Foster wins battle in cancer fight

With the support of his wife Karen, Don Foster recently underwent surgery and a 24-day hospital stay for a rare type of cancer he is battling. Amy Alonzo Rozak/The Union Democrat, copyright 2009

In August 2008, after being diagnosed with an extremely rare form of pancreatic cancer, Foster, 53, of Sonora, went on to beat the odds.
 

Foster is principal of Columbia Elementary School and was diagnosed with VIPoma, endocrine tumors that affect only one in 10 million people. The only curative option is surgery.

In Foster’s case, surgery wasn’t possible because his cancer, which started in his pancreas, had metastasized to his liver, leaving a clinical trial at Stanford University Medical Center in Palo Alto as his last resort.

The trial, which began in September 2008, involved traveling to the Bay Area every three weeks for treatments, which lasted from 12 to 14 hours and often required an overnight stay because Foster was so fatigued.

Through it all, Karen, Don’s wife of 32 years, remained by his side.

All of the difficulties the trial posed paid off in the end when Foster was told the tumor on his pancreas had shrunk by 50 percent.

The news was a glimmer of light, one that turned into a beacon, when Dr. Pamela Kunz, his Stanford oncologist, told him that because the tumor had shrunk, surgery might be an option.

Foster proved to be a good candidate and, on May 20, Dr. Brendan Visser, a Palo Alto surgeon, operated on him.

What was supposed to be a four-hour surgery ended up taking longer. After six hours with no word, Karen got scared.

“It was a huge surgery,” she said. “I was really nervous.”

Because of complications, the surgery took 7 1/2 hours and 85 percent of his pancreas was removed.

The complications were not limited to the surgery. After being released from Stanford on May 26, Foster was readmitted on May 31 with breathing problems.

In all he spent 24 days in the hospital, yet he chooses to look at the bright side.

“The positive thing is I don’t have a tumor on my pancreas,” he said.

“His pancreas is free of cancer,” Karen said.

The bad news is his liver is still riddled with tiny tumors that will need treatment once he regains his strength and 40 of the pounds he lost.
 

The treatment involves shooting radioactive pellets, as fine as talcum powder, directly into the liver. Foster hopes it will take place in late August or early September.

For now, he is concentrating on getting well and gaining weight.

“It’s going to be a summer of healing,” he said. “I’m weak, but I’m happy to be home. The family’s happy I’m home.”

Karen and the couple’s two daughters, Jennifer, 25, of Capitola, and Lauren, 22, of Soulsbyville, are relieved the complications are behind him.

“We feel really blessed,” Karen Foster said.

"He is amazing,” said Blythe Tripp, of Sonora, Karen’s mother.

Support from friends and family, as well as the staff at Columbia Elementary School, has been a blessing for the family, Foster said.

“I only missed nine days of school with kids this year,” he said. “The office staff and district helped out a lot. I’m so grateful.”

Once he gets the approval from his doctors, Foster plans to tackle some paperwork and, in August, return to school full time.

  Before going back to work, Foster, with his wife and family and friends, plans to cruise to Alaska.

“I think this is a really good vacation for us,” Karen said. “You sit there and people wait on you.”

Foster’s other summer plans include a trip to Lake Tahoe with Mike Miller, his good friend and marathon running buddy, and Miller’s family, as well as an annual trek into the Emigrant Wilderness.

Spending as much time in the mountains as he can is a priority for Foster, but he knows his health has to take priority over everything else.

His concentration is focused on his recovery, and he is mentally preparing himself for his upcoming medical battle, which he plans on winning.

“I’m so grateful to be here. I have a lot of people praying for me, and I have a positive attitude,” he said. “That’s why I’m still here.”