Lorraine DeLuca would describe her husband as one of the healthiest people she had ever known. He woke up early, golfed, and greeted her every morning with a smile and an amazing amount of energy. That all changed four months ago when he began severe pain in his stomach.
As the holidays continued, that quickly changed. DeLuca told Fox 4 that by Christmas the pain was so bad, he could not even socialize with his family.
"Two days after Christmas he said to me 'hun I can't take this anymore'."
DeLuca took her husband to a specialist. After another round of tests, they received a shocking Diagnosis.
She was told her husband had a klatskin tumor and that the cancer had progressed so much, there was nothing that could be done for her husband. DeLuca was also told the virus that caused the cancer originated in Southeast Asia.
When DeLuca heard this news she had a good idea about when her husband could have contracted the virus.
"I instantly thought, "Vietnam", she told Four in your Corner.
DeLuca's husband had only been to Southeast Asia once, as a young marine during the Vietnam War. He had never been diagnosed with Liver Flukes disease, the virus that caused the caner, before the stomach pain started. That is what made the discovery that much more shocking.
Now, DeLuca is planning for the inevitable and she wants to make sure other Vietnam veterans and their families are informed so they can take care of themselves.
