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From: Kendra L. Desotelle
Date: 13 Jun 2002
Time: 16:56:16
Remote Name: 65.164.16.15
Hello everyone!
My name is Kendra Desotelle, My mother Joanne Dawes was diagnosed with leiomyosarcoma in 1998. Since that time she has been battling it. It orginated in her uterus and had metasized to her liver and stomach. She underwent 3 chemoemobolizations and than followed up with a very successful resection of the 1/4 of the left lobe of the liver and removal of the tumor which shrunk over 75% from the embolization! The tumor than metasized to her scalp which was occluding the saggital sinus vein (main draining vein back to the heart) and putting pressure on her parital lobe. The tumor was resected along with a large section of bone and skin. She underwent a course of DTIC (chemotherapy) which was unsuccessful. The tumor grew back within 6 months and she became a hemiplegic it seemed like within two days. She underwent another resection and followed-up with a course of radiation. It is going on ~ 7 months now since the last head/brain resection. She amazinlg is an independent ambulator and shows only minimal dorsiflexion deficits that only a skilled eye would recognize. She underwent lung surgery on two small tumors in the left upper lobe of the lungs approx 3 months ago. Her recent MRI of the brain was clear, praise GOD! However the tumor is back in the right lobe of the liver approx 6 cm in diameter and two 1.5 cm tumors in the right lower lobe of the lungs and one 2 cm tumor in the breast! Dr. Gerald Rosen is her oncologist in New York City at St. Vincent's Hospital. I would strongly recommend him. You need a good case manager to oversee things closely at the beginning. Unfortunately we did not! My mother has underwent chemoemboliztion on June 11, 2002 and is home recovering. God Bless Her and everyone else who is fighting this cancer!