CHICAGO (CHICAGOPRESSRELEASE.COM) — Mayor Daley’s wife Maggie was back in a wheelchair today after suffering the latest in a string of cancer setbacks: a fracture in her right leg where doctors had already inserted a titanium rod, the Chicago Sun-Times is reporting.
Fortunately for Mrs. Daley, the foot-long rod was inserted before the fact to relieve persistent leg pain caused by a malignant bone tumor already treated with radiation.
As a result, the fracture in her right femur — discovered today after Mrs. Daley awoke with continued pain — was “non-displaced,” meaning the rod did its job. The fractured bone remains in place.
“You have cancer in the bone. It was radiated. The bone is fragile. The rod doesn’t prevent fracture. But, if this happens, the bone is stable. It’s right now an issue mainly of comfort,” said Dr. Steve Rosen, Mrs. Daley’s cancer specialist at Northwestern Memorial Hospital.
“No one wants anyone to suffer with discomfort. But, in the scope of a cancer issue, this is minor. The unfortunate part is it sets her rehab back. She’ll be on pain medication for a while, then resume her rehab.”
Although the tumor and radiation softened the bone and ultimately caused the fracture, Rosen stressed once again that there is no evidence that the tumor in Mrs. Daley’s right leg has grown or spread.
“In fact, we just had her go through a re-evaluation and everything looked remarkably stable,” he said.
As a result of the latest setback, Maggie Daley will arrive in a wheelchair tonight when Northwestern Memorial formally unveils the Maggie Daley Center for Women’s Cancer Care at Prentice Women’s Hospital, 250 E. Superior.
The two-floor center offers a one-stop shopping for women undergoing cancer treatment. Patients can go to rehab, see a psychologist or nutritionist, get acupuncture and even shop for wigs and prostheses, sometimes while receiving chemotherapy.
Normally, names on buildings and centers are tied to multi-million dollar contributions. In Maggie Daley’s case, it had nothing to do with money and everything to do with courage.
“She didn’t contribute money for this. This was in honor of her — because of who she is, how special she is and what she inspires in people,” Rosen said.
“The decision was advanced by me and Northwestern University trustee and philanthropist Ann Lurie and endorsed by leaders of the hospital because of what she inspires in people and, in large part, because of the heroic strength she’s demonstrated while continuing to battle cancer.”
Maggie Daley, 66, was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer in June 2002. She has already more than tripled the average life expectancy for patients diagnosed with the disease in which cancer cells spread beyond the breast and lymph nodes.
The leg fracture is the latest in a string of cancer setbacks for Maggie Daley.
In July, 2006, Mrs. Daley had surgery to remove a tumor in her right breast. In April, 2009, she underwent a biopsy of a lesion on her spine, a sign that her metastatic breast cancer had spread to the bone.
By December, she was confined to a wheelchair during a series of ten radiation treatments for a malignant tumor in her right leg. The titanium rod was inserted in March.
Asked today how long Mrs. Daley would remain in a wheelchair, Rosen said, “As soon as the discomfort lessens, she can advance to walking with support, then, hopefully, on her own. But, the bone is fragile. You can’t predict.”
Read the original article from WBBM News Radio.
Distributed via Chicago Press Release Services