tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-71975939250084843022024-02-18T18:18:16.184-08:00Brave Like a TreeUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger67125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7197593925008484302.post-23208553538146221572016-04-19T15:33:00.002-07:002016-04-19T15:35:38.249-07:00Have You Heard??? Pink Hope Edition<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8WR8NTrkv7OGTAVGmEvmiYCepQQwplL9ia_FTuNR-7REpDkAZCbhCX92iRRc39rYPvoK_09bDfnS1EE5kuFo9g5BibGXZqSlymUjEQEfRjgmbxwEbcCSqJUxuimDVTCs49_9MB6i-2ZRs/s1600/264.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8WR8NTrkv7OGTAVGmEvmiYCepQQwplL9ia_FTuNR-7REpDkAZCbhCX92iRRc39rYPvoK_09bDfnS1EE5kuFo9g5BibGXZqSlymUjEQEfRjgmbxwEbcCSqJUxuimDVTCs49_9MB6i-2ZRs/s320/264.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Pink Hope team!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjvYpG1dIYgaJWU2I6FE7bzBVC3YCS6EVqxm8Cowy6LrGggMOQpnXxDu8BiWeZO0BSqq69nUER-QDI42H0dUykxv6edapLht-qcSEBQh6dlueqsmuu8hCuWIXraQ-aSN2CbKW3gDRqY3Bx/s1600/004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjvYpG1dIYgaJWU2I6FE7bzBVC3YCS6EVqxm8Cowy6LrGggMOQpnXxDu8BiWeZO0BSqq69nUER-QDI42H0dUykxv6edapLht-qcSEBQh6dlueqsmuu8hCuWIXraQ-aSN2CbKW3gDRqY3Bx/s200/004.JPG" width="143" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihuUrah5a2PEawqn3PJYEGZ1WdVhC_2QgusnUnSFALIJYfokCKjuymLmzKA_Q1SVUKdA90YAADX9nCTX7PjZglRDE2qEurfiLt6T-g4fKvyTnh7KgoEeVpZ7VjRpdjHqlFNYw8RIgaZJxL/s1600/002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihuUrah5a2PEawqn3PJYEGZ1WdVhC_2QgusnUnSFALIJYfokCKjuymLmzKA_Q1SVUKdA90YAADX9nCTX7PjZglRDE2qEurfiLt6T-g4fKvyTnh7KgoEeVpZ7VjRpdjHqlFNYw8RIgaZJxL/s200/002.JPG" width="133" /></a>This past weekend, I had the pleasure of doing a boutique photoshoot for the <i>Beyond the Ribbon</i> sponsor of this year's Pretty in Pink Foundation's <i>Walk of Champions</i>. Pink Hope is a post-mastectomy care boutique offering all kinds of services and products for women after they've had a mastectomy.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
They were so knowledgeable and it was clear their whole team is dedicated to providing compassionate post-mastectomy care in an intimate and feminine setting.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgES84a_cV9RvMmX6lDvUwG0WEUKT2NSI05_RTSle0vJ2uXmUytZf9ggRIFrcf2CX7uERO1EjA3-JeJ2yWGxNFLVshfwsN6BZSF2rL2ozfAUel9lRBTH81uylGYzW8Sp2SMelPzSZIts8p3/s1600/006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgES84a_cV9RvMmX6lDvUwG0WEUKT2NSI05_RTSle0vJ2uXmUytZf9ggRIFrcf2CX7uERO1EjA3-JeJ2yWGxNFLVshfwsN6BZSF2rL2ozfAUel9lRBTH81uylGYzW8Sp2SMelPzSZIts8p3/s200/006.JPG" width="200" /></a>They are still working to get the word out in the breast cancer community about their services, so I wanted to do my part in spreading the word. I really wish I had known they were around after I had my surgery. If you or someone you know has had or is having a mastectomy, please share Pink Hope with them.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9FIOSrxaI2IzUw8V-IldCgid8z5BEBtbW1Qtxx33ZIX6trHWUkV7e415R_h3K9titbfi94a4WxbxQl1-vk-ZKVawqzr1HINlp59bN1Q7R4eKnU2pHqLRlmparAxZbprpEWAtVJV81UeDM/s1600/100.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9FIOSrxaI2IzUw8V-IldCgid8z5BEBtbW1Qtxx33ZIX6trHWUkV7e415R_h3K9titbfi94a4WxbxQl1-vk-ZKVawqzr1HINlp59bN1Q7R4eKnU2pHqLRlmparAxZbprpEWAtVJV81UeDM/s200/100.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4LMLAvu1CaGOvVs9MRxPylP7qSQt33U_cSG80P89MCphn_snX6hPH2ILnGVhjChQuctSoh5TUGiQKPbtAlvPAGQoW9Luju0vvrP3gl50YYZAftC-eYgcxCOqjNuYNPZu6F_7Tz3eztj50/s1600/010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4LMLAvu1CaGOvVs9MRxPylP7qSQt33U_cSG80P89MCphn_snX6hPH2ILnGVhjChQuctSoh5TUGiQKPbtAlvPAGQoW9Luju0vvrP3gl50YYZAftC-eYgcxCOqjNuYNPZu6F_7Tz3eztj50/s200/010.JPG" width="135" /></a>Jada and Sara were so welcoming, explaining what they do and how they help women navigate the post-mastectomy care terrain. I was there to take pictures of 4 of Pretty in Pink's champions that are walking in the show this year. Jada and Sara made us feel right at home. They showed us around the store and pointed out some really great products they carry (like bras with pockets to hold drain bulbs after surgery, prostheses, hats and scarves, bathing suits, t-shirts, and lots of beautiful bras). Sara walked us through how they perform a fitting and showed off their feminine-glam dressing room.