This is Brian with another update on Wendi. I'm afraid I have some really bad news to report. Dr. Bahador and about half a dozen nurses and coordinators within Scripps met with me, Wendi, Wendi's parents and my dad on Friday at 4 p.m. There is evidence of cancer in both of her lungs, as well as her liver. Her head has not been scanned to see if there is evidence of cancer in her brain, so she is scheduled for an MRI early next week. Regardless of the MRI results, the likelihood of long-term survival is very low. Radiation treatment is out of the question, since the cancer is spreading throughout the body. That leaves chemotherapy as the only treatment option; however, it is not realistic to expect a full recovery from chemotherapy alone. In all likelihood, even a favorable response to chemo would only slow the spread of the cancer; it would not increase her likelihood of long-term survival.
Wendi is taking the news very well. She has been extremely strong and courageous, which is a character trait that I have always respected and admired in her. She is still recovering in the hospital; she developed a staph infection at the IV site that was replaced the other day, so she's on antibiotics. The problem is that she has a subdermal (below the skin) device called a port-a-cath in her, which is intended to make it easier to give her chemotherapy treatments. The staph infection has been found in her blood, and the bacteria will latch on to any foreign object such as the port-a-cath. For that reason, the port-a-cath needs to be removed ASAP; that is scheduled for Saturday. Both of her nephrostomy tubes were removed on Friday, and her lower abdominal drainage tube was also taken out. It looks like she will be able to go home with just an IV line for giving her antibiotics. She cannot go home until the staph infection has cleared up; best guess, that will be this coming Monday or Tuesday at the earliest.
I want to take this opportunity to let all of you know how much we have all appreciated the kind words, encouragement, gifts, etc. I know all of you wanted the best for Wendi, and believe me when I tell you, I wish I had better news to report. I'm sure I'll have more to say about this later; I'm still in shock right now. I was prepared for this possibility; I just didn't know it would happen this quickly. As devastated as I am by the news, I can't begin to imagine how her family must feel right now. No parent ever wants to outlive a child. My thoughts and prayers are with her parents and her brother, as well as her niece, her nephew and the rest of her immediate and extended family.
No decision has been made yet regarding the next treatment step for Wendi. We will need to wait until the MRI results come in next week before making that decision. Of course, I'll post an update here when we know more.
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