Nothing Prepares You For This
June 9, 2021 by Stephanie Daigre, Team Member
This update has been a thousand times more difficult than all the others to write. Just ten days ago, on Friday 5/28, Emily and Ben sat together in a sterile and unfamiliar exam room at UCSF with a few close family members joining them via Zoom, as they were given Emily’s brain tumor pathology results.
Although we have been aware and preparing for all possibilities since April, nothing could soften the blow of what we were about to hear. Emily’s brain cancer is indeed grade IV glioblastoma which is the most aggressive and fatal form of brain cancer. A type of cancer for which there is no cure. UCSF has also confirmed her lymphoma diagnosis as stage 4 Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
Treatment of the lymphoma will come secondary to targeting the glioblastoma. To slow its growth, the Neuro Oncology team at UCSF is recommending that Emily start a 6 to 12 month course of radiation and chemotherapy. This means that she will undergo daily radiation, Monday through Friday, for six solid weeks while also receiving chemotherapy. She would then take a short break and then repeat again for six months to a year.
Despite all of this, Emily continues to fight and she has an incredible attitude! She is recovering remarkably well from her craniotomy & tumor resection. She’s been visiting with friends and family, and trying to regain some sense of balance in her life. She wants everyone to know that she is strong, resilient, and ready to do whatever it takes to fight these ugly cancer beasts within her body.
We are all still trying to completely wrap our heads around what this means for Emily, for Ben, and for the kids. Nothing will ever be quite the same for them. Their future is suddenly so much scarier and unclear than ever before. The past 10 days have been spent hugging each other a little tighter and a little longer, processing, researching, asking endless questions, grieving, and desperately searching for additional treatment options that might have more promising results.
We are 100% determined to give Emily access to all the very best possible treatment options, even if it means traveling across the country for experimental therapies. Yes, we are considering everything and we have a few irons in the fire! We are also committed to providing her and her family with the highest quality of life during these extremely difficult times. With continued contributions from our friends, family, and community, we get closer everyday to our fundraising goal.
We are so very thankful for each and every one of you for your support. Thank you ALL for everything you have been doing to help during the past few months. Every meal, prayer, card, message, phone call, donation, care package, etc. has been received with gratitude and appreciation. THANK YOU ! ! !
Together we will continue to fight this war beside her as her devoted and fearless Warriors! !