Local woman has 140 pound malignant ovarian tumor removed

Allentown, Pa. (WTXF) - A local woman kept gaining weight and she had no idea why until doctors made a shocking discovery.

71-year old Mary Clancey, of Saint Clair, Schuylkill County, has struggled with her weight for years. She says as she got older, she just thought it was the genetic card she was dealt.

"I kept trying all kind of diet things and kept going out so I came to the conclusion I looked like my grandmother," she said.

Mary, who worked at the fudge counter at Boscov's before retiring, says she always resisted the sweets and wondered what was going on.

"I made the fudge and I refused to eat the candy. I thought I can't get any bigger," Mary said. 

However, her belly continued to grow and grow. Mary weighed  365 pounds  when she went to the hospital last year for a blot clot in her leg.

"When I got there, they did a CAT Scan and said 'surprise' and I was surprised  because I thought it was fat," she explained.

Doctors discovered a huge mass, the size of a boulder, and referred her to Lehigh Valley Hospital Center Crest. That's where Gynecologic Oncologist Dr. Rick Boulay discovered Mary had a 140 pound malignant ovarian tumor.

Miraculously, Dr. Boulay and a team of doctors and nurses were able to remove the extraordinarily large tumor. Plastic surgeon Randy Wojcik removed another 40 pounds of excess skin and tissue.

Mary lost half of her body weight in a five hour surgery. She spent 26 days in the hospital and is now a new woman. Today, she weighs 147 pounds.

"I'm alive. I'm well and I'm happy," Mary said.