Sarah Update
This will be old information for some, brand new for others. For those hearing for the first time, I apologize that it’s online…. I can’t emphasize enough how thankful we are to have such a strong and wide group of family and friends that are offering help from every angle imaginable.
Last weekend, Sarah, Adelaide, Jack, and I drove to Malden to visit my family, both just for normal weekend fun and because my sister Jan was visiting from Switzerland.
Early Sunday morning, Sarah woke me stating she needed to go somewhere, because of severe pain on the left side of her stomach. We drove from my mom & Bill’s house to the ambulance shed in Malden, where we then rode to the hospital in Poplar Bluff, Mo.
After x-rays and CT scan, they discovered Sarah had a ‘leak’ in either her stomach or intestine and began exploratory surgery to find and repair that leak. In successfully completing that surgery however, they found the leak was in her stomach and was caused by a cancerous tumor. Literally then feeling around, the surgeon also found the cancer had spread to her liver. The official diagnosis is carcinoid tumor, gastric (stomach) ulcer, which has metastatized to the liver. By definition, it is a Stage IV tumor (advanced).
She is still in Poplar Bluff right now (I’m in Columbia for today) recovering from the stomach surgery, with all signs seeming to indicate release from there on Monday. Right now, the focus is almost purely on healing from the stomach surgery. On return to Columbia, we will then begin investigating her diagnosis further, naturally including treatment options.
Through family and friends, we have had oncologists at MU, KU (bastards), and Johns Hopkins review the pathology report, which we received yesterday morning. All three places noticed something unusual in the growth rate of the tumor. It appears to be growing faster than typical for this type of tumor, which could be good/bad/incorrect or just unusual. The samples are being sent to Columbia now for a second opinion there, and we’ll possibly send to either Johns Hopkins or Wash U (or other) after that.
Beyond that, Sarah needs to have testing done extensively to discover more about her situation. Once we get that process going, we’ll then really begin investigating treatment options for the cancer.
I’ve been tight on information, simply because we don’t know much and I wasn’t interested in correcting any false information. Everything I’ve said here, though, is as much as we know right now and can be passed on to anyone who asks.
Sarah is doing remarkably well. She is able to get up and walk around well and had her first ‘meal’ of jello and iced tea yesterday afternoon. Both kids are handling everything very well, including no longer nursing for 28 lb “baby” Jack. Grandparents and family have been an invaluable part of that, and we’ll start accepting some of those offers from friends very soon.
With the offers we have received, it is quite conceivable that I could do nothing but help Sarah for a period of months/weeks, for which I’m unbelievably grateful. Sarah fully intends to best this current hurdle, with the lovely kids and love of friends and family providing additional motivation. I fully intend to do everything possible to help her however she needs it.
Thanks again to all for your thoughts, prayers, and various actions/offers of unbelievable kindness.
Jason Becking
(and on a side note, screw ku.)