My mom's battle gets harder, but if you have met Kathy you know that she is not one to give up without putting up a fight.

My mom and I left Cape Coral on 5/2/23 to spend a week in Tampa at Moffit Cancer Center for my mom's outpatient radiation therapy. As we all know, God has his own plans.

My mom was admitted to Moffit on May 3rd for a deep vein thrombosis in one leg, cellulitis in the other leg, and electrolyte imbalance & edema issues - caused by a relapse of nephrotic syndrome that was not on the radar. All complications of cancer. Radiation therapy still took place and was completed in full while my mom was inpatient. The last day of radiation was on 5/10 (pic attached) and we anticipated to be discharged on 5/15.
On 5/12, my mom began having unexplained excruciating pain and had an extreme drop in blood pressure for a prolonged period of time. A scary and very unexpected experience that came out of the blue in the midst of her healing journey that led to shocked liver syndrome and kidney failure. Kathy was started on CRRT (Continuous non-stop renal replacement therapy, a slower type of dialysis that puts less stress on the heart) and required blood transfusions and medication to raise the blood pressure. The excruciating pain that Kathy felt prior to the drop in blood pressure was from an internal bleed into a muscle leading to hemorrhagic shock. Kathy also was in septic shock due to a weakened immune system and a new infection.

My mom's sister flew in from Illinois to be by her side. All of our family has been travelling to Moffit to lay hands on my mom and pray for a miracle, be here for support, sleep in lobbies and chairs as we wait for updates from doctors, and be her warriors.

My mom spent 7 days in the intensive care unit defying the odds. Her liver is continuing to return to a normal range. She no longer requires dialysis. She received an IVC filter to prevent blood clots from migrating to her lungs as anticoagulants in the wake of hemorrhagic shock are not an option. She continues to improve every day. She has now been transferred out of the ICU and into a regular med/surg room. The next step will be transporting mom back home to the Ft. Myers area as we have now unexpectedly been in Tampa for almost 4 weeks. The doctors at Moffit have said that my mom is now well enough to discharge and the goal will be to receive skilled nursing and physical therapy until my mom is able to return home after this hospital stay.

While this summary does not seem to scratch the surface of the struggles of this past month, events that have taken place, pain, exhaustion, tears of sorrow, tears of joy, the trials that we have had, or the decisions to still be made... know that what it does do is prove as testament that miracles exist. Kathy is still here with us to spend more precious time with her family and the many people that love her.

For Mother's Day, my husband Farrell got my mom a bracelet that says "God is within her, she will not fail PS. 46:5". She will not fail because God's strength surrounds her, is within her, and His strength is perfect in weakness.

-Beth