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2T9GTWU_PwFliGnXaJc5ZYLfbkCuWyrkdgOJPUVzCMnRMy_A-Xr_cida2tOfzIfbxeRXkDZ3vP0W_x0EkoCA6AUDtSXMJ-BNg2T2npq_cahrXRT7vqJmm8KTBLav7s_x3W-5j4AV0wAxK/s1600/085.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2T9GTWU_PwFliGnXaJc5ZYLfbkCuWyrkdgOJPUVzCMnRMy_A-Xr_cida2tOfzIfbxeRXkDZ3vP0W_x0EkoCA6AUDtSXMJ-BNg2T2npq_cahrXRT7vqJmm8KTBLav7s_x3W-5j4AV0wAxK/s200/085.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6hiyTos4W4R7rWIC2btdAUsYoCJmtDUyu07wu1cRJr4SwS7zDI1vci0fp8mfOHKbUGdn4R1yzNWtFq8EjMlgbmneUiYMfCKijILOaHo-DJ7s_3XUg3NPNsb1LQPBFsJ3YZsqzjbiusAhp/s1600/047.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="152" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6hiyTos4W4R7rWIC2btdAUsYoCJmtDUyu07wu1cRJr4SwS7zDI1vci0fp8mfOHKbUGdn4R1yzNWtFq8EjMlgbmneUiYMfCKijILOaHo-DJ7s_3XUg3NPNsb1LQPBFsJ3YZsqzjbiusAhp/s200/047.JPG" width="200" /></a>Jeff, the owner, came by and told us about how he, as an amputee himself, opened a prosthetics business (Atlantic Prosthetic Services, right next door to Pink Hope) and started noticing that women had no other choice but to come to a bustling store, with no privacy to get fit for breast prostheses.<br />
<br />
With genuine care for what these<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHOwVd6TWFy-engHFE22zpcSuKZAAWs9wIAfu6QoBRBlqemghBiiA-H01_0m0gpv6eQWWg2SoZBeDQ1-BwetyZT6CKk8SeJ1LxaOdOIyeKoENh0op7RgBLzf2NuV_c_CUbpLVW2GQCNp9F/s1600/338.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHOwVd6TWFy-engHFE22zpcSuKZAAWs9wIAfu6QoBRBlqemghBiiA-H01_0m0gpv6eQWWg2SoZBeDQ1-BwetyZT6CKk8SeJ1LxaOdOIyeKoENh0op7RgBLzf2NuV_c_CUbpLVW2GQCNp9F/s200/338.JPG" width="133" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgieemElswShupCl-7bsiMiwwWJq2e2Vozo30ckMRu_nPaMKArGoGfEdzFm007T5KxQrUnJD0FAUcuyH-C-Mf2mB3BZoDnDIwjpGY47PF6WHahwtyvQCun4tA1ACu5CabcSCOrRuN17tnCI/s1600/123.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgieemElswShupCl-7bsiMiwwWJq2e2Vozo30ckMRu_nPaMKArGoGfEdzFm007T5KxQrUnJD0FAUcuyH-C-Mf2mB3BZoDnDIwjpGY47PF6WHahwtyvQCun4tA1ACu5CabcSCOrRuN17tnCI/s200/123.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE41QtWEBrz0Hez35a6nSdnsyLWX6EKENUygK2FX_Fvu0ucmqrdGpnvVuTtNFRF7Joxce-E_QzBSwgwxqa0qOCKw73tqtiMxLhgDovJrBPpgySyeUeJbT3mAfZQo4BR1Hawf6P0I7SM4wl/s1600/376.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE41QtWEBrz0Hez35a6nSdnsyLWX6EKENUygK2FX_Fvu0ucmqrdGpnvVuTtNFRF7Joxce-E_QzBSwgwxqa0qOCKw73tqtiMxLhgDovJrBPpgySyeUeJbT3mAfZQo4BR1Hawf6P0I7SM4wl/s200/376.JPG" width="149" /></a>women really needed, Jeff decided to branch out and open Pink Hope. Their intimate and beautifully feminine boutique caters to women's needs at a time when women really need a comfortable and caring environment, one that reminds them of how beautifully feminine they still are, even after their breasts (an overpowering symbol of femininity in our culture) are gone.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixhSpXkAw3tVrwbxStHRxzcCe-RjEpZXsNnLHPpptXAaC2W-Fp-rcUF8ABLF8x_Dyz7-LrzzyqLuUMAkJtY-Lon1zsOJzQDcieYtrif0iemFeH0BhKVBrSVPyCwzChiWZtfc0uEGRrhmEl/s1600/493.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixhSpXkAw3tVrwbxStHRxzcCe-RjEpZXsNnLHPpptXAaC2W-Fp-rcUF8ABLF8x_Dyz7-LrzzyqLuUMAkJtY-Lon1zsOJzQDcieYtrif0iemFeH0BhKVBrSVPyCwzChiWZtfc0uEGRrhmEl/s200/493.JPG" width="126" /></a>Bravo to Jeff and his team for being innovative and empathetic! Please help me spread the word about this great store! And don't miss out on the Pink Hope t-shirts! Jeff's trademarked saying is on the back: Let's call it Can'tcer! Love it!<br />
<br />
Visit <a href="http://pinkhope.com/" target="_blank">their website</a> for location, hours, and other contact info. Their <a href="http://pinkhope.com/what-is-pink-hope/" target="_blank">About Us</a> page has the detailed story of how they came to be.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7197593925008484302.post-12577764965495924742016-01-31T17:55:00.004-08:002016-01-31T17:55:50.911-08:00Catching UpWow. I didn't realize it had been so long. I guess that's the wonderful thing about it; Life went on.<br />
