Victoria

 

My Story is about Sheila Stephens

This event took place from 03/04/2025 to 08/19/2025

The Discovery

My mom regularly got her scans done, endoscopy and colonoscopy due to a benign colon tumor in 2003. In November 2024, she had some stomach ulcers, but it did not show cancer. However, when she went for her follow up at the end of January, they saw a small mass. She was supposed to have a MRI done, but started to get forgetful and missed the appointment. A week later on February 28th, she turned jaundice and we went to the ET. Back in October though she was itching, hurting, low appetite but her primary doctor just kept putting her off.

This is My Story

My mom was a fighter. She not only was fighting this terrible cancer, but she was also fighting sobriety and depression. She wanted to live, she wanted to fight, but the cancer and God had other plans. A “small bowel obstruction”, they said. I have no idea that meant they couldn’t fix it because she just had a failed whipple. All of her scans and blood work right before the whipple showed promising results, minuscule cancer cells, and hope that we would beat this. I know that she wouldn’t want to suffer, be sick and depressed every single day, and have to fight her for life 24/7. If her story can help one person advocate for their self and speak up if they have any type of symptoms until they get the help they need.. then her work here is done.

The Impact of Time

Time really is a gift. My mom was diagnosed with stage 2 and they wouldn’t even give her a prognosis. We were hopeful waiting a month or two after 4 treatments for surgery to remove the tumor. The next thing you know, it had spread. One day the hospital is giving us a year timeline, the next week we are moving her to palliative care where she lived 5 more days until she passed. She was hopeful with the promise of stage 2, we all were. Only to pass away 5 months after her diagnosis.