Remission after the trifecta of women ’ s cancers .
Happily retired , happily married , and usually healthy , Michele Allison hadn ’ t a care . Until debilitating leg pain and shortness of breath sent her racing to West Penn . “ I was so sick and so worried . My body was a mess ,” Michele recalls .
The source of her symptoms ? Blood clots in her leg and lung . And the cause of those blood clots ? A CT scan revealed a large , volleyball-sized mass in her pelvis , which would require a hysterectomy . To prevent additional blood clots from reaching the lung during surgery , an interior vena cava ( IVC ) filter was placed . “ We needed an alternate mechanism of protecting her heart and lungs from additional blood clots during surgery ,” said AHN Dr . Eirwen Miller , MD .
Michele came to West Penn on September 4th and she was in surgery the next day . The combination of bleeding , blood clots , and the need for surgery made her care especially complicated .
As Dr . Miller performed Michele ’ s hysterectomy — including the removal of the uterus , cervix , fallopian tubes , and both ovaries — she discovered that the mass was attached to Michele ’ s colon . “ We had to take a piece of the colon out with it . We sent it to pathology during the operation which confirmed the presence of uterine and ovarian cancer ,” said Dr . Miller . Fortunately for Michele , final pathology confirmed the cancer was contained and there was no spread — a small win in the face of a series of setbacks .
“ Dr . Miller really listens to her patients . That ’ s what makes her special .”
— MICHELE ALLISON
Alexi , Michele ’ s then 18-year-old son , was also one of her biggest motivators , giving her the courage to face the long road ahead — six cycles of chemotherapy over four months . Her goal was to live to see her son graduate high school . And soon , Michele would be celebrating her own graduation , ringing the bell to mark her last chemotherapy treatment alongside Dr . Miller .
As a result of having two different cancers , Michele was referred for genetic testing . The testing identified a genetic mutation increasing her risk for other types of cancers . Just weeks after finishing chemotherapy , Michele was also diagnosed with breast cancer . Yet again , thoughts of her son and Michele ’ s natural drive kept her going . “ I think life is worth living . Just tell me what I can do to be better and I ’ ll do it .” And after being treated under AHN Dr . Christie Hilton , DO , Michele is now in the clear from breast cancer too .
“ Thank God I ’ m cancer free ! Thank God for the experts that you have [ taking care of you ], for everything you ’ ve got .” With Alexi now in college , Michele is enjoying life . “ Dr . Miller saved my life . There was so much wrong , but she saved my life .”
OVARIAN CANCER RANKS
FIFTH IN CANCER DEATHS
AMONG WOMEN , CAUSING MORE DEATHS THAN OTHER CANCER OF THE FEMALE REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM .
Source : www . cancer . org / cancer / ovarian-cancer / about / key-statistics . html