<br />
I'm settling into my new job. A new semester is in full swing with my first job. Family life is as busy as ever, and I'm wholeheartedly trying to live up to my promise to make the most of each day.<br />
<br />
In case you are wondering, my parents are doing well. Bob is going for his follow-up visit in a few weeks. It doesn't seem like CLL is interfering with his life at all. Mom started chemo (daily by pill) and her platelet counts are finally down. Let's hope and pray they stay that way. She handled side effects well and is sticking to her chemo regimen. Nothing gets my momma down! I recently joked with Dr. Kotz that Cape Fear Cancer Specialists ought to name a wing after my family with all the business we've brought them.<br />
<br />
My daughter had a rough stretch of illness; a cold that morphed into pneumonia, followed by back-to-back UTIs/kidney infections and 4 different antibiotics. We're headed to Chapel Hill for a renal ultrasound and a visit with her surgeon. He wants to be sure that nothing's gone wrong with her duplicated renal system. Please send all your positive vibes and prayers this way. We're hoping to hear nothing more is wrong.<br />
<br />
As for me, there's still the pain issue... and some crazy thing that's happened to my hand twice. I'm really good about wearing my compression sleeve and that seems to keep the lymphedema under control. I wasn't pumping for awhile (daily pumping hurts the little bones in my hand), and the sleeve seemed to be enough. That is, until one Friday when I was cooking dinner. I looked down at my hand and it was grayish/white (like there was no blood at all), cold, and two fingers were completely blue. I immediately took my sleeve off, but it took a couple of hours (yes, HOURS) to get my hand to warm up and not look like it was about to fall off. It was still pale the next morning, but nothing like it had been. My physical therapist, who returned my text at 9pm on a Friday night (!!!! wow, right?!?) said she thought it could be a circulation issue. Luckily, everything resolved and I was ok. 2 weeks later, it happened again. Not nearly as severe, but man is it crazy to look down at your hand and it's not the color it's supposed to be!<br />
<br />
The pain issue is still prevalent. I have some pain everyday, but I can usually handle it without much difficulty. There was a week in early January I thought I might lose my mind. I hurt so badly. I would joke that it was faster to name the body parts that didn't hurt rather than the ones that did, except it's just not funny. More recently, I've had some bad pain days, but they are interspersed with better days. I'm managing. Dr. Kotz took me off the Tamoxifen for 3 weeks to see if that was the cause of my pain. Musculoskeletal pain is a known side effect for most of the drugs in its class. In a way, I was hopeful the pain would completely resolve and we could just switch meds and be done. I say "in a way" because not taking the tamoxifen is practically as scary as taking it. If I don't take it, the cancer is likely to come back. If I take something else, I risk brittle bones and a lower efficacy rate. But taking it could've been the reason for all the pain (and other side effects). In my case, the pain didn't go away. Now I'm back on tamoxifen and I still have NO answers. Great, right?!<br />
<br />
Dr. Kotz has recommended a pain management clinic. I always thought pain management clinics were for people hooked on pain pills who needed other alternatives to manage chronic pain. Turns out, that's not entirely the case. Dr. Kotz explained that the field of pain management emerged from anesthesiologists who wanted to use the pain-free benefits of anesthesia without the effect of sleep. Now, pain management clinics offer a unique blend of mainstream medical approaches with complementary approaches, like acupuncture, massage, vitamin C infusion, chelation therapy, etc... Dr. Kotz, a scientist to the core, seemingly a man who doesn't believe in it unless he can verify it happened in a lab said that he's sent patients to this clinic he was sure they wouldn't be able to help, and they have helped. So, I'm very hopeful!<br />
<br />
