Today, we will share some shocking news about a fifty-eight-year-old woman and the distress that
it caused her family and herself when a doctor told her she had a rare and terminal cancer.
You never know when life will throw you a curveball.
It has the potential to completely derail all of your plans and turn your world upside down.
We get chills when we hear the word "cancer," and if it's terminal, we can only hope for a miracle.
Have you heard that your itchy hand could be a symptom of a type of cancer that can't be treated?
Maria Alessandra Barry, 58, from Harrow, North West London, got a terrible blow when
she discovered that her "itchy hands" were actually a sign of rare and terminal cancer.
Let's understand what terminal cancer is.
Terminal cancer refers to an untreatable or incurable cancer. Some even call it end-stage
or last-stage cancer. Any cancer can progress to a fatal stage; at this point, death is inevitable.
Terminal cancer is usually unresponsive to treatment.
As a result, treatment focuses on providing as much comfort as possible.
Now let’s look into how it all started with Maria.
Maria's problems began when her hands began to itch incessantly.
She stated, "I had gallstones a few years ago and had my gallbladder removed, but prior to that,
I had never experienced any health issues." Furthermore, she lamented,
"During the lockdown, I had cracked hands and was required to wear gloves."
"At first, I blamed it on a reaction to a new cleaning product that I'd
recently purchased to clean the cooker. They were extremely itchy,
and I was having aches and pains in my elbows, joints, and everywhere else."
Due to the lockdown, Maria was unable to get a face-to-face visit with a doctor, so she sent
photographs of her swollen and painful palms to the clinic. She was administered numerous steroid
creams, gels, and UV treatments throughout the course of the following year, but to no avail.
The trauma Maria’s family faced is heartbreaking. –
She resided in Harrow with her three children, Nico, 32, Luca, 30, and Nadia, 27,
and states that her intuition was loud enough; there was something more to her itchy skin.
She stated, "I sensed something was amiss. Nothing had worked after months of trying
alternative methods. I insisted on a CT scan, assuming that something was gravely wrong.”
On Christmas Eve 2021, Maria was summoned to Northwick Park Hospital
to receive her test results. Fearing the worst, she brought her children, Nico, who is unemployed,
Luca, a salesperson, and Nadia, the manager of a football center, for support.
She stated, "The news has absolutely stunned me. The physicians suspected
I had a rare form of cancer and recommended a biopsy.”
Nadia, the youngest of the three, opened up about her mother’s condition,
"During the agonizingly long and arduous wait, we performed our own research on
the malignancy and discovered that a trial was being conducted at UCLH hospital to compare the
efficacy of gene therapy versus conventional chemo in treating people with this type of cancer."
“My mother underwent a biopsy and was informed that the prospect of locating the defective
gene would be investigated. Meanwhile, the conventional chemotherapy treatment began.
Mom can't handle the chemo and is having terrible side effects. In fact, the side effects are so bad
that the doctors have put her on chemo rest. But this rare and aggressive cancer is so stubborn
and unpredictable that the prognosis is now even worse, with only three to six months to live.”
Nadia said that although the UCLH hospital has confirmed that they have discovered the
damaged gene and are likely able to provide gene therapy, a gentler method of treatment on the body
but attacks cancer with the same ferocity as chemotherapy, it is not covered by the NHS.
Nadia added, "My siblings and I haven't even had children, and we haven't even moved out yet,
and she's already crying and saying she doesn't want to die. It appears as if the physicians have
abandoned her. I'm a realist, so I'm not claiming that the study would heal her, but if it adds even
five years, it's worth every penny. Because my mother is continually feeling ill and cannot
even enjoy her remaining time due to chemo side effects, I am desperate for gene therapy. "
You can help the family by donating to Maria's GoFundMe page.
The link is added in the description below.
Can you just imagine how shocking it was for the family when this devastating news was delivered?
On Christmas Eve, the physicians broke the news to her that they had a strong suspicion
that she had a highly uncommon kind of cancer and required a biopsy. Her first three biopsies
had produced inconclusive results. After the fourth biopsy, they were certain
that Maria’s condition was deadly. Because it was so uncommon, the doctors explained
that they needed to conduct additional tests to determine what kind of cancer it was.
In April, she was diagnosed with cancer of the bile duct.
In addition to that, it had spread to her liver. "The doctors confirmed that I had a 9 cm lump
that was known as intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma, and I was offered chemotherapy that began in May.
The treatment has been going well so far, with the hope of getting cured soon."
So, what does medical science have to say about Maria’s diagnosis?
Her extremely rare form of bile duct cancer has almost no treatment options,
and the National Health Service in the U.K. does not provide coverage (NHS).
This form of cancer affects the ducts in the digestive tract that convey bile,
a digestive fluid required to break down lipids and connect the organs in the digestive tract. One
of Maria's symptoms was that her hands were dry and itchy. Other warning indicators were yellowing
of the skin or the whites of the eyes (jaundice), black urine, paler feces than usual, and fatigue.
Cancer is more likely to be curable through surgical removal when detected in its earlier
stages. In Maria's case, it had already spread to her liver before being discovered.
The big question is, are there any treatments for this kind of terminal cancer?
In most cases, treatment options for terminal cancer are measures
that reduce any discomfort from the harmful effects of cancer and any treatments that
may be causing painful side effects. Some physicians may still administer
chemotherapy and radiation in an effort to increase a patient's life expectancy. However,
this is not always a viable treatment choice. Let’s see what oncologists have to say.
Although oncologists have some say in the treatment plan for patients with terminal cancer,
in many cases, the decision comes down to the patient's preferences.
Some people with terminal cancer forego further therapy due to its undesirable side effects. Some,
for instance, may conclude that the potential increase in life expectancy conferred by radiation
therapy or chemotherapy is not worth the probable adverse consequences of either treatment.
Although it is highly unlikely that the medicines tested in these trials would be able to cure
terminal cancer, the knowledge gained from them helps the medical community understand how to
treat the disease better. They have the potential to be of use to following generations. This is a
strong approach for someone to ensure that their final days have an impact after they have passed.
But are there alternative medical procedures that may act as a momentary rest?
Alternative medicines have the potential to be helpful for cancer patients in their later
stages. Acupuncture, massage therapy, and other relaxation treatments can assist in easing pain
and discomfort, and there is a possibility that they can also help reduce stress.
Many medical professionals recommend that patients dealing with terminal cancer see
a psychologist or psychiatrist for assistance in coping with feelings of anxiety and depression.
If you notice that your hands or palms, or even your feet or other body parts, are itchy,
you should not dismiss this symptom as something unimportant.
It is possible that you may have to face the darkest nightmare of your life because of it.
Receiving treatment for a terminal illness in its earliest stages of the disease's progression
is almost always more beneficial than receiving treatment at a later stage.
Let us all make an effort to maintain our health and hope for a life free of disease and illness.
Check out What Your Skin Says About Your Health Or Early Skin Cancer Signs You Must Watch Out For
Go ahead, click one. Or better yet, watch both and learn more about being vigilant
and careful with certain signs and symptoms that your body sends out.
Have you considered being more conscious of any associated changes in yourself
after watching this video? Let us know in the comments section below.