It was July when I had a pain in my side. I was 42, everyone thought it was an appendix issue. I went to the ER since everyone had me worried. Being a mom of 2, and having a high threshold for pain, I wasn’t too worried. Hours later, after a CT scan and an ultrasound, a doctor came in and told me I had a lesion on my liver, I was also told I had a fatty liver and sent on my way. Since I had pain, the ER doctor recommended following up with a GI.
It was summer, doctors were on vacation, so I got an appt 2 weeks later. When I saw the GI, he too suspected a fatty liver based on ER suggestions but didn’t like that I had this achy stabbing pain that would come and go, so he requested I get an MRI. I had the MRI at a hospital on a Saturday and was called the following Monday. I knew something was wrong but had no idea what I was about to learn.
Everything went at much faster speed after that MRI. All the findings were sent to Jefferson hospital in Philadelphia to a brilliant Liver Specialist named Dr. Jesse Civan. When I met him, I asked him straight up what did he think? He said, “I think you have cancer”. The tears started flowing and in those next few weeks, I had a colonoscopy, endoscopy, biopsy, and pet scan scheduled. I was called the day before the Pet Scan and the doctors fears were true. Cholangiocarcinoma….a cancer I could not pronounce, nor had I ever heard of. And to make matters worse, a rare, aggressive, and deadly cancer that has minimal treatment options. My case was to go to the tumor board the following Tuesday.
That Wednesday I was called telling me I was a surgical candidate, and that I would meet the surgeon and we talk about the surgery. Dr. Ashes Shah, probably one of the kindest men I have ever met, along with my previous doctors explained the procedure. I would have 40% of the left lobe removed. He explained the possible complications, and we decided to move forward. October 21, 2021, I went into surgery. Hours later, I woke up thinking the worst was over. Boy was I wrong. I remember this sweet doctor telling me they found spread. I was now stage 4 and surgery would no longer be an option. Through the Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation, I learned about my cancer and how only certain doctors knew about it. And during this time, I met my guardian angel (I call her) who urged me to get a second opinion and to not waste time. I listened to her advice and saw Dr. Ghassan Albo-Alfa. This man gave me hope, and I have been with him ever since. I started chemotherapy on December 2, 2021, and have been on it ever since, with immunotherapy started in February.
This has not been the easiest of journeys, the odds are stacked against us, and we have a cancer that no one even knows of. But, I have an amazing family, my loving husband Chris, my amazing children Christopher and Alexis, even my ex husband….also Chris lol. My family and friends have been my strength. My employers that own the Ravitz Family Markets have been a pillar of strength, support and compassion. I have met my first goal of getting back to work, while on active treatment, and my next goal is to resume my position as Dairy Manager.
Now, my goal is to fight away the fear, not allow my cancer to control my life, and do the best I can to help others cope with this diagnosis. Statistics are against us. We are a small group that needs more research, more acknowledgement, and more help, because we all matter. I don’t know how much time I will have, but I’m going to do all that I can to see Proms, Graduations, and Weddings….so I fight, I fight for my family, my friends, my work family, and to give hope to others. To make others see past the negative. Because, a wonderful woman did this for me.