In terms of the re-reconstruction, I'm still on the fence. I'm so unhappy with how my reconstruction looks and feels. I can't stand being uneven and lopsided. The spasms are really terrible. But the thought of more surgery weighs on me heavily. I'm trying to be patient and just see what happens. I'll have to keep you updated!<br />
<br />
I will end this on a happy note. I've been working out with a trainer 2x/week since October. Her name is Angie Oakley (and I hope she doesn't get mad I put her name out there, but if you need a trainer, you need to check her out!). Angie is so invested in my journey to build strength, lose weight, and generally get well. I can't begin to rave about her enough. She watches me so closely, she can tell when I'm hiding the pain. She works hard to find alternatives to exercises I can't do so that I get the same benefits. She has been patient and motivating and encouraging. I adore her! And guess what.... I've lost inches (had to have 4 pairs of pants altered significantly because they were about to fall off me), the numbers on the scale are dropping slowly, and I am definitely stronger. Remember when I said I couldn't open a bottle of water on my own? I can totally do that now! And more. So many women in my position will tell you how hard it is to build strength and lose weight after chemo and radiation and surgery, surgery, surgery.... But I'm here to tell you that progress, though excruciatingly slow, is POSSIBLE. And, that there are people out there who genuinely care and are invested in helping you reach your goals!<br />
<br />
I'll post again soon and let you know what's going on with pain management once it starts!<br />
Ciao for now!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7197593925008484302.post-52535851032360443302015-10-30T07:37:00.003-07:002015-10-30T07:38:51.149-07:00Pinktober Profiles: Beth Teel<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg878KuX1YjFuRBTfmVbZb-G3O22N4A9pkpeu7QfW9gNkjqf0CFGwtzubY9PHuvU7QIMnx9F1cEvyFS3eDtWw8ecDR5kD89vNCx5R59gZuPfOQuaeTE3Bc2OQJpD-l-JtUs3oMZIhjhl9Xm/s1600/Pink+Tree.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg878KuX1YjFuRBTfmVbZb-G3O22N4A9pkpeu7QfW9gNkjqf0CFGwtzubY9PHuvU7QIMnx9F1cEvyFS3eDtWw8ecDR5kD89vNCx5R59gZuPfOQuaeTE3Bc2OQJpD-l-JtUs3oMZIhjhl9Xm/s320/Pink+Tree.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px; text-align: start;">Here's the next fantastic profile in our series, collaboratively written by my Brunswick Community College Eng 111 students as part of their service learning "Profile of a Survivor" assignment. Many of these students are still in high school, participating as part of the Early College High School program. They are taking college level courses in addition to their full course load of high school classes, and many are involved in extra-curricular activities as well. In order to raise awareness of what breast cancer is really like right here in our community, these students collaborated to write profiles of 7 incredible survivors from our community. I'll share their writing with you all week long.</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Support
Through the Storm<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Guest Contributors: <span style="background: white; mso-highlight: white;">Dylan Blanton, Bailey Campbell, Mallorie Cole, Kaitlyn
Dove, Dezarae Lehman, Claire Longshore, Shelby Mathis, Valerie Renna, Skyler
Watson</span></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlqVMD2Em0YV09eOW3Zqhf58p-94Ml-QsjmzbicdltcQOAX0NJWCZN3SHLiHg2_Cc5Hyp7uHKLYAtUVSyyUdfk_oIkyuheVl_EZdFjKGBNzmL2GWn6-hywz82EWj7Tm-eLivqGzrbQA8bV/s1600/Beth+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlqVMD2Em0YV09eOW3Zqhf58p-94Ml-QsjmzbicdltcQOAX0NJWCZN3SHLiHg2_Cc5Hyp7uHKLYAtUVSyyUdfk_oIkyuheVl_EZdFjKGBNzmL2GWn6-hywz82EWj7Tm-eLivqGzrbQA8bV/s200/Beth+1.jpg" width="163" /></a><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-highlight: white;">When
Beth Teel first found out she had breast cancer she didn’t know what to do, no
less how to act. Her initial reaction was confusion because she did not know
how or why she got breast cancer. No one in her family had ever been diagnosed with
breast cancer, or any type of cancer at that.
