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Jmv36 In support of Johnene Vorholy

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Johnene Michele was diagnosed with Stage IV Adenocarcinoma of the Small Bowel on February 2, 2009. She had exploratory laparotomy surgery and a small bowel resection to remove the primary tumor. Johnene then went through twelve chemotherapy treatment over six months. She continued to work all six months during this period! Her last chemo was on September 10, 2009 and four weeks later we began all the scans and testing to make sure chemo worked. What we found is that the cancer had returned, and the fight would continue. Johnene had another surgery on November 2, 2009 to remove the metastatic cancer that was located on her ovary, and it was found to have metastasized to the peritoneal area. We went to a specialist at the University of Penn Health, and he referred us to a surgeon in Baltimore for yet another surgery. She had the surgery on January 4, 2010 in Baltimore, and they essentially told us there was nothing they could do. Of course Johnene did not like that very much. So we got aggressive and found an Alternative Cancer Clinic in Phoenix, AZ using both low dose chemo and natural therapies. We arrived here on January 14, 2010 for a 12 week program and Johnene's condition was not very good. She has been through a lot since our arrival, but for the first time since the week of December 2, 2009, she has move forward with her health and hope to continue with small steps to her recovery. We have a very long way to go before we return to our home in Florida.

Johnene is a marathon runner, having finished the 2008 New York Marathon weeks before she was diagnosed. She has run in several marathons from San Francisco to Tampa. Johnene has always had a very competitive spirit in all of her activities she takes on including triathlons, biking, swimming, golfing, and mostly her first love of the sport, field hockey.

Johnene’s competitive nature is not contained only in her athleticism, but also in every aspect of her life. She is a physical therapist having received her Masters at the University of South Florida. She is the Lead Physical Therapist at Central Florida Health Alliance. She was scheduled to complete her DPT (Doctor of Physical Therapy) this year at the University of St. Augustine but that is on hold for the time being.

Currently, Johnene is being treated in Arizona where she is receiving some alternative therapy treatments in addition to the conventional chemotherapy. Since the alternative medicine is not covered by most health insurance plans, the cost of her to have this treatment is very expensive. Since she is receiving treatment in Arizona, she is not able to work and her husband, Johny, attempts to work remotely as best as he can. Her family is also involved as well, helping out Johny out whenever and wherever possible.

Since Alternative Cancer therapies are not FDA approved by our government, they are not covered under insurance. So we are asking our friends and family and their friends and family to assist us in any way possible. I can tell you first hand that $5 DOES make a difference. We thank EVERYONE for being so generous to us.

Our goal for Johnene is for her to beat this cancer like she has attacked many obstacles in her life, with her competitive nature pulling her along.

For more information on this website and/or our fundraising efforts, please email Juliana (Johnene's sister) at jvorholy@comcast.net