Penny's Fight

The Fight Continues...

Whether you know Penny personally or not, I set up this blog so that people could know her story.You couldn't tell from looking at her that anything was wrong. She is the mother of 3 beautiful children. She is a loving wife. She is going to school to be a dental hygenist. But all of that didn't seem to matter to the unseen enemy.

In Spring of 2008, after having a seizure, Penny discovered she had a golf-ball sized malignant Astrocytoma - Grade IV tumor in her temporal lobe of her brain. She had surgery and it was removed. She then went to Saskatoon to expidite chemotherapy and radiation. In spite of best efforts the tumor re-occured. In January 2009 surgery was once again performed and once again they got it!

Penny followed up with monthly monitoring including MRIs. The MRIs were all clear up to July when it showed that a new tumor had grown and was significantly larger than the previous ones - in the frontal lobe. Penny’s prognosis was not good. The tumor proved to be inoperable. The doctors said that chemotherapy and radiation would have a 20% chance of slowing the tumor down. The news was devastating. As if cancer is not enough, Penny had surgery on a slipped disc in her back on the 6th of August.

Penny opted for an alternative cancer treatment. It is called DCA - a treatment still in it's infancy. There are clinical trials going on at the University of Alberta - but the only clinic offering treatment is a private clinic in Toronto. Because Medicor is a private clinic - Health Canada cannot fund Penny's treatment. This left Penny and her family harboring all the medical expenses themselves.

Along with her cancer treatments, Penny travels periodically out to Winnipeg for PET scans to monitor her health.

In November she received the latest results from a PET scan. The doctor was surprised when Penny actually walked into her appointment. He was surprised that she could talk. He was dumbfounded that she was not unconscious. The size of the “tumor” on the scan and how aggressive the cancer had been previously – left no doubt that Penny’s days were numbered. The doctor then proclaimed that he did not believe she had cancer anymore.

This was the miracle that we have all hoped for and prayed for.
Shortly after given this good news, Penny stopped the expensive DCA treatments. The PET scan showed that there is “something” of significant size, in her brain, that is showing up on the scans – but the mass is still undetermined. The only way to know for sure, is another brain surgery.

Penny finally qualified to get her drivers license back – having had no seizures for over a year. Life was beginning to feel like it was returning to normal. In January, Penny returned back to dental hygiene school to finish her program. It proved to be too much physically and she had to scale back and finally come to the hard-decision to put school on hold, perhaps indefinetly.

Over the past month Penny has faced more disappointments. On an evening in late February, Penny ventured down to the local dollar store to pick up some necessities. She drove into the parking lot and was preparing to park when a seizure took hold. Penny’s foot hit the accelerator and she hit three parked cars and took out a tree. Luckily, no one was hurt. Penny didn’t have any passengers. This was devastating, as her short lived freedom came to a screeching halt. Penny continues to have periodic seizures. The doctor has changed her medications hopefully eliminating any more seizures.

Penny and her family are trying to “find normal” as Penny deals with incapacitating fatigue. Penny’s husband Brian is a full-time student, finishing up his Masters Degree in Counselling. Penny, now a full-time, stay-at-home-mom is trying to keep up with three busy kids.

The financial expenses involved with previous DCA treatments and the ongoing trips to Winnipeg continue to tax the family.

Penny and Brian have been so amazed with all the support they have received. It has made a tremendous difference in their lives. Those in Regina and neighboring communities in Saskatchewan, friends, family and even perfect strangers have given to Penny’s Fight. It is terrific when so many come together for a good cause.

If you feel like you can help ease the financial situation that Penny and her family continue to face as a result of this sickness, we would like to provide you with an opportunity to do so. It’s true that even a little bit helps. The money donated goes to directly help pay for medical and living expenses. You can click on the Paypal link on the side of the page and donate securely. Penny's e-mail is pennydosen@yahoo.ca - or if you would rather you can send donations directly to Penny or Brian Dosenberger at:

99 Trudelle CresRegina SKS4T 6W8

Thanks to all of you who have helped and continue to do so.
Penny and her family humbly thank you for all of your support too.