She began to shake, and feel uneasy as this information sank in and
didn’t know what step to take next. </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-highlight: white;">Beth
knew that one of the hardest parts would be telling her family: Her husband,
sons, and daughter meant everything to her, and this news would break their
hearts. When she did tell them, it was no surprise that they rallied around her
with support, willing to do anything to help Beth get through this. At her
first doctor’s appointment all three of her sons showed up unexpectedly to
surprise her, and she broke down in tears. There was no doubt her family would
be her rock through it all. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPNKOJgkuerDoRm_QU3DWvY8jQZv02q3dd_UwYLM1pyoRYgJp-YCTTBC-EZZG5qK7A7FaeupwKs4MvJ9AUxueNMleS0W5eoj4hH2TwHaSabkxA3X-z55QG5vEvzmlp3z6CoUwbgzYcWjpf/s1600/Beth+5.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPNKOJgkuerDoRm_QU3DWvY8jQZv02q3dd_UwYLM1pyoRYgJp-YCTTBC-EZZG5qK7A7FaeupwKs4MvJ9AUxueNMleS0W5eoj4hH2TwHaSabkxA3X-z55QG5vEvzmlp3z6CoUwbgzYcWjpf/s200/Beth+5.png" width="133" /></a><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-highlight: white;">At
her appointment, her oncologist told her that her right breast was filled with
a nine centimeter long tumor (<a href="http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/breast-cancer/multimedia/tumor-size/img-20006260" target="_blank">For a visual reference, a 5cm tumor is comparablein size to a lime. Beth’s tumor was almost twice that size!)</a>. Despite the bad
news, Beth knew she was very blessed to have had one of the best and most
involved support groups to help her through her breast cancer journey. </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTfeVKkq-JHY2fCnTNxxzncFyqncoM2l-vuZ-3VtnwwZWRux4i68aE_GwMclrmLoAVUDalU8Sr9x4e0dZSG2rezQdD0kHkjvBeYWqpbn8NiTli6wOhjSt81wy1grVvyJ1vacfqDG_mQZyd/s1600/Beth+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTfeVKkq-JHY2fCnTNxxzncFyqncoM2l-vuZ-3VtnwwZWRux4i68aE_GwMclrmLoAVUDalU8Sr9x4e0dZSG2rezQdD0kHkjvBeYWqpbn8NiTli6wOhjSt81wy1grVvyJ1vacfqDG_mQZyd/s200/Beth+2.jpg" width="145" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beth's son shaving her head.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-highlight: white;">Beth
wanted to get a lumpectomy to just remove the tissue around the cell but
realized that a lumpectomy wasn’t going to be enough. Although she didn’t want
to get this procedure done, she soon made the decision to get a</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> mastectomy,<span style="background: white; mso-highlight: white;"> to remove both breasts entirely. Her breasts were part of her body and getting rid of them was a hard decision to make, but it
needed to be done. As she had this procedure done, the doctors found cancer in
her lymph nodes, so all of the lymph nodes in her right arm had to also be
removed. Chemo meant the loss of her hair, and although it seems like just hair
to you and I, it meant losing more and more of herself in Beth’s eyes; First
her breasts, and now her hair! She didn’t understand why this was happening to
her and wondered if she was ever going to get better. Chemotherapy made her
very sick. She experienced horrible bone pain. Overall, she just felt like she
was dying. Her biggest challenge throughout chemo was getting through the
physical pain. It was hard for her to understand how some people could make it
through chemo feeling fine, yet every session made her feel terrible. It was
discovered that she was highly allergic to the</span> Leukine shots she was
given. <span style="background: white; mso-highlight: white;">She would vomit, had
trouble breathing, and even ended up with Shingles which are incredibly
painful. Beth was reaching her breaking point. </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: #E5B8B7; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-background-themecolor: accent2; mso-background-themetint: 102; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 1.0pt 4.0pt 1.0pt 4.0pt;">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: none; line-height: 200%; padding: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Leukine is injectable medicine, classified as a colony
stimulating factor, which forces the body to produce more white blood cells in
an effort to help the patient undergoing chemotherapy defend against infections
during their weakened state. One of the most common side effects of these
medications is severe bone pain, because the medicine forces the bone marrow to
hyper-produce white blood cells. </span><o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh03x7F5768U88mvINOFC8WuaMQNJIK7BnnSKBSxBIhRgoX0hF5I4MtvFoSH4Y4froU9c6w0utS0DRUhdJ2MNHkPhm-hkV4fJcr2CTnFtfbgfqQdXK9HkRoLIZI_HC7HtovoOccwdORHy5E/s1600/Beth+6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh03x7F5768U88mvINOFC8WuaMQNJIK7BnnSKBSxBIhRgoX0hF5I4MtvFoSH4Y4froU9c6w0utS0DRUhdJ2MNHkPhm-hkV4fJcr2CTnFtfbgfqQdXK9HkRoLIZI_HC7HtovoOccwdORHy5E/s200/Beth+6.jpg" width="149" /></a><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-highlight: white;">Surgery
