For Charity

A friend is running a marathon this spring and is raising money for the American Cancer Society.  He asked if Adam and I would be willing to share our story on Facebook as part of his fundraising efforts.  We were happy to do so.  After reading some of the other stories he had already shared from others, this is what I decided to share:

I went to the Emergency Room at Virginia Hospital Center on Sunday, June 24, 2012.  That was the day I found out I had cancer.  It took almost two weeks for me to receive a diagnosis: stage IV stomach cancer.  What does that diagnosis mean?  It means that currently there is no cure.  Chemotherapy is given to shrink tumors, alleviate symptoms, improve quality of life, and prolong survival for as long as possible.  The statistics say that I had a less than 15% chance of living 6 months after diagnosis and less than 4% of making it to 5 years.  I've seen three doctors at different cancer centers and only one mentioned the possibility of the tumors ever going away.

The diagnosis was devastating.  It still is.  In a day you start to realize that your plans for life, your dreams for the future, have a slim chance of coming true.  Will I ever have kids and get to raise a family?  Will I get to grow old with my husband?  How will all of this impact my friends and family?  I am lucky to be responding well to treatment.  I am able to spend time with family and friends and feel almost normal at times.  And I am hopeful I will beat the odds and defeat caner in 2013.

I am thankful for all those of have dedicated their careers to cancer research, to the patients who have participated in clinical trials, and to all of those who have helped fund cancer research to improve available treatments and to find cures.  I am hopeful I will be here when they find a cure for stomach cancer. 

I know many of you have already seen this, but I wanted to have it documented as part of our journey.