Members DaedalanEcho Posted May 12, 2021 Members Report Share Posted May 12, 2021 Last year in the middle of COVID, my mom discovered she had a pancoast tumor of her right lung. I was with her on a teleconference when the doctors broke the news. She'd need six weeks of chemo and radiation, followed by surgery. She was a strong woman and tolerated the chemo and radiation well. In September of 2020, she had surgery to remove part of her right lung along with three ribs. By October, she had started to recover and resume normal activities; it was a hard process, but I was so happy to see that she was doing well. On January 5th, she had a follow up CT scan that was clear and we celebrated her being "officially" cancer free. However, a few weeks after that clear CT scan, she began having pain in her right arm. The pain grew increasingly severe to the point her doctors could no longer dismiss it as a pulled muscle. A second CT scan revealed a 7CM tumor along with smaller metastasis. It was terrible news, but we leaned in and tried to work the problem, becoming her advocate and coordinating with her medical staff. The hope was that radiation could shrink the tumor enough to ease the pain and open the door to immunotherapy. But, we ran out of time. Her pain was too bad to stay still for radiation and plans to sedate her materialized too slowly to be effective. I'll never forget when the doctor told me that "we believe she is beginning the dying process". Those words haunt me. She passed a few days later. I am an only child and my mom was always there for me; she sacrificed things large and small to make sure I had the opportunities to excel in life. I will miss her forever and I find myself thinking of her throughout the day, wishing I could talk with her one last time. -Vance Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members reader Posted May 13, 2021 Members Report Share Posted May 13, 2021 Dear Vance, I am so sorry for your devastating loss. Thinking of you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Bebari Posted May 13, 2021 Members Report Share Posted May 13, 2021 Hello Vance, I'm so sorry for your loss. I will keep you in my prayers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DaedalanEcho Posted May 13, 2021 Author Members Report Share Posted May 13, 2021 @reader, @Bebari, Thanks for the kind words. Talking and writing about it has been a help. -Vance Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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