Catherine was having headaches, stomach aches, vomiting, and acting out of character. She was always tired and didn’t want to do schoolwork. I thought it was her being rebellious which wasn’t like her. I took her to the doctor and did blood work, but nothing was really abnormal but her thyroid was a little low. The doctor wasn’t too concerned. Her symptoms kept happening, and we went back to the doctor. He suggested counseling.
Finally, in March she had such a bad headache and her heart was beating so fast she wound up in the ER, but again nothing showed up in her blood work. She finally had an MRI in May and that told us she had two tumors on her pituitary gland.
Catherine has had a port placed, seven cycles of chemotherapy, g-tube placed, and two central lines placed (one for harvesting stem cells and the other to put them back.) She is currently getting radiation. She has been hospitalized a few times for chemo treatments and had prolonged stays for complications. She’s had MRIs, CT scans, echocardiograms, x-rays, lumbar punctures, and more.
I had to resign from my job in July. It became a lot with the back and forth and hospital stays. I have three daughters and with me staying at the hospital, my other two daughters get upset. It’s a lot on families emotionally and financially. It’s draining.
Catherine has taken everything she has been dealt with and fought so hard. She continues to be brave and face this diagnosis head-on.
Hope session by Jen Laverty Photography | Facebook | Instagram