Linda MacKenzie - Mission for a cure

To honour the kind donations made to Mum’s cause, we would like to provide you all with an update of Mum’s journey since her cancer diagnosis in January of this year.

To recap. On Boxing Day 2018, Mum fell ill. Her symptoms worsened and as most of you welcomed in the New Year, our family was facing the news that our precious Mother, Wife & Grandmother had developed a rare form of gastrointestinal cancer called Cholangiocarcinoma. This is notoriously difficult to treat and as we were unable to take a biopsy, the proposed chemotherapy regime was to be both generic, and toxic. As a family, we forged ahead steadfast in our mission to cure Mum’s disease. Along the way Mum remained strong, positive and determined to beat the cancer and had every intention of watching her grandchildren continue to grow. Our step father Craig has devoted every minute of every day to walking along side Mum as she went into battle against this horrible disease. Hours upon hours have been spent unravelling the complex nature of this illness and looking for any and all means by which we could win the battle and save our Mum. As was expected all those months ago, the fight has come at great cost, both personally and financially.

Seven months have lapsed since Mum’s radiological diagnosis and the journey has brought with it many challenges, failures and successes.

Mum received three cycles of chemotherapy, in the form of a toxic cocktail of two drugs known to be most effective against gastro cancers – however not specific to Mum’s cancer owing to the lack of a biopsy. Despite facing the treatment with admirable bravery, the chemo didn’t only fail to shrink the tumour, but we were informed that it appeared to have advanced, with possible metastasis to the liver. No words can express the sensation when, as a family, you are told that your Mother, Wife and Grandmother has between six and twelve months to live. Mum ceased chemotherapy treatment in April.

Despite feelings of grief and defeat, our family refused to lay down arms. We turned our attention to private cancer treatment in the form of immunotherapy. Following a series of expensive tests we were informed that regrettably Mum’s cancer was not likely to respond to immunotherapy. Alongside our search for treatment options was the desire for answers. Even as doors to avenues for treatment were closing, we wished to better understand why Mum was in this position. Genetic testing revealed that an inherited gene mutation had increased Mum’s susceptibility to the breast cancer she had conquered five years ago, as well as the Cholangiocarcinoma she was fighting now. Whilst there is a possible therapy to address the mutation, the side effects were likely to be very severe for possibly little gain. And so, the journey continued.

It’s fair to say that Mum has been the subject of many (at times unpleasant) procedures. Her veins have all but collapsed, resulting in the need for a ‘port’ to be surgically inserted beneath her skin. Mum’s hair has thinned and muscles weakened from the rigors of chemo. Supporting her body along the way have been a variety of natural therapies. These therapies, albeit not recognised within the halls of medicine, have been used by Mum not only to allay her symptoms and side effects, but also to fight the cancer. Mum has become well practiced in the art of mindfulness out of a desire to ensure that her approach to wellness is a holistic one. By all accounts, this approach appeared to be working. Aside from the after effects of the chemo, Mum was feeling generally well. Considering the information we had been given in April, Mum’s condition didn’t seem to be following the timeframes the doctors had given us (which seemed to be baffling them too!) It was decided that Mum should have a PET scan (the only scan she hadn’t had) to attempt to more clearly pinpoint the locations where cancer was growing as well as the severity of the disease.

PET scans use a radioactive glucose that gathers in areas where cancer is present, thus highlighting areas of concern. The results of the scan were in. There was no indication of cancer within Mum’s liver and, although difficult to appreciate, there was little uptake of the glucose at the site of the original tumour.

Clearly we are elated with these results, which for us show that Mum’s approach to wellness isn’t only managing her disease, but appears to be reducing it. As a family we remain steadfast in our resolve to have Mum around for many years to come but we also recognise that we wouldn’t be in this position without the love and support of those around us. To all of those who have kindly donated to Mum’s cause, we thank you SO SO MUCH, from the bottom of our hearts!!!