Jenna Morel was diagnosed with adrenocortical carcinoma — a rare
cancer found in the outer layer of the adrenal gland — in April.
Even harder, Morel was just 34 years old, a mom to a 13-year-old
and 2-year-old. She was in denial; she barely had any symptoms
and still held onto hope the mass in her kidney could be easily
removed. But the cancer was advanced, and the tumor not only was
the size of a football, but also was quickly growing into her
heart.
Morel went to Moffitt Cancer Center, where a team of physicians
would put together an extensive plan to try and save the young
mother’s life.
If Morel’s tumor wasn’t removed, she would most likely die
within a year. Her only option was an extremely complex and
risky surgery, and even if it were successful, there was a very
high chance the cancer would return.
“You commit to taking a patient through an operation of this
magnitude and there is a one in five likelihood of long-term
survival,” said
Dr. Ricardo Gonzalez, chief of Surgery at Moffitt. “We can’t predict what will
happen with one person. They deserve the chance.”
It’s a chance Morel didn’t hesitate taking. She would do
whatever she had to do to live and to spend more time with her
children.
After multiple rounds of failed chemotherapy and with Morel’s
blessing, Gonzalez moved forward with the surgery planning.
Because the procedure would require both cardiac and mesenteric
bypass, he would need very specific equipment not normally used
during cancer surgery. He would also need the help of a cardiac
surgeon and transplant surgeon to assist with bypass and the
removal of Morel’s kidney, her inferior vena cava and a large
portion of the liver. Because of this, the surgery would need to
be performed at Tampa General Hospital and assisted by two of
its surgeons.
“We talked over it a lot. It’s crucial to have medical oncology
and surgical oncology on the same page if you’re going to do
complex multidisciplinary therapy,” said Gonzalez. “Tough
decisions arise during therapy and during complex operations,
and these decisions are shouldered by the team.”
The surgical team also talked the surgery over extensively with
Morel, who had never had surgery before. The complex procedure
was difficult for her to understand, but it didn’t shake her
faith. “I fell in love with Dr. Gonzalez the moment I met him,”
she said. “Even though he told me the worst-case scenario that
he could lose me on the table, I knew he wasn’t going to let me
die. I wasn’t scared at all because I was in the best hands.”