Nelly Echeverry

A mom, a sister, and a fighter

Nelly’s story begins during Hurricane Ike in 2008, at the age of 64. She began to experience some pain in the abdomen. When she was originally seen by doctors, they informed her son Christian that she had 1 month to live. After more tests were performed, she was given a proper diagnosis and only 2-3 months to live. Nelly was diagnosed with High Grade Neuroendocrine cancer in the Liver. This type of cancer, consist of cancerous hormone producing cells that form a carciniod tumor. Nelly was strong and fighting her battle. With the support of her family, she was full of hope and convinced that everything would be okay. Her son Christian was with his mother through chemotherapies, sleepless nights and doctors visits. In November of 2008, Nelly was taking painkillers as part of her medication. These painkillers caused her to stop eating regularly. Doctors feared her not eating and continuously vomiting would cause blood clots. These blood clots caused her legs to swell and put her in serious danger of a stroke, which could lead to an early death. Doctors were amazed that Nelly had survived this long. In January she seemed to be doing better, she was active and was enjoying normal day chores. In March Nelly was informed that nothing could be done for her cancer, no one had any answers and there was no cure. She was put on a lower dose of medication and decided to move in with her sister. Nelly’s body had begun to get weak, unable to talk or walk. By June a nurse was assisting her at home with her care, being the strong-independent women that she was, Nelly did not like the idea of a stranger helping her. Due to her unbearable pain, the pain medication dosage was increased. She had become restless and scared to sleep, afraid of dying. Family and friends tried to keep her as comfortable as possible. Unfortunately Nelly lost her battle on August 16, 2009 at 3am in the company of her dear son Christian, family and friends. Thank you Christian for sharing your story and I am deeply sorry for your loss