At her home in Milford, Massachusetts, Debby shares a busy life with her wife, Michelle, and their large, blended family, which includes two sons, two stepsons, 10 grandchildren, and a great-grandchild. Debby, a retired state employee who later ran her own insurance billing business for mental health counselors, still works a few small jobs from home. Travel and family gatherings fill much of her time.
In October 2024, at the age of 81, Debby began feeling unwell — experiencing nausea, an upset stomach, and unexpected weight loss. “I wasn’t unhappy about the weight loss,” she recalls with a smile, “but I knew something wasn’t right.” Her primary care provider ordered a CT scan, which revealed a mass. She was quickly referred to Dana-Farber Brigham Cancer Center at Milford Regional Medical Center, where she already had an oncologist from an earlier breast cancer diagnosis in 2021. Further testing confirmed the mass was a retroperitoneal sarcoma — a rare type of tumor that develops deep in the abdomen, behind the lining of the abdominal cavity.
As a longtime local, Debby was familiar with Dana-Farber Brigham’s reputation for expert care. Cancer had also affected her family: her mother had passed away from pancreatic cancer, and her sister had been treated for skin cancer. Her wife Michelle has lived with chronic leukemia for 20 years and had received care at Dana-Farber Brigham in Boston. “We had a connection to the center already,” Debby explains.
Debby was referred to Priscilla Merriam, MD, Clinical Director of the Sarcoma Center at Dana-Farber Brigham. She traveled to Boston to consult with Dr. Merriam and surgical oncologist Mark Fairweather, MD, whose expertise includes gastrointestinal cancers and soft-tissue sarcomas. Dr. Fairweather also conducts research focused on improving treatment outcomes for retroperitoneal sarcomas and gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST).
From their first meeting, Debby felt reassured. “I have a lot of respect for Dr. Fairweather because he was very forthcoming from the beginning,” she says. “It was scary to hear, but he was compassionate, took his time, and told us exactly what to expect. Everything he said would happen, happened.”
After reviewing her scans and test results, Dr. Fairweather described an operation that required not only removing the mass but also adjacent organs, including the kidney, portion of the colon, and the adrenal gland. “The extent of surgery depends on understanding exactly how much the tumor has spread and how it is affecting nearby areas, which can vary with each sarcoma,” he explained. Thankfully, Dr. Fairweather and his team are recognized experts who have helped set the standards for how these rare surgeries are done, having “written the book” — or in this case, contributed a chapter to the Textbook of Complex General Surgical Oncology.
At the same time, Dr. Fairweather notes that “it can be challenging for patients to initially grasp the extent of surgery required, however, our goal is to reassure patients that while this is a rare diagnosis, this is not rare to us as we are one of the busiest sarcoma centers in the world.”
The surgery was scheduled for January 3, 2025, giving Debby the holidays at home with family. The operation was a success as Dr. Fairweather was able to remove the tumor completely. Debby required no chemotherapy or radiation afterward, and she stayed in the hospital for about a week, receiving attentive care from nurses and daily visits from her surgeon. Recovery took about two months, during which she gradually regained her strength.
“I came out okay,” she recalls. “It wasn’t something I’d want to do again, but the care was wonderful.” Post-surgery, Debby noticed an unexpected benefit — her long history of constipation improved after the removal of part of her colon.
Today, Debby returns for scans every four months at Dana-Farber Brigham. She admits the checkups are nerve-wracking but says she feels fortunate: “We’re lucky to live so close to such incredible care. Dana-Farber Brigham is doing wonderful things for people.”
The experience deepened Debby’s appreciation for both her medical team and the steadfast support of her wife, Michelle. “We’ve been through a lot together,” Debby reflects. “Having her by my side made all the difference.” Together, they are embracing life fully, having taken cruises to Canada and Bermuda since her surgery, with more travel plans on the horizon. “We’re trying to get the most out of life that we can,” she says. “At 82, we’re not getting any younger, and life is too short. If we’re healthy, we’re going.”
Her advice to others facing a similar diagnosis is simple: trust in experienced care and stay hopeful. Debby emphasizes the importance of choosing specialists who communicate clearly and compassionately, and of having a strong support system. “Facing cancer is overwhelming but knowing you’re in the hands of skilled doctors and surrounded by loved ones makes all the difference,” she says.
Pictured above: (left) Debby and (right) Michelle in Barbados.
At the top of the page: (left) Michelle and (right) Debby.
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