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PREP SOFTBALL: North
Hardin tabs Chancey to
Neal Cardin
Mallory Chaney holds some of the cards
and letters she has received from people
offering her emotional support and
prayers as she battles acute
Rare illness inspires national action for E’town woman
Tumor, acute pancreatitis require Mallory Chaney to rely on
feeding tube
By Carly Besser
Sunday, June 22, 2014 at 11:36 pm (Updated: June 23, 3:24 pm)
In her dreams, she eats at buffets. She watches cooking shows on the Food Network and
joins her family at the dinner table for meals, but Mallory Chaney can’t have what can’t be
administered through a feeding tube.
She has not eaten since Feb. 20.
“Some days are more difficult than others,”
Chaney said. “In some ways, this has
become my new normal because it has
been so long since I’ve eaten. I’m used to
going through the day and knowing that it’s
not an option for me to eat food. I have to be
OK with that.”
The former Central Hardin High School
soccer star’s life veered in a different
direction when doctors discovered a rare
pancreatic tumor that needed to be
removed immediately. Her life as an
involved junior at Western Kentucky
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1 of 3
prayers as she battles acute
pancreatitis.
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University would come to an abrupt halt.
After undergoing a high-risk Whipple
procedure to remove parts of her stomach,
small intestine, lymph nodes and
gallbladder, Chaney now suffers from bouts
of acute pancreatitis.
According to the Harvard Medical Journal, in pancreatitis, enzymes that normally are
released into the digestive tract begin to damage the pancreas itself. As a result, digestion
slows and becomes painful. Other body functions alsocan be affected and the pancreas
can become permanently damaged.
Chaney misses eating. She said she feels tired and malnourished, but she has learned to
cope with her hunger pangs.
“I told my family it’s OK to eat around me,” Chaney said. “It’s weird that sometimes, even
smelling food or seeing food is kind of a comfort to me.”
The complexity of Chaney’s illness forced her to withdraw from classes, leaving behind her
friends, school life and Alpha Delti Pi sorority sisters. She is recovering with her family in
Elizabethtown.
Chaney, who celebrates her 21st birthday on Thursday, still experiences bouts of
pancreatitis, but she remains highly optimistic regardless of her circumstances. She still is
the upbeat girl she was before her diagnosis and she owes it all to her faith.
“I used to feel alone because the circumstance is so unique,” Chaney said. “But now I
know that I’ve never been alone. God has been with me through it all. As painful and as
hard as things are, I know that everything in this world is temporary and some day, none of
this is going to matter. We won’t be in pain anymore. We’ll rejoice all the time.”
Many people feel the effects of Chaney’s complications, but one person decided to turn her
grief into action. Erin Deattie, Chaney’s best friend and sorority sister, spearheaded a
fundraiser to help cover medical bills through www.gofundme.com.
After meeting at the Governer’s Scholar Program at WKU, Deattie and Chaney decided to
become college roommates. Since then, they have been attached at the hip.
“We both were doing random roommates and were a little creeped out,” Deattie said,
laughing. “We asked each other some questions about our habits. We’re both messy.”
Devastated by the news of Chaney’s illness, Deattie said the idea for the site first came to
her when people from her hometown of Somerset called to ask how they could help.
“I knew there had to be a more direct way to handle donations, so I started the website,”
Deattie said. “I got more than $500 in the two days it was up, and I was receiving donations
from other ADPis across the country. It was awesome to see a lot of people donate a little
bit of money.”
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After collecting thousands in donations, Deattie took a trip to Elizabethtown to visit Chaney
and deliver the check. Deattie was humbled to see the family’s reaction.
“I wasn’t expecting them to open it in front of me,” she said. “They were so overwhelmed that people cared about her and
wanted to help her. I’ve been really proud of how she’s handling it. She really has had tremendous faith and strength
through the whole thing.”
Chaney said she’s thankful to have a friend like Deattie, and considers her to be the “world’s most loyal BFF.”
After recounting all of the support she has received in the past months, Chaney has a lot of people in the community to
thank. She has received donations from AGC Glass Co., her church community at First Christian Church in
Elizabethtown, ADPi and co-workers of her parents.
“It’s hard to express the gratitude for everyone who has been there for us, who has called and sent things to us,” Chaney
said. “I’m proud to be in a community where people are so wonderful and so selfless.”
Besides monetary support, Chaney said she also has all the emotional support she needs.
“I can’t imagine going through this difficult journey without my amazing family by my side,” she said. “My parents, Jim and
Maria, my brothers, Phillip and Cameron and my boyfriend, Tyler, have sacrificed so much to take care of me. They are
the world’s greatest support system and I’ll never be able to tell them how much I truly love them.”
The future of Chaney’s health is completely unknown. It’s still a mystery as to whether her symptoms will progress or
when she will be able to eat again, but Chaney said that with her faith, friends, family and attitude, what is meant to
happen will happen.
“We’re totally trusting in whatever God planned,” she said.
Carly Besser can be reached at 270-505-1740 or cbesser@thenewsenterprise.com.
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