We started our journey March 2014 with Ger having an annual physical. No symptoms other than a bit of fatigue. But the blood work was off the charts. A colonoscopy was scheduled, which was due. Lots of cancer. That prompted a liver scan ... major cancer. Then a liver biopsy to determine if the two cancers were the same. That diagnosis determined the chemo cocktail.
This was stage 4 with a bleak outlook.
At this point I (Harriet) made an appointment for Madison because we felt a second opinion was a good idea. The doctor who did the biopsy said that is fine but you need to see Dr. William Rilling (at Froedtert), no one else. We canceled Madison ... came to Froedtert.
Dr. Rilling said do the chemo, then check with me. When we left his office he said we would see him again. That was the first real hope we felt.
After 12 chemo treatments we revisited Dr. Rilling. What followed was Y90 radioembolization. Waited, then had colon surgery by Dr. Carrie Peterson and had a tumor removed from the left lobe of the liver by Dr. Gamblin. Waited. Then Ger had the blood vessels to the right lobe of his liver clamped off to stop the blood from feeding the cancer. Waited. The last liver surgery performed by Dr. Gamblin was to remove the right lobe, leaving 37 percent of his liver.
Since March 2014 the appointments, treatments and surgeries have gone like clockwork. Why? Because we had faith in our doctors.
These awesome doctors -- Dr. Rilling, Dr. Peterson, Dr. Gamblin and Dr. Amir Fathi, who assisted Dr. Gamblin -- saved Gerry Wolfgram's life. The wonderful people at Froedtert -- Jenny & Lisa who are always there to answer my questions, nurses, all the staff -- made the stay and care comfortable. Our family, our friends and our faith in God made this journey easier.
Gerry always says, stick with me and I'll take you on an adventure. He could have skipped this one. However, good things have come to us because of it. The many beautiful and wonderful people we met ... the fellow cancer patients, hospital staff, nurses, doctors. Our journey is not over: follow-up doctor visits, tests. Whatever lands in our path we will handle with the help of Froedtert Hospital.
Our plans: A road trip to the West Coast in our Corvette in 2016.
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