She is caring, brilliant, driven, resilient and endlessly positive, everything a little sister could ever hope for in a role model. Debi has always been my zebra, because she's truly one of a kind. We've been each other's rocks, sounding boards and safe spaces. She's the one I could sit beside in silence and still feel completely understood. She's not just my sister, she is the one person I have always looked up to, my idol.
How We Found Out About the Cancer
For months, Debi had been experiencing pain in her stomach and back, especially after eating or drinking, particularly sugary foods. She saw her gastroenterologist, who suspected an ulcer and advised her to stick to a mild diet, saying it would eventually improve. But the pain only worsened. Trusting her instincts, Debi pushed for an endoscopy and the results showed a healthy stomach.
At the same time, she turned to her friend and chiropractor, Jeff Williams, for relief from neck and back pain, a discomfort from her career as a dentist. But this time, he noticed the pain wasn't the same. It felt different. He
recommended an X-ray, which we reached out to our very amazing friend, Darcy Orin, who owns several MRI clinics and got Debi in for an X-ray on "Darcy-Speed." The results revealed a mass in her chest. Jeff urged her to get a CT scan immediately.
On Valentine's Day, 2025, Debi and her husband, Scott, went in for that CT scan at ZoomCare and met with Dr. Patrick Grimsley during our annual couple of days of Portland's snowpocolyps. After an hour and a half there, I got the call from Debi, she had been diagnosed with "metastatic cancer, until proven otherwise." I didn't know what that meant, so I Googled it, as anyone would and what I found left us all shaken and overwhelmed. We fell into the familiar spiral of fear, imagining worst-case scenarios. Her blood results showed high numbers for lymphoma, pancreatic cancer, ovarian cancer and others. Her PET scan lit up brightly, so the fearcontinued through the unknown.
For weeks, we lived in limbo without clear answers. And then, almost four weeks later, we learned why: her cancer is so rare, it was initially off the radar.
Debi is diagnosed with Thymic Neuroendocrine Tumor (TNET)—a cancer
so rare that only about 100-200 cases are identified each year in the US. But in the midst of all the uncertainty, we discovered something incredible: OHSU is the #1 research hospital for this exact type of cancer. What a gift. What a sign. What a stroke of luck in the most unlucky of circumstances.
I truly believe that everything happens for a reason. And Debi, strong, steady extraordinary Debi is not just meant to face this fight. She's meant to rise through it, win it and light the way for others who will one day walk the same road.
Thank you to Penny, Phil, Dr. Brian Druker and the entire medical and research team for building such an incredible foundation and center of excellence. Your dedication, expertise and compassion mean the world to us and knowing you have my sister's six gives us strength and hope every day.
We've got this, TOGETHER!
Big Love,
Donna
