Elysse Pajakowski Updates

03/10/2026

I believe this update is overdue! Over the past 4 years I’ve had such an amazing support system ~ friends and family praying for me, cards and check-in texts. It’s been a rough winter and I pretty much went quiet.
Unfair to you all and I apologize.
It’s been over a year since my last surgery but getting my body adjusted to my new digestive system, minus all the parts that were taken out, has been one thing after another.
I was hospitalized in Dec and Jan for a week each time to get my blood levels in a normal range. Correct one issue, another pops up 😮‍💨
I am hanging in there and the remaining, inoperable cancer is remaining quiet 🤞👍🏻🙏. My attitude definitely slipped the past few months and I do not like that! (even my blood type is B+ 😬) Last week I had a blood transfusion and that seems to have given me more energy, less panting and maybe even a lightening of my mood.
I’m praying that, I too can come out of hibernation and bloom like the spring flowers.
So, thank you all for hanging in there with me. I love you all and lots of catch up lunches to be had as soon as I really turn a corner. Please, please, oh please.

12/27/2025

👋🎄🎊 Hello, hello. I hope y’all are having the kind of holiday season that fills your soul with warmth over stress! I’d like to fill you in on the latest in my health saga before we head into the new year. End this year and start the new year with help from my prayer warriors.
2025 had many special times. After another (10 hr) surgery the end of Oct. last year, I recovered over the winter as we moved into this year. I was able to visit Grace and Bill in CA in May🌅 As autumn neared, I think we were all silently aware that the prior 4 years were spent in the hospital, 3 times for major surgeries.
We decided to run away to FL and “hide”.
Rented a beautiful home on the beach in Santa Rosa Beach and the entire family was there - all my loves 🥰
Got home end of Oct and started to feel “not right”. EXTREME fatigue. Post vacation let down? Then the daily vomiting began 🤷‍♀️ (My surgery Oct. ‘24 took out more intestines, so now I have issues with absorbing nutrients from food. I have assistance from IV nutrition 12 hrs/day) I went to 3 Drs in Nov and they were all stumped. Fast forward to Dec 7th….I announced that first thing the next morn I needed to go the ER. Boy did I get whisked in there fast! Double pneumonia, very low iron and a blood staph infection that hit my kidneys hard. I was in the hospital a week. Kidney’s and iron levels are slowly rebounding. Blood tests every Mon to check progress. 😮‍💨😮‍💨
As you can imagine, I did very little to prepare for Christmas the way I wish I could have. Grace came home from CA and she and Mike had the house decorated. Craig is extremely helpful with my day to day needs and how Lauren finds time to help with her having 4 children and pulling off an epic Christmas, I’ll never know.
So, as another year approaches, please remember me in your prayers.
Happy New Year! Count your blessings! Wish I could hug you all!
~Elysse~

08/18/2025

Hello my friends and prayer warriors 🤗
I thought I’d check in and catch up.
Almost 3 weeks ago on 7/29 I didn’t feel great that morning, like most mornings. I had to cancel a lunch date with my dear cousin, Annette Cwidak Kapp and layed down and took a nap. I woke up feeling really good - like whose body am I in? I almost called her back to see if going out to dinner might work! Three weeks later and I’m still feeling really good.
CT scan coming up ~ 🙏 that the beast inside me is silent. I am still getting nutrition via IV 12 hrs/day but I do that while I sleep.
My life feels quite manageable these days and I just feel so darn blessed 🥳
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Autumn is right around the corner and the past 4 years I’ve been hit hard with health issues each year. We’re thinking of getting outta town for a few weeks - maybe hide in FL. We’ll see 🌊🌞
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Hope everyone reading this is good and I want to thank you again for for all your continued love and support😌

08/04/2025

06/06/2025

Welcome Summer 🪻
I’ve had an interesting few weeks. I’d love to share and then leave y’all alone.
I was home from CA for a bit over a week and I got big time sick. It scared me because I’d hear the words “inoperable” and “couldn’t get it all” in my thoughts. Truthfully I was too down to think much. During the course of about 18 days there was SLEEP along with an hydration IV. About 6 days ago an infection revealed itself so treatment could start AND, I had a CT scan the same day. Had an appt with Oncologist yesterday to review and….again…chemo not recommended. No changes since last scan. All quiet and stable.
Once this infection is kicked (anti-biotics mess with other labs) and I get steady again….I’m hoping woopin’ it up a little now and then sounds good

