October 18, 2004

(Michelle's sister, Nancy, was kind enough to send the following. I am incredibly sad that she is not with us anymore and send her family and friends my deepest condolences during this difficult time -- Tracy)

Michelle passed away on October 4, 2004 at 10:40 AM. Prior to her death, she had been hospitalized three times in 6 weeks due to seizures and overall poor health. In early September 2004, Michelle visited her doctor, complaining of horrible pain that was making it difficult for her to walk. Tests revealed that her metastized colon cancer had spread from her lungs to her right hip and left femur. Chemo therapy to treat the tumors in Michelle's lungs was suspended and she began radiation therapy to destroy the new tumors in her hip and femur. Too tired to drive herself to her 14th(!) radiation appointment, Michelle called her Dad at work and asked him to take her instead. While at the doctor's office, she experienced a seizure and was hospitalized. Tests confirmed the presence of two new tumors in her brain, which could not be treated with chemo, and growth in the tumors in her lungs. Michelle had also lost a lot of weight and was no longer able to eat solid foods as the tumors in her lungs were pressing on her esophagus, making it extremely difficult for her to swallow She was moved to hospice care on Friday, October 1st once it became clear that there were no further treatment options available to her. She died a few days later, surrounded by family and her beloved pet rats Tasselhof and Mongo.

Michelle remained a fighter to the very end. Even when it was clear that the end was near, she courageously held on until her family and the nurses gave her permission to go. A memorial service was held for her the following Friday at River Hills Methodist Church in Burnsville, Minnesota. Her remains were cremated, as she had requested in her will and her ashes are scheduled to become part of an artifical reef at an as yet undisclosed location in the Gulf of Mexico in 2005.

Posted by Michelle Richardson at 04:16 AM | Comments (0)

August 08, 2004

Kind of blah. Not a change. No growth, no shrinking. Now, this IS good news, because it means the disease has stabilized.

I am disappointed because I was realy hoping to hear that the dominant mass in the right lung had shrunk.

Work was equally horrible the following week and I am scared that I will be fired.

Posted by Michelle Richardson at 06:02 PM | Comments (0)

July 19, 2004

My CEA count has droped dramaticly!  I have a CT scan on August 2nd...please pray for me if you are inclined to do so.  Right now I'm on a two-week break from chemo, and I am exhausted!

Posted by Michelle Richardson at 11:57 AM | Comments (2)