Tricia Stark

On Tuesday, May 2nd, 2017, Tricia was hospitalized with symptoms resulting from severe anemia and and elevated white blood cell count. Tricia received multiple blood transfusions and over the course of the following two days, several blood tests, a CT scan and a bone marrow aspiration were performed, allowing the doctors to quickly identify cancer.  On Thursday, May 4th, Tricia was diagnosed with Stage 3 Mantle Cell Lymphoma. While lymphoma is the most common type of blood cancer, Mantle Cell is a rare and aggressive form that is usually not discovered until it is in the late stages, so the oncologist responded quickly with a recommendation to do chemotherapy and a stem cell transplant following the 4 courses of chemo. By Friday, May 5th, Tricia had a port placed and received the first round of chemo via spinal tap. She was finally discharged from the hospital on Saturday, which allowed her to rest and prepare for the effects of the chemo to set in. Through the weekend and the next few days, she became severely ill and suffered some pain in her legs. The significant impact of both the cancer and the chemotherapy/stem cell treatments on her quality of life were fully realized.  Pain and illness and quality of life are, and will constantly be, at the forefront of our minds, and we are very hopeful that the doctors are doing everything they can to help keep her as comfortable as possible as she kicks cancer's butt!