Welcome
FIGHTING COLORECTAL CANCER ONE DUCK AT A TIME
Ducks are SOLD OUT! Thank you to everyone that bought ducks and spread our Colorectal Cancer Duck Love!
Help the Ott Family, Please!
A brief overview about Crystal
Crystal and Jarod have recently received the news from her doctors that her cancer treatment is no longer working. The chemotherapy she was receiving has to stop as it is now having a negative effect on her kidneys. This was devastating news for their family as she was also told there are no other options available for treatment for her in Canada.
Crystal’s first cancer diagnosis was October, 2013 when she very unexpectedly found out she had cervical cancer. She had a hysterectomy 2 months later and the surgery was a success. There was no further treatment needed as the cancer was gone! That was a huge relief and she continued with all of her follow up after that.
In July 2022, Crystal noticed a lump on her neck. This swollen lymph node would unknowingly be a return of cancer. The following days and weeks were filled with appts, ultrasound, and a biopsy. The results came back suspicious of squamous cell carcinoma. It was believed to be head/throat cancer so she underwent 7 biopsies in her mouth, tongue, and throat along with the removal of her tonsils. The results came back negative so still no answers. A CT scan and more tests would bring the results that her cervical cancer had returned …. Stage 4 Metastatic Cervical Cancer. This was a very very difficult reality to accept.
With a positive and hopeful mindset, this began the treatment plan of Chemotherapy along with Immunotherapy. And it was working! Her body responded well to the initial treatments. June of 2023 her CT scan showed the cancer was gone. This was great news! Finally! She remained on Immunotherapy, but no more chemo.
In October 2023 her bloodwork showed failure in her kidney function. Another scan was done and the results showed the cancer was back. This was unexpected so soon. More hard news. There were tumors on her kidney that resulted in another procedure and a nephrostomy bag was now required. She started a much stronger chemo treatment plan Nov 2023. It was a lot harder on her body this time. Many of her treatments had to be postponed as it was taking longer for her body to recover between treatments. After 3 rounds of treatment another scan was done and this time it showed no progress. The treatment was not working. She had the choice to stop treatment or continue. She chose to continue with chemo in hopes to slow down the cancer. The chemo is now causing failure in her kidneys and she no longer has the option to continue.
This was the devastating news they did not want or expect. And certainly not this soon. She has run out of options for treatment in Canada and now her only chance is out of country alternative treatment centers. They began researching clinics, sending her medical records, and talking with doctors. After calls with 4 doctors at 2 locations in the US and 2 in Mexico, they have made a decision. They are off to a treatment facility in Mexico and they need to get there quickly while she is still strong. The financial cost of this is outside of their ability as we all know how expensive these options are. We are looking to rally on their behalf in hopes that we can get them on their way! It is a 3 week in-patient program followed by out-patient care and then back for follow up. The funds raised will be used for travel for her and Jarod, the treatment costs, follow up appts, and time away from work. Her plan is to get there as soon as possible so she can be back for Jayden’s grade 8 graduation. The call with the Doctor today has her ideally starting treatment May 27th.
This may be the end of the road for options in Canada, but the fight within Crystal is far from over! She has had the strongest and most positive approach since the beginning!! She is self-employed and has continued to work through all of her treatments. She schedules all of her clients around her treatment schedule and just keeps pushing through. I don’t even know how she does it. She is the first to admit she is stubborn and determined and she is not backing down now!
If you are able to make a donation - Crystal, Jarod, Haley, and Jayden would be so so grateful!! Believe me when I say anything helps!
Donate Here
If you have the means to give the Ott's a donation, please click the button below!
About Us
WHY ARE WE HERE?
Colorectal Cancer has affected not only my life but the lives of my friends and family over the past three years. This will likely continue for the foreseeable future.
Being chosen as an Ambassador for Fight Colorectal Cancer is a great honor. Being an Ambassador means I can share my story and do fundraising for such an important cause. Since cancer has affected our lives so greatly, I will push as hard as I can to get donations, spread awareness, and help others navigate this misunderstood disease.
Colorectal Cancer is something that has been long overlooked, but we need to pay more attention. Of all cancers, colorectal cancer will take the most lives of people under 50 by 2030 - @FightCRC 2030 is only 6 years away from now. I don’t know about you, but in 6 years, we will have a 21-year-old and a 17- year-old that this could very well effect. Personally, that is scary, and something that I want to prevent.
Colorectal Cancer is a preventable cancer, but there are more than 20 million Americans eligible for colorectal cancer screenings who have not been screened - @FightCRC. Are you one of these 20 million Americans? If so – WHY? If you cannot look me in the eye and give me a good reason – call your doctor and get a colonoscopy scheduled YESTERDAY! Colorectal Cancer is not something you want to go through – trust me, I know firsthand!
