Martha lived the epitome of a healthy lifestyle: She ate the right foods, exercised regularly and saw her doctor annually. At age 50, she was the last person you’d expect to get cancer. In fact, after her sister died of colon cancer in 2003, she was a huge proponent of getting screened for anything and everything. So when she was diagnosed with Stage IIIc PPC, it caught everyone –including her gynecologist– completely by surprise.
In June of 2008, Martha experienced vague abdominal discomfort (feeling full, bloated) that she thought was stress-related or her previously diagnosed Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Later that summer she decided to see the gastroenterologist because her symptoms were not getting better and she wanted to be back to normal for her trip to New England to celebrate her 50th birthday. Martha was referred to her gynecologist, who ran a series of tests including: Pap Smear, transvaginal ultrasound, blood-test, and biopsy of her cervix and uterus. Shortly before her trip in August, the ultrasound showed a benign fibroid uterine tumor and the GYN recommended a hysterectomy. During her trip to New England in September, her discomfort turned into severe abdominal pain that limited her activities. She promptly scheduled her hysterectomy upon returning to Florida.
On September 22, 2008 during Martha’s “routine” hysterectomy, her GYN was astounded that the “benign” fibroid was in fact cancer. They de-bulked as much of the cancer as they could see and the pathology report indicated she had Primary Peritoneal Cancer Stage IIIc, because it had spread to other organs and lymph nodes. Healing from surgery was a painful process and slow going- so she didn’t start chemotherapy (Carboplatin and Taxol) until late October. Her husband Andy was a 24/7 caretaker- cook, chauffeur, personal assistant, medicine organizer, etc. This wasn't easy for a previously very vibrant and busy woman (who usually only sat down to eat or read)! Soon after Martha started chemotherapy, scans revealed that her cancer spread to her liver, lungs, and pelvic bones, limiting her ability to walk. Since she now had Stage IV PPC, they started with an aggressive treatment plan: Radiation 5 days per week in early November in combination with chemo. It was an intense regimen, to say the least. Her CA-125 numbers decreased, so she had hope that the treatments were working. Martha’s chief complaint every day was her excruciating abdominal pain, and pain management was challenging. Most of the pain medication caused severe constipation as a side effect. She started a clinical trial over the winter and continued on chemo until March, when she went into a partial remission. Her CA-125 was back to normal and the lesions in her lungs hadn’t grown since January. Only one short month later, her pain escalated, indicating her cancer had returned (confirmed by CT scan) and she was back on chemo again until she became platinum resistant at the end of May.
Martha’s pain medication was causing severe side effects and she was hospitalized until they could clear her bowels. She had been in so much pain that she hadn’t driven a car since September. Martha was going to the hospital or doctor’s office five days per week for either: chemo, blood cell count, blood transfusion, Neupogen shots, checkups and countless trips to the pharmacy. Somehow amid all of her appointments, she managed to make a birthday cake for her son-in-law and stayed positive to her friends and family. Martha was going to beat this thing!
In June, Martha started one of four slated rounds of Doxil treatment. She and her husband Andy decided to take a trip to New England and visit with their daughters, friends and other family in July. In the middle of July, Martha’s RI oncologist determined that after two of four Doxil treatments, the cancer was still growing rapidly and not responding to chemo. Unfortunately, there weren’t other treatments for Martha at that time and she decided to have Hospice take over her care. The visiting nurses, social worker and chaplain all made house calls regularly, family and friends poured in daily to visit and pitch in with meals and Martha stayed positive, determined to fight it, even in her last days. After ten short and exhausting months of fighting PPC, Martha passed on August 8, 2009 at home. It is in her spirit that this Foundation has been established, with the goal of raising awareness about PPC so that the life of even just one woman may be changed with early detection.