Kentucky Chapter

At 55 years old Vicki Judy was diagnosed with Stage IV stomach cancer, which was inoperable, incurable but treatable. It took doctors three months to figure out why she was having trouble completing a full meal without filling up and experiencing intense pressure around her upper rib cage. Vicki also had a mass in her lower abdomen that was causing pressure when sitting.  After attempted surgery to remove the cancer, doctors decided her best shot would be chemotherapy treatments. Her prognosis was one year.

Stomach cancer is very hard to detect in the early stages and sometimes impossible to see on scans.  Her cancer has never appeared on PET, CT Scans, Bone Scans or MRI's. A 3 cm mass does appear on small bowel follow through x-rays.  The chemotherapy treatments (22 in all) were stretched out over 1 ½ years with breaks in between. The chemotherapy treatments were: Carboplatin and Taxol together and then later Taxotere alone.

Vicki maintains a positive attitude, eats healthy, and leads an active life style. She walks, bikes and takes yoga classes weekly.  She and her husband travel a great deal throughout the United States. It is her dream to visit all fifty states, they have fifteen more to go.