Story
Name
Patricia Light
Injury/Illness
Pancreatic Cancer
~Meet Trish~
We are here to share a story of strength and compassion, the story of Trish Light, a generous, selfless, and vibrant 43-year-old, a devoted wife, and a mother of four from Yorktown. Her kids are ages 3 through 18; Hannah, 18 and a college freshman, Emma is 14 and a high school freshman, Bryson, 7 and second grader and Lily is 3 (going on 30) running the house, and her hubby, Derick, by her side. Trish has an infectious smile and a roaring laugh, she is a lover of life, a wise sage, loves everything under the sun and is always listening to music or singing. Beach days with her family? Yup. Grooving to reggae rhythms? Definitely. Dancing like nobody’s watching? That is Trish! Her favorite color is green, and she loves green palm trees. Trish is a collector of sea horses, and she LOVES llamas! A quote that describes Trish:
“I love people that have no idea how wonderful they are and just wander around making the world a better place” -Unknown
Trish has this uncanny knack for making the world a better place as she is always helping someone in need or brightening someone’s day with her infectious positivity, a friend or a stranger. She’s the real deal, my friends. The coolest thing we have witnessed thus far, is seeing Trish rapidly adjust to this daunting diagnosis and face the challenge of pancreatic cancer treatment in the coming days, she remains the same unshakable, remarkable Trish—a devoted mother, a loving wife, a cherished friend, and an extraordinary & caring individual in every sense.
The Diagnosis:
Now, let’s talk about the fight. Trish is embarking on a significant battle against pancreatic cancer. She has an adenocarcinoma in the head area of her pancreas. The journey commences the week of September 6th with the installation of a chemo port. Chemotherapy will kick off the week of September 11th, with an initial two-month phase, followed by an evaluation to chart the course for surgery to remove the mass, considering the challenge of the mass’s location and proximity to particular arteries, tricky tricky. Following the surgery, more chemotherapy will be expected landing us at a current 6-month target of nothing but SUCCESS.
Fast forward to January 2024- Most recent update-
Trish has completed 7 rounds of intense chemotherapy. While chemo cells are shrinking/being destroyed, the tumor/mass has not really changed- especially for the step of surgery to remove the cancer from the Pancreas. Currently the Tumor still occludes (surrounds) the main arteries that carry blood in and out of the pancreas to other organs. The surgery is too risky right now to proceed and tumor needs to be smaller or become unhinged from the arteries.
With that being said, the next step is intense proton radiation therapy for 5 weeks. Trish will be attending a clinic here in Hampton where she will receive radiation treatments every day Monday through Friday for 5 weeks total. During this 5 weeks, Trish will also be taking oral chemo medications, following the same schedule as her radiation. Then the docs will reevaluate and see if surgery is a possibility.
Trish has had a trying time from chemotherapy treatments to several visits in the ER due to pancreas attacks and overall unmanageable pain. Her heart has raised a few concerns too. Her EKG showed sinus tachycardia and some abnormal behaviors and is being monitored closely. Trish continues to try to stay positive and upbeat, although one cannot stay this way 100 percent of the time. She has battled some depression and sadness over it all. A hard road she is going down, but will come out on top for sure!
The biggest hurdle right now Trish and the family is facing is the possibility of losing their home of 10 years. Trish has always worked and provided, and this is just not possible at this time with all the treatments and her being unwell. This worry has caused Trish a great deal of stress which is not helping her at all. If you have it in your heart to help support Trish and the family to get their home back on track, please do so and this would be so appreciated. This is the most urgent need right now for the family and any help we can give helps them not have to worry about finding another place to stay with a family of 6 during the midst of her treatments and fighting for her life against this ugly cancer.
Trish continues to fight and wants me to extend her sincere gratitude and appreciation for all so many have done. Continued prayers and positive vibes being sent her way is still very much appreciated. She definitely feels the love and support. Keep it coming friends and thank you greatly for being so amazing and supporting such a wonderful person in her aggressive cancer fight of her life. <3
More to come as Radiation treatments start. Wishing you all a positive and healthy New Year 2024. God Bless each of you!