My cousin is really sick right now. She has familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) which is a hereditary disease she got from her father. Her intestines are full of polyps, she’s had her colon removed, she has a tumor that they cannot remove or even shrink and I just found out that she’s back in the hospital for sepsis.
Here’s a blurb on FAP from the NIH:
Familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) is an inherited disorder characterized by cancer of the large intestine (colon) and rectum. People with the classic type of familial adenomatous polyposis may begin to develop multiple noncancerous (benign) growths (polyps) in the colon as early as their teenage years. Unless the colon is removed, these polyps will become malignant (cancerous). The average age at which an individual develops colon cancer in classic familial adenomatous polyposis is 39 years. Some people have a variant of the disorder, called attenuated familial adenomatous polyposis, in which polyp growth is delayed. The average age of colorectal cancer onset for attenuated familial adenomatous polyposis is 55 years.
In people with classic familial adenomatous polyposis, the number of polyps increases with age, and hundreds to thousands of polyps can develop in the colon. Also of particular significance are noncancerous growths called desmoid tumors. These fibrous tumors usually occur in the tissue covering the intestines and may be provoked by surgery to remove the colon. Desmoid tumors tend to recur after they are surgically removed. In both classic familial adenomatous polyposis and its attenuated variant, benign and malignant tumors are sometimes found in other places in the body, including the duodenum (a section of the small intestine), stomach, bones, skin, and other tissues. People who have colon polyps as well as growths outside the colon are sometimes described as having Gardner syndrome.
She’s my age and I’m worried about her. Her father and a half brother have died from this and she has another half brother and sister who have it. She’s had numerous operations.
I hope she can pull through this, but I’m afraid she won’t. She has a son and she’s the sweetest person. She’s been through so much.
Praying folks…please keep my cousin in your thoughts and prayers. She could really use them right now!
Thanks!
