A mom of three sets of twins whose health issues were repeatedly misdiagnosed is continuing her five-year fight against stage 4 cancer, despite the odds.
Deborah Finck, 57, from Brookfield, Connecticut, first noticed a persistent cough at the start of 2019. In January 2020, she went to the doctor but was misdiagnosed with bronchitis. Her concerns were dismissed several times, but her father, who was gravely ill and passed away in November of that year, was deeply concerned.
The following month, while dining with her husband Paul Finck, 60, in a California restaurant, a waiter accidentally fell into her, breaking one of her ribs in her back.
A subsequent CT scan revealed a plum-sized mass in her pulmonary artery, initially believed to be an embolism.
“The doctors kept me for six days, running various tests, but they couldn’t identify the issue. It was my daughter, who was pursuing her PhD in immunology and oncology, who found the right specialists for me,” Deborah Finck told Newsweek.
After two weeks without answers, Deborah Finck was transferred to specialists at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.
“Eventually, I was diagnosed with a leiomyosarcoma, a tumor located in my left pulmonary artery. The tumor was 2.5 by 3 inches,” she explained.
Leiomyosarcoma is a rare and aggressive form of cancer that arises in smooth muscle tissue, most often found in the abdomen, uterus, or blood vessels. It affects fewer than 300 people worldwide, making research and treatment options extremely limited.
The mom-of-6 has been documenting her battle on social media @deborahfinck, where she has garnered over 100,000 views for her most recent health update, an emotional video in which she revealed during a recent medical appointment the vascular surgeon told her to live her life, do what she wants and be happy as her health continues to decline.
“I went to Costco. I was miserable, I was in pain, and I said, the hell with it. I’m just going to Costco. I don’t care how I feel. So anyway. Oh, I don’t wanna cry anymore, guys. I love you. Bye.”
After her initial diagnosis in 2020, Finck underwent open-heart pulmonary artery surgery to remove the tumor. Doctors warned her she had only a small chance of survival, prompting her husband and six children to say their goodbyes.
Miraculously, she survived. After six weeks of recovery, Deborah Finck endured intense chemotherapy over 4 months and lost all of her hair.
In April 2021, she underwent a pneumonectomy, where medics removed her entire left lung, followed by proton radiation therapy, a targeted form of radiation that delivers high doses to tumors while minimizing damage to surrounding tissue.
Sadly, the cancer returned. In 2022, Deborah Finck began experiencing dizziness and fainting spells.
“By February 2023, I had been on oxygen for a year due to difficulty breathing. Despite various treatments, my condition worsened, and I felt like I was dying. In April, I had to go to the hospital,” she said.
At New York Presbyterian Hospital in New York City, Deborah Finck underwent emergency surgery involving three specialists. Doctors found tumors in both pulmonary arteries and her aorta, as well as complications from her earlier lung surgery. Parts of her body had shifted, crushing her bronchial tubes.
The cardiologist removed the tumor and replaced damaged tissue with Deborah Finck’s pectoral muscles, while a lung specialist rearranged her internal organs. A plastic surgeon then placed a triple D breast implant in her lung to stabilize everything.
“For the first time in a year, I could breathe without oxygen,” she revealed.
But the struggle wasn’t over.
“Every cancer has a flower—my cancer is a sunflower. It’s my favorite flower; I always say it’s like a Hallmark movie.
“The sunflower is the only flower that can grow 6 feet tall. It is resilient; nothing can knock it down.
“Only 250-300 people have had my kind of cancer in that spot. They don’t do much research on it—we want to live too.”
In September, doctors at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston discovered the tumor was growing around and in her heart. When Deborah Finck asked about her prognosis, the doctor told her that in 2020, he would have given her 3-9 months.
“Almost five years later, he said I am in the 0.0001 percent,” she said.
In November, Finck faced another life-threatening complication: superior vena cava syndrome (SVCS), a condition where the vein that carries blood to the heart becomes obstructed, often by tumors. Her body filled with blood, and after 16 days in the hospital and radiation treatment, doctors were able to alleviate some of the liquid buildup.
Now, Deborah Finck is undergoing immunotherapy at Penn, where her daughter is completing her PhD.
Against all odds, Deborah Finck continues to fight her cancer with extraordinary strength and resilience, anchored by her unwavering love for her family.
Throughout her battle, Deborah Finck credits her family for giving her strength. She first met her husband, Paul, when she was just 11.
“I met him when I was 11 for 30 seconds. I said that was the man I was going to marry. I wrote it down on a piece of paper and flushed it down the toilet,” she recalled.
Years later, the two crossed paths at a Bar Mitzvah but didn’t reconnect until adulthood. They started dating when Deborah was 18 and Paul was 21, but broke up while she pursued her education.
After earning undergraduate and graduate degrees in statistics, Deborah Finck suffered significant memory loss when scaffolding and crane fell on her during an accident at age 25.
A year later, Deborah and Paul reunited and adopted their first set of twins, Amanda, who is completing her PHD, and Alexandra, a sight solutions analyst, now 28, from Paul’s sister, who struggled with severe mental health issues.
Next came Stephen, an operations senior specialist at New York Life, and Katerina, 24, a social media influencer and marketer. Finally, the couple welcomed identical twin boys, Daniel, who just got his Masters in Business Administration and David, 23, who works as a computer engineer.
“I live for my kids. My kids and my husband—they keep me alive.
“My kids have been amazing, they are always there for me. They’ve been saying goodbye to me every time I go to the hospital, they think it’s the last day.”
You can donate to Deborah’s fundraiser here to help support her and her family.
The post Woman Becomes Mom to Three Sets of Twins, Then Gets Devastating Diagnosis appeared first on Newsweek.
