In October of 2011, my doctor discovered a large mass in my
abdomen during testing for suspected kidney stones. The tumor was approximately 15 centimeters long on the tail
end of my pancreas. Testing
determined that the mass was a malignant grade 2 Neuroendocrine Tumor
(NET). Because the mass appeared
to be fully contained, it was removed on January 6, 2012.
Further follow-up CT scans in May
and September indicated no signs of further disease. Because reoccurrence rates were considered low, we decided
it was time to start our family.
On January 5th, one day
before the one-year anniversary of my surgery, we were elated to find out that
we were expecting. The only thing
I had ever wanted in my life was to be wife and mother. The pregnancy had been going along
smoothly with minimal pregnancy symptoms.
I was feeling great.
On May 20th of 2013 at
23 weeks pregnant, I woke early in the morning with a horrible backache. I decided to go into work despite the
pain, but once there, I could no longer tolerate the aching. My coworkers convinced me to call my
obstetrician who advised me to go straight to the labor and delivery
department. My husband Tim met me
there, and testing was started.
The baby appeared to be in no distress, but an abdominal ultrasound revealed
multiple lesions on my liver.
The next week was a blur. MRI results further confirmed what the
ultrasound had already detected.
Multiple lesions in both lobes of my liver were revealed along with
re-growth of the original tumor.
My parents were with my husband and I when my oncologist gave us a
rather dire report. The lesions
had grown so quickly that he suspected they might have been a higher
grade. At only 23 weeks along, I
could not initiate treatment without risking the pregnancy.
While my oncologist researched and
collaborated with doctors at Mayo Clinic on treatment options, I had biopsies
of the tissue to confirm the grade.
We were pleased to find out the lesions were again grade 2 in nature. I started octreotide injections as
initial treatment. This drug had
been deemed safe during pregnancy, and the use is to slow or stop lesion growth
in the liver. We hoped to use this
drug to get me further along in my pregnancy. I also started seeing a specialist in high-risk pregnancies
to monitor pregnancy progress and to plan for an early delivery.
Over the next several weeks, we
worked to arrange our affairs at home.
I had not returned to my job as a hospital speech pathologist since that
day in May. I resigned from my
position in mid-July. Tim and I
made the decision to move to North Dakota to be closer to my family. In his job with the FAA, he had to
submit for a hardship transfer to the control tower at Fargo airport, a process
that could have taken months to get approved. We had to switch my insurance coverage to his plan since I
was no longer working.
The baby, our little girl,
continued to grow quickly in the womb and was healthy as can be. The goal was to at least make it to 32
weeks, if not 36 weeks if able.
Mid-July I had another MRI to use
for comparison with the original MRI results. The test had shown that the lesions had grown, so plans for
an early induction were initiated.
Arya Joyce Ekvall was welcomed into
the world Friday, July 26th at 1:23pm, weighing 5 pounds, 1 ounce
and 18 inches long. For a preemie
of only 32 weeks gestation, she was remarkably healthy. She was admitted to the NICU for three
weeks. We spent out time bouncing
back and forth between the NICU, my medical appointments, and preparing at home
for a move. We finally brought her
home on Sunday, August 18th.
She has been a true angel.
She is laid back, easy going, and sweet as can be.
One week after Arya’s birth, I had
additional testing that could not be completed while pregnant. My oncologist prescribed an oral chemo
regimen in addition to octreotide injections. He also laid groundwork for transfer of care to Mayo Clinic
following our move. After
much hassle getting insurance approval of treatment protocol and eventually
switching carriers, I started chemo medications August 20, 2013.
Tim’s transfer with the FAA was
expedited, so our official move date has been moved up to September 12th. We will be moving back to Fort Ransom,
North Dakota where my family lives for support in caring for Arya and
myself. Our house is now on the
market in Kansas City.
The past several months have been extremely
hard, emotional and stressful, but from them, we also received the love of our
lives Arya. The support from our
family and friends during this time has been overwhelming. The number of people who have reached
out to us, prayed with us and for us, has been truly amazing. It is very humbling to know how many
people care, and that there truly is hope in this whole situation.
