Dara’s New Journey Begins….

As some of you know, and some may not, Dara has lost her battle with breast cancer. She has moved into a place where there is no cancer and no pain. She passed away this past Friday in McKee Hospital in Loveland, Colorado after only a brief stay. She was surrounded by family and friends… most of all, love.

For those who need details, I will only say that the cancer that has spread to her liver progressed at a rate that could not be handled. There is nothing else that needs to be said or shared.

Dara would hope that everyone would remember her as the spunky-fun loving gal that had a zest for life. They would remember a loyal friend, a loving family member, or a caring mom.

I can not speak for all, but I consider myself one of the luckiest people on this great earth, for knowing Dara and having a chance to learn how to love from her and how to enjoy life. To Jane and me, she is a pillar of courage, and that is what I want to remember her by.

Thanks for all the love, prayers, and energy that you all have shared. I know that you have soothed her and helped pave the way to a road with fewer bumps, being led to a better place by a sturdy hand. For that, we are grateful.

To respond only as Dara could …

Love and Peace,
Chris and Jane

(In lieu of Flowers, Donations can be made directly to the Robichaud Family that will be donated in one lump sum to Komen Breast Cancer Foundation or to Komen Directly)

Long time coming...

This is Chris and Dara, and we would like to take a few minutes to try to bring you up to speed with what is going on. It has been a while and this will take a few minutes, so if you want to go grab a snack or drink, we’ll wait ....

Ok. Where did we leave off ... I think that it was the just before the last CT Scan. The results of the last CT scan were not what we were hoping for. The cancer in the lungs remained stable as the cancer in the liver had "worsened"...

That being said, we had to switch up cocktails, trying to find something that works on both. We switched to Navelbine and Avastin. In the meantime, since the cancer on the liver has worsened, it was causing the liver to swell. As the liver swelled, it did two things. (1) It pushed on the outer lining of the liver where all the nerve endings are (2) Pushed into the gallbladder. Both of these caused Dara very serious pain, so bad that her only comfort was in bed. We tried to manage the pain the best that we could with patches and oral narcotics.

To make a long story short, in order for the pain to be in check, Dara was so snowed that she could not function anywhere close to normal. Dara could never be a drug abuser with pain killers because she couldn't stand the "train-wreck" that came with it. Things got so out of whack, that Dara was hospitalized to try to get her pain controlled. Cindy flew in from Denver and got the grand tour of Beaumont Hospital and was a great help for the week that she was there. The Rolfsens acquired another kid for the week, and for that two, we are grateful and blessed.

We left the hospital with oral pain meds that didn't fly as well. That led us to a more invasive course of action. More invasive, but more efficient. Dara had a pain pump installed in her belly. The pump is the size of a hockey puck, and contains the pain meds. The pumps delivers the meds via a very thin tube, back to her epidural space in the spine/back. Knowing where the nerve endings from the liver/gallbladder attach to the spinal cord, it allows the placement of the catheter exactly where she needs it. This method is 100-125 times more effective than the oral meds, because the meds are delivered to the exact place were it is needed, and doesn't have to be broken down and absorbed into the bloodstream.

The pump can be controlled from a palm-pilot type device that the doc can put over her belly. Dosage can be changed/controlled with this device. Dr. Sikorsky did the procedure on 2/16/07 in Royal Oak and was fantastic to work with... very strait forward and honest...

Since then, we have moved to Colorado ... more specifics will be in the next blog entry... love and peace to all...