had meant the loss of her breasts. Chemo caused her to lose her hair and she
suffered through incredible pain throughout her treatment. Now, Beth would face
39 radiation treatments. Three of the radiation treatments included “boosts,” which
meant Beth had to have extra exposure of radiation to the places in her breasts
where the original tumors were to further reduce any risks of recurrence. Radiation
burned her skin, and made her susceptible to a staph infection. There were
constantly new obstacles. For Beth, it </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">felt like every step toward finishing treatment led to more
pain and suffering. </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3jBRDcDRa0Qx_PxXI3wCQKXLNgAduI_-CHQJ_6MuxMStBac1XjKvUueOIqbE-nai51dsSFGK-lhioWjzKVWwk9qsePrsf6wsbVb0qRNSiXE2XlDxSMxBTGpAkTbgS-g8w7VC7dKPJg8JD/s1600/Beth+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="171" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3jBRDcDRa0Qx_PxXI3wCQKXLNgAduI_-CHQJ_6MuxMStBac1XjKvUueOIqbE-nai51dsSFGK-lhioWjzKVWwk9qsePrsf6wsbVb0qRNSiXE2XlDxSMxBTGpAkTbgS-g8w7VC7dKPJg8JD/s200/Beth+3.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beth raising awareness with the<br />
support of her loved ones.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-highlight: white;">The
burns from the radiation treatments caused her burned skin to weep, or
discharge, at random times. When she showed her doctors, they were shocked at
how badly burned she was. She was put on IV fluids and antibiotics, and then
hospitalized for a week due to the damage of the radiation. Somehow through all
of the obstacles, Beth did not sink. Her faith in God, which had grown even
stronger throughout this experience, and the support from her family helped her
get through each obstacle.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik2KN4vUq4yuJ5f-OW9dU_pNjfO2AfUpli0-R-KfsTrlpPdJHrZXf-xbJzt-sxH7nur4xvbca4SznLqt1hx932vEP14q5mVv8dBEJcg9CULTJsN2fiAzwHYVRmwPMSYbzlHIZvC2NhW_Pf/s1600/Beth+7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik2KN4vUq4yuJ5f-OW9dU_pNjfO2AfUpli0-R-KfsTrlpPdJHrZXf-xbJzt-sxH7nur4xvbca4SznLqt1hx932vEP14q5mVv8dBEJcg9CULTJsN2fiAzwHYVRmwPMSYbzlHIZvC2NhW_Pf/s200/Beth+7.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-highlight: white;"> Although cancer has negatively affected Beth’s
life and her family’s lives, they have found ways to embrace the situation.
Spreading awareness through presentations, telling Beth’s breast cancer story
and holding on to a family bond that can never be broken are some of the ways
that Beth and her family try to make the best out of a bad situation. Her children and even their friends took her
to appointments, went to every surgery, and helped her up when she was down. In
addition to the support from her family, Beth also had support from her doctors
who treated her as more than just a patient. They did everything they possibly
could to ensure that Beth would overcome this setback in her life. Although
Beth would sometimes feel discouraged, she was overwhelmingly happy to have so
much support. When she felt like giving up, they gave her the strength to keep
fighting. </span><o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNZOOx7KMF3ntbi_1gDlP5mqIAgrgeFwzFawMpZVsThA9C2ixbw4SQljoAX9Fc84EYIBr3zEfHmyx9cG85ee6AL-H60cXsoVnfYF7kMim0l9bDbi8xttWbWgoiaZI6WflXCC2CNs-sxqxI/s1600/Beth+8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNZOOx7KMF3ntbi_1gDlP5mqIAgrgeFwzFawMpZVsThA9C2ixbw4SQljoAX9Fc84EYIBr3zEfHmyx9cG85ee6AL-H60cXsoVnfYF7kMim0l9bDbi8xttWbWgoiaZI6WflXCC2CNs-sxqxI/s200/Beth+8.jpg" width="143" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beth, with my daughter Charlotte,<br />
at PIPF Pink Fashion Walk<br />
Fundraiser 2015. They are<br />
SO beautiful!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvfjfjl1J-g5r2FG46I9k309ArBs7aanho7ItVigRdbMoma6lHZi-p6LVes6uFlF_o3e_A6rzY2xbVWboKFCk4AUXb4Qe6jkGZXE2xuu5NUoKlgBGfrR9_AbGwMv5qEbbjMu2yDoBXiVyP/s1600/Beth+4.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvfjfjl1J-g5r2FG46I9k309ArBs7aanho7ItVigRdbMoma6lHZi-p6LVes6uFlF_o3e_A6rzY2xbVWboKFCk4AUXb4Qe6jkGZXE2xuu5NUoKlgBGfrR9_AbGwMv5qEbbjMu2yDoBXiVyP/s200/Beth+4.png" width="133" /></a><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-highlight: white;">In
life, it usually takes tough situations to really figure out the lesson you are
supposed to learn. Beth Teel’s breast cancer journey has taught her a lot, more
than she would have imagined. She says that “the hardest thing about breast
cancer was not knowing what to do.” Some
of the most important lessons she has learned have been to rest when you need
to rest and to be aware of your body and research everything. Beth was asked,
what she would tell someone who was newly diagnosed with breast cancer. Her
answer was “to have someone by your side who has had cancer.” She says that
although everybody’s journey is different, it's encouraging to have someone to
talk to that is experiencing similar issues and that can give you advice when
you are unsure of what to do. Beth says to listen to other people’s good
thoughts and have a good support system.
