My beautiful niece Tina has cancer.
 

Please say a prayer for my niece Tina. She's 41 years old and has a cancerous growth in her throat. It's metasticized, and they just found it a few days ago. She has no insurance and is on her way to Chicago to see a specialist. She's single with one teenaged daughter. She works about 80 hours a week. She has a very nice boyfriend, thank God. I hope this isn't too serious. She's very beautiful too, I hope they don't have to do anything that will disfigure her face. :(

Oh my, that is very scary! Sending prayers for your dear niece. :hug:

That is just AWFUL! I am so sorry.

Alot depends on where the growth is, etc. Radiation used to be the main treatment. (had two relatives with throat cancer and both had radiation).

It is so terrible seeing the younger folks getting cancer younger and younger. A guy at my husband's job, had a daughter in her late 20's die of breast cancer recently. It is just awful!

I hope she receives good treatment.

Sending prayers up now, Wiz.

saying a prayer for your neice Wiz.:hug:

Dear One,
 

So sorry everyone going through this family shock. I pray that there is a strong resolve to remain in the moment, while refraining from imagining the future. Which will help all to find ease and Grace on the way. Keep breathing.... I will send prayers your way. Best Wishes TT

Saying prayers for your niece, her dd and whole family.
Healing thoughts and big wish for for this to be nothing very serious. :hug:
PEACE
BMW

oh Wiz so sorry to hear this

hoping that they will be able to provide effective treatment and get this under control...also that she will be able to get some form of break on the cost of this care

Prayers going up Wiz. :hug:

I'm hoping that the second hand information I'm getting is not as bad as it sounds.

My dear sister tends to have anyone at death's door if they have a hangnail. I hope that's the case here.

I spoke to Tina's sister, Angie (my other niece) and she said this started in April and she's been ignoring it for a long time. :( She had what sounds like a swollen lymph node in her neck the size of a golfball and there's a growth on the back of her tongue.

The doctors in Dixon said it was out of their level of expertise (but that it had spread from elsewhere) and one of them knew the specialist in Chicago so that's where she is today. They agreed to take her even knowing she doesn't have insurance.

These are the girls who lost their mom and dad in their teen years, so they really depend on each other. Weekend from next, Angie will be going to see Tina for the weekend and I'm planning on being there too if I can.

Sending prayers for your neice Tina and hugs for you Wiz. :grouphug:

My prayers are with you. :hug:

Prayers going up from me as well. Please let us know how she's getting on. :hug:

I haven't heard anything more but I'll call Angie on Sunday and see if she has an update. I'm hoping that no news is good news.

Dear Wiz
 

I am so sorry this is happening.
But treatments have really progressed, I am hopeful she will get better.
My Uncle just had treatment for advanced esophageal cancer.
He is OK now.
She is young, she will get through it.
Don't worry. Wish well for her, that will help make her better.
I will be thinking of her.
:hug:

Thanks Isis,

I hope it will be ok. I'll try to find out more tomorrow. I'm thinking that she might have a chance to be in a clinical trial for a new cancer treatment since she went to Chicago. I'll post an update as soon as I hear anything.

Hello,
When I check out this web site it has become a practice to spend some time in quiet meditation and prayer for those in need of divine help. In this family when someone is hurting we all are hurting. God Bless all of you.
Lanny

I am so sorry to hear about your niece Tina. My prayers are with you and your niece as well as her daughter. I hope that she finds the right doctors and treatments. I pray for her to be healthy again.

HUGSSSSSSSSSS and more hugssss for you! Prayers for her already being said, sorry about this, Cancer is so yucky... good luck for her treatment and hoping she will be free of it and on the mend! hugss,sarah

Tina saw the surgeon and he said he's 85% sure the cancer originated on her tongue and that it spread to the lymph node. She'll have surgery in Chicago in a couple of weeks (I don't know the date yet) and he's going to make a large incision behind her ear and go in to remove the growth from her tongue and look at the surrounding area to make sure he gets it all.

I'm hoping and praying it will just be the one spot and he can get it all without doing too much cutting. If it's as he thinks it is, she'll then have a series of radiation treatments afterward. He didn't say anything about chemo that I know of.

One thing I should mention, Tina smoked for many years, but as soon as she found out it was cancer, she quit cold turkey and says it hasn't bothered her. She's so worried though and not sleeping at night, which is understandable.

