Mom And Dad Of Two Receive Stage 4 Cancer Diagnosis Just Weeks Apart
A couple in Los Angeles is doing their best to support their two boys while dealing with late-stage cancer. Having a parent diagnosed with cancer is devastating, but can you imagine having both parents receive that diagnosis?
According to ABC 7 News, Laura Tomelloso and her husband, Mike, were just getting ready to enjoy their golden years with their two boys, 14-year-old Mike Jr., and 10-year-old Matthew. Laura had already retired and Mike was at the tail-end of his career when the family received gut-wrenching news.
During a colonoscopy in February, doctors found Laura was suffering from Stage 4 colon cancer. But that bad news didn’t stop there. Her cancer ended up spreading and it wasn’t long before she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. If that wasn’t bad enough, it was just a few weeks later when Mike noticed two swollen lymph nodes in his throat. After getting a biopsy, it was found that he had Stage 4 throat cancer.
Understandably, both parents were incredibly distraught by the news. Facing late-stage cancer is challenging enough, but knowing that you might leave young children behind is heartbreaking.
According to the National Library of Medicine, the 5-year survival for patients with stage IV colorectal cancer is less than 10%, with the median survival rate (with treatment) being approximately 9 months. Stage IV throat cancer has a slightly better prognosis, with Cancer Research UK reporting a 5-year survival rate of around 30%.
In an interview with NBC Los Angeles, a family friend said, “It’s devastating. Going through that to find out your spouse is also going to be dealing with that.”
According to ABC 7 News, Mike’s health has deteriorated to the point he had to step back from his job as a police officer. According to the outlet, his former co-worker, officer Bryce Verna, said, “Knowing what type of person he is and a family man, he was a Marine and he’s been a police officer for over 25 years and been married over 25 years to his wife. And to actually — not one person, but two people go through that — it’s pretty much lottery odds.”
Laura has taken to Facebook to share little updates about their cancer journey. In September, Laura shared that Mike was doing his second round of chemotherapy while she was on her third round.
She added, “It’s crazy that we are both battling cancer and getting treatment at the same time. Very rare. The last couple of months have been challenging. But so much good has come of all of this. It has brought Mike and I closer together. A lot of healing for the both of us.”
More recently, she shared that her and Mike were continuing to battle cancer side-by-side and were starting to see things through a new lense.
She wrote in her post:
“Mike and I are walking in faith. We are battling cancer together and taking it one day at a time. Today we traveled to Irvine and got Lymph Drainage Massages and IV’s. Amazing modalities to detox and build up our immune system. Our cancer journey has been hard but it has made us feel more ALIVE than we ever were before. It has opened our eyes for the first time to what is really important in this life and our purpose.”
Mike and Laura are continuing to fight cancer together while doing their best to give their boys a childhood they can be proud of. They’re truly warriors!