Beth is excited to have celebrated being a breast cancer survivor for
the past four years. Beth says “do not have bad days, have bad moments.” Her
perseverance through these constant obstacles teaches us all that with a great
support system and a positive attitude, we can overcome so much. </span><o:p></o:p></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7197593925008484302.post-86461418939382072262015-10-29T07:27:00.002-07:002015-10-29T07:27:15.627-07:00Pinktober Profiles: Angie Smock<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg878KuX1YjFuRBTfmVbZb-G3O22N4A9pkpeu7QfW9gNkjqf0CFGwtzubY9PHuvU7QIMnx9F1cEvyFS3eDtWw8ecDR5kD89vNCx5R59gZuPfOQuaeTE3Bc2OQJpD-l-JtUs3oMZIhjhl9Xm/s1600/Pink+Tree.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg878KuX1YjFuRBTfmVbZb-G3O22N4A9pkpeu7QfW9gNkjqf0CFGwtzubY9PHuvU7QIMnx9F1cEvyFS3eDtWw8ecDR5kD89vNCx5R59gZuPfOQuaeTE3Bc2OQJpD-l-JtUs3oMZIhjhl9Xm/s320/Pink+Tree.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;">Here's the next fantastic profile in our series, collaboratively written by my Brunswick Community College Eng 111 students as part of their service learning "Profile of a Survivor" assignment. Many of these students are still in high school, participating as part of the Early College High School program. They are taking college level courses in addition to their full course load of high school classes, and many are involved in extra-curricular activities as well. In order to raise awareness of what breast cancer is really like right here in our community, these students collaborated to write profiles of 7 incredible survivors from our community. I'll share their writing with you all week long.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;"><br /></span>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: center; text-indent: .5in;">
<b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Trusting Her Faith<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Guest Contributors: Heather Hennessy, McKenna Spillane, Alexis
Thorpe</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVIrQAzLciCc0iBJ45d68OjlEQXtmumk1s0dfqUCCnDdf0VksIs-jn7PT-ocHXgUwkQu_bX9EBl6pL850jkYltrTRyfon88aYCpKxkm6p2tPBcIzGsteeEQDdCB9w1cP_9jW1t0eHaHX6P/s1600/Angie+6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVIrQAzLciCc0iBJ45d68OjlEQXtmumk1s0dfqUCCnDdf0VksIs-jn7PT-ocHXgUwkQu_bX9EBl6pL850jkYltrTRyfon88aYCpKxkm6p2tPBcIzGsteeEQDdCB9w1cP_9jW1t0eHaHX6P/s200/Angie+6.jpg" width="199" /></a></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Angie Smock is a beautiful, fearless woman who
has dealt with a lot of stress in her lifetime. The issues started when her
mother passed away in 2003. Then, a year later, Angie’s father passed away.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> The loss of her parents was devastating, and
it wasn’t the end of Angie’s journey with hardships. In 2010, Angie went for
her baseline mammogram, which was standard protocol for 40yr old women at the
time. The mammogram was negative. Early in 2011, that would all change. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: #E5B8B7; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-background-themecolor: accent2; mso-background-themetint: 102; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 1.0pt 4.0pt 1.0pt 4.0pt;">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: none; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 6pt; padding: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In October 2015, the American Cancer Society released an
updated recommendation regarding screening for breast cancer. They have changed
routine screening to begin at age 45, instead of 40, and assert that everyone
can forego the manual breast exams performed at their annual visits. Currently,
the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecologists recommends beginning
mammograms at age 40. The American Cancer Society thinks mammograms should
start at 45, and the US Preventative Services Task Force claims that age 50 is
more appropriate. Given the confusing landscape of recommendations, it seems vitally
important, now more than ever, to know your family medical history, and to
communicate with your doctor about what’s best for you as an individual!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdkfs-zUrVuG5n6mLs_s6EDivL5fJLSnLKq5T6Rt28FvymE6Rj9dw8PJoqwUxvZatkqsd_vB9WUapnzBeFZNQWVUZaYaScAnDb_02dWMMnW0qVdYxSH4NwbH3ERuC5t13-_ViatkiTJNKU/s1600/Angie+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdkfs-zUrVuG5n6mLs_s6EDivL5fJLSnLKq5T6Rt28FvymE6Rj9dw8PJoqwUxvZatkqsd_vB9WUapnzBeFZNQWVUZaYaScAnDb_02dWMMnW0qVdYxSH4NwbH3ERuC5t13-_ViatkiTJNKU/s200/Angie+2.jpg" width="184" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiQrljGlTRL8siS8KPjYqMZI2O7ElU_c9jJMHFANucrilRp7NQs8fkzU9p___Hs4DVmK_lkNzDoUlBw5rHv2AhE3Z2Ezm24nkUDA0FNZ67d2iIppkI0J68CInhKDO2Ti98qtAU4znA0Fas/s1600/Angie+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiQrljGlTRL8siS8KPjYqMZI2O7ElU_c9jJMHFANucrilRp7NQs8fkzU9p___Hs4DVmK_lkNzDoUlBw5rHv2AhE3Z2Ezm24nkUDA0FNZ67d2iIppkI0J68CInhKDO2Ti98qtAU4znA0Fas/s200/Angie+1.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In
February of 2011, Angie was in the shower when she noticed that the side of her
breast was caving inward. This strange occurrence led Angie to her doctor, who
ordered another mammogram. The mammogram revealed a
tumor that “looked like a jellyfish” with tentacles. When the radiologist came
out to speak with Angie, an unusual practice, she asked him if he thought it
was cancer. He told her, without the benefit of pathology, he was willing to
bet his life that on this being a malignant tumor. Feeling scared, Angie
returned home and sat on her bed. Right then, an audible voice came to her,
though she was alone in the room. Angie recounts, “God gave me a bible verse.
