Roger E Gussett

Five Hospitals and a Medical Journey Through Hell Roger E Gussett

This memoir is about a young woman who despite her life's many misfortunes redirected her life to becoming an outstanding person in her community. At the age of 9, her father committed suicide, and her mother then became alcoholic. Her grandmother then assumed guardianship. During her lifetime she endured 2 divorces. At the age of 20 she developed metastatic ovarian cancer and was given a poor prognosis. The treatments at that time were severe, as radiation was not well understood. Areas of the body were not blocked off or well protected, which may have saved her life, but did lasting damage to her bowel and kidney. Initially, she sustained bowel damage that resulted in chronic diarrhea. Over years the radiation gradually resulted in further bowel and kidney deterioration. Eventually she lost kidney function and was placed on peritoneal dialysis. Two years later while awaiting a new kidney she developed a life threatening blood clot, and on the very day of this event, a new kidney became available. Then in 2006 doctors did a fantastic job of correcting the clot while performing a kidney transplant. Prior to the kidney transplant this young woman had been an active tennis player maintaining a body weight of approximately 115 pounds. Despite chronic diarrhea since the age of 20, she assumed multiple tasks all the while bettering herself. Her entrepreneurship led her to start her own interior decorating firm. Several years later she ventured into the home building business to form Avalon Homes. That led to becoming a developer where she bought and sold lots as well as built homes. Then in 2013 a series of medical mistakes, beginning with an obstruction and partial resection, became an unending nightmare eventually resulting in her being removed from life support.