We spent 3 hours with a wonderful Ovarian Cancer specialist yesterday (June 12, 2017), Dr. Miller with Wellspan in York. The high level details are as follows:
Mom's Ovarian Cancer is graded at stage #3, could move into stage #4 depending upon what is found during surgery. The reason for the stage #3 grade is because the cancer traveled outside the Ovaries and the size of the mass (2 centimeters).
Mom will have surgery at York Hospital on July 6th, which will take 5 to 5 1/2 hours. The in-patient stay could range anywhere from 10 days to 3 weeks, with the first week stay in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). Dr. Miller will remove all female parts as well as the Omentum, this is where the mass was found, removed and then sent for biopsy. The Omentum is a layer of tissue that covers and supports the intestines and organs in the lower abdominal area. Mom signed a form for Dr. Miller to remove any other organs he finds that would have cancer cells, that he can see. This was quite a long and daunting list. He said he is optimistic about this as Mom had surgery May 1st, for a hiatal hernia and that Dr. did not see any other visible signs of cancer when he was in there. He did not however look at all the organs Dr. Miller will evaluate.
The hernia surgery really was a blessing in disguise. Without that, we would not yet know about the Ovarian Cancer. When Mom had her Cat Scan (CT) before surgery, the Radiologist noticed this other mass. Mom's Gastroenterologist indicated the Radiologist is very good as this mass was very hard to see. We thank God for this!! The reason the surgery is not sooner is because Dr. Miller wants Mom to recover from her most recent surgery before putting her thru another surgery, especially one of this magnitude.
After surgery, Mom will undergo Chemotherapy treatments. We do not have the treatment plan for this, it depends upon what is found during surgery. The road to recovery will be long, tiring and uncertain.
What we are certain about is that Mom is a fighter! We are inviting you to be a part of Nancy's Ninja Warrior Team. Prayers, well wishes, positive thoughts, cards and letting her know you are on her side and thinking about her will go a long way.
We feel this is the best way to keep everyone updated and invite you to leave a message, add a photo, tell a story about Mom or just read our updates and keep the prayers and positive thoughts coming.
We probably will not have another update until post surgery, we'll try to update as soon as possible afterward.
Feel free to ask questions as I am sure I may have missed a few things.
Thank you in advance, we know how much many of you love our Mom and appreciate her and want to be there for her. That means a lot to us.
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