continue at MkeCHMichelle Cascio is celebrating the birth of her fifth child this Mother’s Day. She and husband, Tim, members of St. Stanislaus Oratory, Milwaukee, welcomed Ciara Marie into their family on Palm Sunday, and because of their deep faith in God, they are rejoicing in her arrival in spite of the fact Michelle is waging her own battle against pancreatic cancer.
For more than a trimester of her pregnancy, Michelle lived with the knowledge she had pancreatic cancer. She went to the hospital in October with severe abdominal pain, anticipating she had kidney stones. Doctors performed tests and saw what they thought was a cyst on her pancreas. In November, she had surgery to remove the cyst, which was cancerous.
According to Michelle, who homeschools her two oldest children, the surgeon removed half her pancreas and all of her spleen. She was encouraged to undergo chemotherapy during her pregnancy, but she and her husband chose to forgo that decision until after their baby was born.
“I had a doctor tell me that it would be safe to go through a couple rounds of radiation while pregnant,” said Michelle. “He really had our best interest at heart – you could see it in his face. Some thought I was not informed, but I feel as if we have been guided and given so much information that has been incredibly helpful. When Tim and I decided we wouldn’t put (Ciara) at risk, a whole world opened up to us. Looking back, it makes total sense. God loves families.”
A good article, worth the read. "It wasn’t until we went through this experience that we realized how polarizing the topic of cancer treatments can be.” It gets into non-conventional treatment methods. "When Michelle asked about the five-year survival rate, she was told that 15 percent make it with chemotherapy and radiation. [an update corrected this to 8%]" It's got to be a terrifying journey for someone (especially someone in this scenario without faith). Many prayers for Michelle.
There is also a GoFundMe setup for the Cascio family.
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