Danelle Fights Cancer

I know that this post comes a little late. Some of that has to do with the Holidays. It was great to get together with family and enjoy the Christmas and New Year season.

The second round of chemo was December 27th. Danelle (jokingly) said it was the best time of her life. Really, it went fine and there were no issues. The staff at Duke are very polite and helpful during the entire procedure. There is one nurse there named Karen that Danelle seems to get often. She is very kind and is very good at conversation, which keeps focus away from all the “fun”.

Back in October, Danelle thought she had a kidney stone and some of the doctors did too. However, a cancer mass had closed up one of her ureters (the pipe that goes from your kidney to your bladder). This caused severe pain, similar to a kidney stone. To relieve this pain, the doctors at WakeMed installed a tube that allowed her kidney to drain. Afterwards, she felt so much better, but managing this apparatus was pretty difficult at times.

Last week, she had an appointment with her Urologist at Duke. The doctor was very knowledgable and had a great game plan for Danelle. The focus of the visit was to learn about her situation, go over what scans/x-rays/MRIs had been done up to that point, and to help set expectations for the coming months.

As we got to the end of the visit, the doctor thought Danelle could try to close off the drainage tube and see if things were flowing through the ureter again. He could put some dye in the tube to see if there was still a blockage or if everything was flowing fine. Let’s just say… God is good. When they took their x-rays, they could see the dye move all the way through, beautifully. When he got the results, we could hear his excitement out in the hallway while we waited in the room.

This was a double blessing: First, this meant that Danelle could get rid of the tube going to her kidney. Major win! Second, this means that *something* is happening as a result of the treatment. Not sure what’s going on in there, but *something* is working.

All in all, it has been a good month, and she stays in a constant state of prayer and praise for what He’s done. He has been so good. Danelle has even been talking and comforting those around her at the treatment centers who are going through the same challenges.

Your prayers are always appreciated and we know that they are heard by our Father. If you are able, please pray…

• That the chemo continues to do it’s job
• That there are no reactions or complications in her treatment this Friday
• Offer praise for the good things He is doing for Danelle (and for you and me!)

Thank you!