Recently my Husband and I became Jeep owners and joined the Jeep community which means we know all about Duck Duck Jeep now! If you don’t know what I am talking about – go to your old friend Google, and type in Duck Duck Jeep! Anyway – it got me to thinking that there are so many great communities out there to be a part of and the Jeep Community is no different. Getting your Jeep “Ducked” is exciting and fun which formed the idea of spreading cute ducks around with poop emoji’s on them to spread the word about Colorectal Cancer and Fight Colorectal Cancer
Right now you can have yourself a duck or you can purchase several ducks to hand out while participating in Duck Duck Jeep! If you also like this idea, you can scan the code on the tag and donate or follow me on my Clinical Trial Adventure or both! If you are like me and want to help even more, you could share this post, and/or the QR Codes on the tag of the duck so other people can follow along and donate as well!
As I was diagnosed at the age of 33, I would like to get my ducks in 33 different states and raise over $33,000! I would appreciate your help from the bottom of my colon to accomplish this goal! How cool would it be to get this in 33 or more states and raise over $33,000?
For the purchase of the duck(s), find and click the READY, SET, DUCK button above. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me!
If your Jeep gets ducked, or you are ducking a jeep - please take a picture of the Jeep with #duckingourwaytoacure + your state abbreviation (so we can try to keep track of the states our duck get into)
- Example -
#duckingourwaytoacureNE (FOR Nebraska)
#duckingourwaytoacureWV (FOR West Virginia)
#duckingyourwaytoacureTX (For Texas)
Who Am I
Welcome - My name is Ashley Pedro and I reside in Nebraska. Right now, I am currently traveling between Nebraska and Texas as I am participating in a clinical trial at MD Anderson.
February 24th, 2021, my Husband and I went into a colonoscopy consult I had pre-scheduled. The iron infusions I was getting wasn't working like it should be which opened up more questions and not answers. I will never forget the moment or the way I felt. Dr. Myron Morse sat down beside us, looked at me and said, "You won't be getting a colonoscopy, you have Stage 4 Colon Cancer". I had surgery 6 days later to remove a tumor that was almost enclosing my colon. My appendix, a lymph node that had turned into a tumor and a small part of my small intestines went as well.
The end of March I started a very aggressive chemo regimen (6 of 12 rounds). This took me into June 2021. I had to take a month off to prepare for the liver resection at the beginning of July to remove 40% of my liver and gallbladder. The tumor in my liver was about the size of an infants head at birth. The chemo I was on didn't shrink it at all and they ended up having to go to a tumor board to decide if they would treat it differently or go ahead and remove it. They decided to remove the tumor as they wouldn't be able to know for sure what it was until I was opened up and they could physically see it. On July 2nd I went into surgery. 40% of my liver along with the tumor inside the liver was removed (if you want to see a picture, my doctor took one and I LOVE sharing it). They also removed the gallbladder as it was in the way, and who needs a gallbladder anyway!
August 2021 I started 7 of 12 aggressive chemo treatments, but not nearly as aggressive as the first 6 treatments. I finished up the 12th chemo treatment in October 2021 and was able to ring that damn bell! The scans I had done in November came back showing No Evidence of Disease (NED). We were over the moon! We planned a trip to Cancun, Mexico to celebrate.
If you have cancer or you are someone that is/has been a caregiver to a cancer patient, you know cancer is a roller coaster from hell. January, I had a CEA (tumor marker) done and it came back elevated (0.9 - 2.1). I had a bad feeling about it, but was told not to worry as it was still within normal range and there are multiple things that can make it fluctuate. Shortly after this I started having abdominal issues, but we thought maybe it could be a hernia. When we got back from Cancun, I had a doctors appointment and my doctor told me that we should do a CT scan earlier than planned just to be safe.
I broke when I read the results on my computer in my living room. I called every medical person I could and wanted them to confirm or deny what I was reading even though I knew what was right in front of me. The cancer was back and it was PISSED. Very shortly afterwards I started chemo again.
Fast forward to now - I am being seen at MD Anderson in Houston, Texas and getting ready to start on my second clinical trial as the first clinical trial failed and my cancer started growing. The chemo I was on was starting to get outsmarted by the cancer. Before long they started seeing growth which opened me up to options for clinical trial.
My story doesn't end here, I plan on being around to bug everyone for a LOT longer!
Questions?
Do you have a loved one that has been diagnosed recently that happens to have questions? If you are a caregiver, do you have any questions? If you are the person that has been recently diagnosed? If so, how are you doing, and do you have someone that you can talk to?
I would love questions to be sent to me through Facebook or you are more than welcome to email me at ashleysclinicaltrialadventure@gmail.com. I would love to put something together for newly diagnosed, or even someone that has been going through this awhile that still has questions. I have been going through cancer for 2 years, my second go round with it, and I still have sooooo many unanswered questions. I like to believe we can help each other out. If there is one thing I would like to accomplish or be remembered by is helping my fellow cancer survivors navigate through this nasty disease!
We have to advocate for ourselves! If we don't do so, no one else is going to do it for us.