How it all started

Many do not know the story of how we arrived at Anne-Marie's diagnosis. I will attempt to retell the story in terms you can understand. 

Several weeks ago, Anne-Marie "found a lump." Because of the family history--we knew what the implications were--we decided to contact Anne-Marie's physician, Joanna Anders, as soon as possible. Consulting over the phone, Joanna recommended that we get in touch with a local hospital's radiology department within the next few days. 

The people at Willamette Falls Medical Center here in Oregon City were very kind, easy to work with, and had openings in their schedule for the same week, making it an easy choice. At Willamette Falls the ultrasound indicated that there was, indeed, some type of abnormal growth. The ultrasound was sent to Joanna, who called us in to tell us that the ultrasound gave her "a reason for negative concern." She got us an appointment the next day with a surgeon: Dr. Shawn Morgan. 

That night, we began to tell members of the immediate family. Dr. Morgan said that the ultrasound looked "suspiciously bad," and referred us back to the radiology department at Willamette Falls to do an ultrasound guided biopsy. This began a week of waiting, hoping, and praying. On Tuesday of the next week, we found ourselves back where we had started. Two specialists withdrew small samples from the growth and sent it to the lab to be tested. They guaranteed results would be to Dr. Morgan by the end of the week. 

On the morning of Friday, May 12, Dr. Morgan informed us that--as he feared a week and a half earlier--Anne-Marie had cancer. 

 Dr. Morgan gave us our options for surgery and encouraged us to take our time making a decision. Two hours later, we left for three days vacation in Sunriver, Oregon, to decide what we should do. It was during this time that the family and church were informed of the diagnosis. It was also then that we began this website; we have received an overwhelming response. 

Thanks to my brother Mike Garcia for his help with the project and allowing me to use his page as a model for this one. Thanks also to Drs. Morgan, Smith, Burgess, and Nurse Practitioner Anders.