Check the blog for continued updates on Penny's Fight.
Sincerely,

Kathy (Fenske) Tanner

Sunday, March 21, 2010

BENEFIT CONCERT FOR PENNY'S FIGHT

BENEFIT CONCERT FOR PENNY'S FIGHT
Tuesday April 6
Hotel Saskatchewan-Oak Room

Doors open 7:00 show at 7:30

Scheduled entertainers:

Karin Boehler
Jazz Man Rick Harris
Howard Exner
Door Jammers Band

Proceeds help pay medical bills for Penny Dosenberger

Tickets $10.00 (cash payment) available at:

2nd Floor Boutique & Gallery 1100 Broad St.
OPEN……(Wed-Fri…noon to 5PM. Sat..10AM-5PM)

Wicker Warehouse 1350 Rose St.
OPEN….(Mon-Sat….9:30AM-5:30PM)

Or Call Ron (306) 525-2117
rekeck@accesscomm.ca

Monday, March 15, 2010

School is on hold

This picture was taken before Christmas in early Dec. we try to take a similar picture every year after we venture out to the woods of superstore or Sobeys to pick out our tree ;-)

Being back in school full time in hygiene proved to be just too much for me right now. I have quit for now and maybe in the future I will finish? recently I have had bout of seizure activity, medication has been switched and now it appears to be under control. I am learning to not make too many plans, and trying to not be too hard on myself when I can't keep up with all of the things I used to be able to do. (very hard)

I have another scan coming up in April this time a PET scan in Winnipeg. This is the type of scan I will need to have from now on and since SK. does not have this type of scanner I will have to travel to Winnipeg approx. every 3 months indefinitely.

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Back to school

Back to school again for all of us! Brian is doing his practicum at Wascana Rehab in the WCB psychology area Nolan and Jada back at Buck. Blake is at the SIAST daycare(we call it school) and I am also back at SIAST for dental hygiene. I started back full time, but have realized that it may be a bit too much for us at this point, so I have reduced my schedule to part time. Classes this semester and then continue into the fall to finish up my clinical requirements

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

No news is good news!!

I've been told I need to post more? What can I say there isn't much new. I have an MRI date of Nov 6th, I will find out the results, probably about a week after, but I will let you know. My scans have to be sent to Toronto and then measured and compared to my baseline scan. Then the Dr. there will let me know by email if the DCA has had any effect on the tumour?

I went in to SIAST last week and started the process for my return to school in Jan. A lot of things have to fall into place for that to happen, but I am being optimistic! I only have six months left to finish my dental hygiene diploma!!!

Brian and I just celebrated our 11th wedding anniversary and he surprised me by taking me to Vancouver and Whistler for 2 nights at each. It was a fun time and beautiful this time of year. All the leaves had changed colour, but were still on the trees. We were able to take in a hockey game, the Canucks vs the Oilers. The Canucks won unfortunately and we were publicly mocked for wearing Oilers apparrel. We also went to the Vancouver aquarium and strolled through Stanley park. The kids had fun at home with Grandma and Grandpa D. Now it's back to real life and cooking and cleaning again. The break was very nice, but it is very nice to be back at home

Penny

Saturday, October 3, 2009

DCA two cycles done

I am not very good at this blogging thing! Just a quick post to let you know how treatment is going. I have finished two cycles of the DCA and have one(3 weeks) more left until they will see if it is working. Still waiting for an MRI date. So far the treatment has been easy; pills three times a day, and No side effects. Way Way better than chemo!

Thanks so much to all of you who have donated and said prayers on my behalf. Some of you have sent messages and letters with inspirational stories; I've enjoyed reading them.
Thanks so much to all!!
Penny

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Steak Night - A Great Night

Just wanted to thank everyone who was able to attend the Steak Dinner Fundraiser. It was a great success. Thanks to Brewsters, Tracy Malcolm and all those who donated to the silent auction. We raised $1035 from the Steak Night and $1687 from the silent auction. Well done!

Thanks also goes out to Canada AM who picked up this story. Great Job!!!

Great job Brandon and Jenna for your mighty efforts.

It is not a small thing when so many people care to make a difference...

Sunday, September 13, 2009

Newsworthy...

A big shout-out to Brandon Malcolm for his Lemonade Stand yesterday. He pulled in $1230!!! Great Job!!! Way to go Brandon and Tracy!

Also, CTV had a segment on their news last night about Penny also highlighting Brandon's hard work. Fantastic!

We have to say thanks to CTV, Leader-Post and all the other media in Regina. We have had some great publicity to share Penny's story. We appreciate your community spirit. Thanks for helping make a difference!