A Quebec woman is fighting a bitter battle with metastatic cancer of unknown origin, discovered shortly after the birth of her son, whom she hopes to see growing up.
“Giving life and then facing death and wondering how long you will be with your child is difficult,” sighs Marie-Eve Arsenault, who was contacted by Le Journal.
The 38-year-old expected to be happy when she gave birth to a child last August. After a trouble-free pregnancy, their son Thom-Elliot was born healthy.
Photo provided by Marie-Eve Arsenault
The 38-year-old new mom had just given birth to baby Thom-Elliot when she was diagnosed with an unknown cancer.
But a few weeks later, she had to be hospitalized with a high fever and severe anemia. A situation that rapidly deteriorated despite medication and blood transfusions.
“The click came when I told them that I had to go to the physio because of leg pain,” says the communications consultant.
At the time, doctors did a scan and discovered two masses, one about four inches in diameter.
cancer unknown
Shortly thereafter, Marie-Eve Arsenault found herself under the knife to have her cancerous growths removed. Unfortunately, the disease had already invaded the lymphatic system and created metastases in the lymph nodes.
Doctors then decided it was high-grade cancer, but couldn’t determine the type.
“When they removed the masses, they sent samples to an agency in Boston. And even he couldn’t name it,” explains the new mom.
Photo provided by Marie-Eve Arsenault
Marie-Eve Arsenault hopes that the DNA test she will have to take in the United States will enable her to find a treatment that will allow her to spend many years with her husband Michaël Pelletier and their child.
However, the latter specialist was able to narrow the pool of potentially responsible cancers to two broad categories: sarcomas and carcinomas.
A combined treatment of two chemotherapies was then quickly instituted to attempt a “broad spectrum” attack of the disease. But results are far from guaranteed as it is impossible to target the strain.
wind of hope
Ms Arsenault’s last hope lies in a DNA test, which is only available in the United States and costs more than $10,000. A process that she will begin in the coming days thanks to a fundraiser that has allowed her to raise almost $ 21,000.
“In my case, we’re not talking about the possibility of remission. But I could live with dormant cancer for years if we can target the right molecule,” she says hopefully.
“In the meantime, I’m trying to see the bright side of things by telling myself that this will allow me to spend more time at home with my son,” adds Ms Arsenault, who hopes her struggle will at least help the Search advance the next victims of his unknown cancer.
A whirlwind of events
- August 2022: Birth of their son Thom-Elliot
- September 2022: Severe fever and discovery of severe anemia
- October 2022: Discovery of both masses and lymph node metastases. An operation to remove the two tumors in the leg is necessary.
- November 2022: Marie-Eve Arsenault cannot determine the type of cancer and has to undergo a combined treatment with two chemotherapy regimens at the same time.
- December 2022: Primary tumor cells are sent to a US lab for DNA testing that may reveal the cancer molecule being targeted
What is a sarcoma?
- soft tissue or bone cancer
- There are more than 50 subtypes of soft tissue sarcoma.
- Nearly 300 people receive this diagnosis each year in Quebec.
- It accounts for 1% of all newly diagnosed cancers in adults.
What is carcinoma?
- Cancer of the skin or mucous membranes
- It accounts for at least 40% of all new cancer cases in Canada
The most common types are:
- basal cell carcinoma, which begins in cells in the outer layer of skin;
- Squamous cell carcinoma, which tends to penetrate deep into the skin and spread.
Sources: Government of Quebec and Canadian Cancer Society
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