05/18/2025

Hi and Happy Spring 🌸🩷
After a slow winter of rest and recovery, I was able to visit Grace in CA for 10days ! It took careful planning to travel with my nutritional supplies, but we did it ! It was a beautiful getaway.
Grace and Bill "hooked me up" each day....team work ! Talk about blessed and grateful = I AM

01/16/2025

Hello y’all. Happy New Year. Welcome 2025. I’ve been so lax at keeping in touch ~ I’ll do a little catch up here.
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LAST YEAR
at this time, 1/2/24 I was told that I was in full remission (after a 13 hr surgery 11/8/23). I healed slowly over the winter and by last spring and summer was feeling better. I was about to wrap this page up!
Enter Sept. Started feeling “icky” digestively and that lingered and progressed until 10/23 when cancer was discovered again 🖕🏼 I was admitted that day to get stronger and then had another 10+ hr surgery 10/30/24.
Sooooo I’ve been home and healing again. It’s a lot here at home - I’m on TPN (nutritional IV) for 18hrs/day and other dietary and medicine requirements.

I was in the hospital for Thanksgiving, and then we had a lovely Christmas at home❣️WaLa, the post-holiday blahs hit me. I know it’s a downer time for many, but it just seemed too easy to find things to fret and overthink about 😮‍💨 I couldn’t snap out of it so I gave into it. Allowed myself to hibernate and try to not feel guilty. Little miss “warrior” not able to find the warrior within for a bit.
The funk seems to be lifting again and I feel more like me.
Now, next steps are scans on 1/28 and labs and see oncologist(s) 1/31 We are aware that there was cancer still present after the surgery, so chemo…..? I will post again.
Can I ask for prayers again, PLEASE? That I can continue to feel better and ready to handle whatever is next. Love to you all. Thanks for allowing me to reconnect🙂

11/04/2024

Hi all,

As many of you may have heard, we’ve had some curveballs thrown our way this month. Mom had another major surgery and is currently in the hospital fighting through another big recovery.

We wanted to take this time to officially update everyone and hopefully be able to update a bit more frequently here so as to not leave anyone hanging.

A little backstory: Mom has been in the hospital since Wednesday October 23rd. After about a month of frequent nausea and vomiting, and two ER visits, she was finally seen by her specialist at Goshen Hospital on 10/23/24 who quickly knew her symptoms were that of a partial blockage, likely from a reoccurrence of her original cancer. She was admitted and an exploratory surgery was booked. It took 6 days to get her strength back up from the month of progressively worsening sickness and surgery finally happened Tuesday October 29th.

The Dr gave us a few options. We didn’t know if she would go in for an hour and not be able to do anything … or if the surgery would be longer and if it was what changes and procedures would be done.

Overall the surgery lasted 10hrs.

We’re grateful the Dr was able to remove the blockage and for the work that was able to be done. With that however comes extreme stress on her body and many changes.

She’s working hard now through pain, physical changes, and the mental stress that comes with it all.

She continues to surprise everyone through it all though and we can’t wait to watch her push through this and get herself back home again.

We appreciate all your prayers and love through it all. We will do our best to post updates when we can. 🤍

-Lauren & Grace

09/12/2024

How cool is that? 🤗

07/31/2024

Rebel Wednesday……I turned the calendar to Aug. before July is done 🤭

What I first saw was that I have my port removal scheduled 👍🏻
The port, small as it is, is a big part of any cancer story. The getting it put in, the chemo and infusions that enter the body via the port, and now the removal. It’s another BIG step in moving on.

This is one more opportunity for me to thank all of you who have been so THERE for me. My GOD, my family. All the prayers, all the friends that SHOWED up will always touch me greatly. This lady is blessed 🩷

I Love you 🫶🏼

04/23/2024

All your prayers ❣️