I'll be going to spend the night next weekend with both nieces and my sister too. We're going to cheer Tina up and bring her some surprises too. She wants to get her Christmas shopping done as well.

Thanks everyone for your thoughts and prayers, I appreciate it very much. :grouphug:

Science has come a long way since then and I am sure she'll have great care. Sending up prayers that the surgeon can get it all and it hasn't spread any farther. :hug:

Hey Wiz! Sorry I'm seeing this late, but please know that I will keep Tina and your family in my prayers. Such a hard thing to be going through; hopefully it is contained and her prognosis will be good.

Remember my dear friend, Wiz~~ one day at a time. Take care of you, too!

Tina's surgery is at noon on Monday at Rush-Presbyterian in Chicago. Please say a prayer for her.

I spent Friday night with Tina, her sister Angie and my sister Linda. I met Tina's boyfriend Dave too and he's a sweetheart of a gem.

We laughed until our sides hurt (as we usually do when we get together). And we listened to Tina's concerns and the events of the past several weeks.

She had her first good night's sleep since the diagnosis she said. It was so good to see her and all of them. We don't get together enough but that's going to change. Life is too short.

I'm sending up a prayer to God for Tina,and may God bless her. BF:smileypray::hug::hug:

Wiz, I'm praying for Tina and for you, too. Please let us know how things went and how she's recovering. :hug:

Thank you all for your prayers!
 

Tina did well with the surgery!! :) It lasted 4 1/2 hours and the doctor thinks he got it all. He's 80% sure it was just the lump and the spot on her tongue. He's sending it for biopsy to make sure it hasn't spread to the lungs. In 20% of people it does I guess.

She'll have radiation treatments to her neck and if it's in the lungs, one round of chemo. If it's only in the neck, then he said it should be 100% cured with the radiation.

She didn't need a trachiotomy or a feeding tube. He said she's young and strong so she should recover well.

Since he had to remove a lot of muscle from her neck, she'll need physical therapy to regain use of her shoulder.

Thank God she's going to be ok. I'm hopeful that she's in the 80% group. :)

Glad her surgery is over, Wiz. Sure hope the worst is behind her now.

Will continue to keep Tina and your family in my prayers.

wiz,
I was so sorry to read this, I have been so out of the loop of late.
My prayers are with her for a speedy recovery and the best results. You are right share the time together, life is but a blink of an eye at times.
Di :hug:

Still praying here Wiz. Any news?

Tina is sleeping a lot and having radiation treatments. Her doctor does want her to have chemo afterall but I haven't heard if it is in her lungs or not? (I think not?) I need to call her sister and get more details. I don't want to call Tina and risk waking her.

Her birthday is on 12/31 and I have a card ready to go out (just leaving for the post office.) Her brother is having a party for her on New Year's Eve for her birthday and they'll get together then. (I haven't received an invitation because me and my sister are a bit of wet noodles when they get together, lol.) :D

When I hear more I'll check in to update. :grouphug: :grouphug:

dear Ewizabeth
 

just read through this thread as i am not a regular here...

want to add my wishes and prayers for Tina's rapid recovery. :o

:hug: to you too... hang in there.

~ waves ~

Please continue with prayers for Tina. She's going through some very hard times with the chemo and radiation. She was hospitalized for a few days for blood and platelets and infection. :( She's just a tiny thing and can't eat, just using the feeding tube and I pray she'll get through this and beat the cancer.

i will keep her in my prayers wiz.:hug::hug:

Praying Wiz. :hug:

You got it Wiz. So sorry Tina is having such a rough time...

Still praying for Tina! :grouphug:

A friend of our family is going through this too. He was stage 4 when they found the cancer in his throat. He is @45, just got his dream job, found the love of his life and then this.

That's so terrible, I'm sorry Pam. :(

Tina has a terribly sore mouth because of the radiation, it burns her mouth and skin because they do it right at the source of the cancer. As a result, she can't eat or talk. She's losing her hair in the back by her collar but it will likely move up further. Hair grows back though, and her skin will heal. I just pray this gets all the cancer and she can recover and go on with life.

I had lunch with Tina and my sister today. We went shopping at antique stores and a greenhouse.

Tina looks good and she only has one chemo treatment left and then she's finished. :) :yahoo::yahoo::yahoo:

She had a tough time about a week ago but they got her fixed up at the hospital.

Spring is here and she'll start feeling better soon.