My mom was doing great! She had completed 2 out of 6 infusions. She had started to gain weight. In between the infusion treatments, my mom was feeling good and even started to have an appetite. On 12/16/25, we received positive news. Her CA-124 (protein released into the blood by some cancer cells) level went from 876 to 191. The 191 result came from labs taken on 12/2/25 right before her second infusion, so that was the result of just one treatment! Her third infusion was scheduled for 12/30/25 and her oncologist scheduled a PET scan for 1/8/26. We would review the results of the PET scan with him on 1/15/26. Things were moving in the right direction.
Earlier in the year, I planned a trip to Nashville for my mom, sister, and I to attend the Amy Grant & Vince Gill Christmas Concert at The Ryman. I have fond childhood memories of my mom and step-father listening and singing along to Vince Gill songs. When my mom was diagnosed with cancer, I thought we might have to cancel the trip. However, her oncologist gave us the green light and said the timing of the trip should work out between her second and third treatments. We flew to Nashville on Friday, 12/19/22 and spent three nights in Tennessee. We visited the Country Music Hall of Fame, enjoyed the Christmas Concert at The Ryman Auditorium, hopped on the Trolley Tours, and took it easy and rested between activities and meals.
We returned home on 12/22/25 and the very next day we had family (two cousins and an aunt) from Taiwan fly in to visit my mom. It really meant a lot to my mom that they traveled so far to come and support her. We enjoyed Christmas together and they were wonderful company. She felt so much love. It was a great end to a stressful year.
On 12/30/25 my mom completed her third infusion treatment. Three days later, she stayed in bed and said she just felt tired. She slept a lot the next two days and by Sunday, 1/4/26 she was incoherent. I called the ambulance and she was taken to the ER. She had low potassium, low calcium, and was dehydrated. It was scary. The way she was acting, I was worried she had a stroke. I had no idea potassium was so important! My mom was incredibly weak, she could not sit up in the bed, she could not answer simple questions. I honestly didn’t know if she would survive. The ER pumped her full of all the things and by Monday, she was able to carry a conversation but still really weak. The staff kept asking if she used a wheelchair, walker, or cane at home. I told them she was walking up the stairs and driving before she was admitted into the hospital. I did not understand how she went from being completely independent to immobile. One of the nurses explained to me that all people will experience challenges with mobility if they lay in bed for a couple of days, but for elderly people, the decline is quick. I was horrified just how quickly my mom’s body had deteriorated.
On Tuesday (1/6/26) morning, when I arrived at the hospital, she was shaking and complained about being cold. Ten minutes later, she said she was really hot. Her doctor said that bacteria had popped up in her bloodwork, hinting at an infection. She was uncomfortable and looked worse than she did on Monday. I left that afternoon feeling really worried, I was not sure if my mom would ever be able to walk again. At the very least, she was definitely going to need physical therapy and more than likely would get sent to rehabilitation before she could return home.
When I returned later that day, I was shocked to find her bed empty and her sitting on the toilet. This crazy lady had disobeyed the nurse’s orders and gotten out of her bed and slowly made her way to the restroom by herself. I was SHOCKED! Even though I was upset that she was walking around on her own, I was so relieved to see her on her feet! She definitely still had some fight in her.
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