God gave me John 11:4.” When she looked
up the verse in the Bible, she found that John 11:4 states “This illness does
not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the son of God may be glorified
through it.” This moment gave her a new
sense of hope. She had known God was carrying her, but now she felt sure <i>He</i> was going to protect her, and she
knew she would be alright. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-WP9wdSzNvKIvQ3Das6gu6ofCFQaMjEBa7aaStkYY0Vm5yi4C268ujU_KnCbYlrhVU3LtoYuYgrPgJVj996Ic6_LbtEVO4wzsYtjjJ4hYt0xS-7yiqO9jeS5VTIxjzcpVfoO0XbnnYlof/s1600/Angie+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-WP9wdSzNvKIvQ3Das6gu6ofCFQaMjEBa7aaStkYY0Vm5yi4C268ujU_KnCbYlrhVU3LtoYuYgrPgJVj996Ic6_LbtEVO4wzsYtjjJ4hYt0xS-7yiqO9jeS5VTIxjzcpVfoO0XbnnYlof/s200/Angie+4.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
Angie went to the doctor with her fearless attitude and
mindset saying, “Okay, what are we going to do next?” The first opinion was to
get a bilateral mastectomy. A second opinion recommended a lumpectomy because
the chance of recurrence was the same whether she just removed the lump or the
whole breast. Angie decided on having ACT chemo, followed by a lumpectomy and sentinel
node biopsy which was positive and led her surgeons to remove 16 positive lymph
nodes. A small lesion was also found on Angie’s brain. After surgery, Angie
would continue to have chemotherapy. <o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZbq633EFpZ4lfmncjbxCtwPcHgBBL77wASXonD0cCcVvyVMJKvZDjQOH_ioM6Lf7NJzo_UwXoiEzHbFbaJJDB4o1SqfEio7Ww9MZV56TnbedAIbHsnQZ-3Up7RpGCrgE3H7ImQg0YI53j/s1600/Angie+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZbq633EFpZ4lfmncjbxCtwPcHgBBL77wASXonD0cCcVvyVMJKvZDjQOH_ioM6Lf7NJzo_UwXoiEzHbFbaJJDB4o1SqfEio7Ww9MZV56TnbedAIbHsnQZ-3Up7RpGCrgE3H7ImQg0YI53j/s200/Angie+3.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">In June of 2011, while she was still undergoing treatment, her
doctor requested she get another mammogram. Usually, this testing is done after
treatment is completed, but Angie’s doctor was concerned about how quickly her
tumor had grown from nothing to a stage 3B cancer. This mammogram revealed
another lesion in her breast. God was surely watching over her, protecting her
with every step. Angie’s doctors then had to change the chemo cocktail she was
getting to battle the change to her diagnosis. This change caused a
debilitating side effect; dementia. In between treatments of this new potent
chemo cocktail, Angie would mistake her niece Darian, who was one of her
caregivers, for her mother who’d passed away years ago. Angie would mistake her
husband for her doctor. She couldn’t be left alone, and since her husband had
to work, she would go to Kenny and Elizabeth Barnes’ home (they’re the founders
of Women of Hope) for “babysitting.” Her bouts with </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtwk35l5qUbL7O-JXfBRJ5_JDrWhXL472ro-zxWGPxIM8rOj8ohovZ3NANOq4CiWYuEEl-hI_-rkNhJfs6ejg-F029qxf0G843hwGIs1qn2di21HzWDa4xD1HGGN-O2z858HnUB1Wo0W8r/s1600/Angie+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtwk35l5qUbL7O-JXfBRJ5_JDrWhXL472ro-zxWGPxIM8rOj8ohovZ3NANOq4CiWYuEEl-hI_-rkNhJfs6ejg-F029qxf0G843hwGIs1qn2di21HzWDa4xD1HGGN-O2z858HnUB1Wo0W8r/s200/Angie+5.jpg" width="199" /></a></div>
dementia would put her in a
near child-like state that was confusing and scary. Thankfully, faith, time,
and medicine together would get her through treatment. As of May 2015, she has
finished chemotherapy and is now cancer free. Her diagnosis has taught her to
never take life for granted. She learned that every minute counts and to
live life to the fullest every day. So, that's exactly what she's doing.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7197593925008484302.post-7018073503098901872015-10-28T17:01:00.002-07:002015-10-28T17:01:15.905-07:00Pinktober Profiles: Andrea Duley<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg878KuX1YjFuRBTfmVbZb-G3O22N4A9pkpeu7QfW9gNkjqf0CFGwtzubY9PHuvU7QIMnx9F1cEvyFS3eDtWw8ecDR5kD89vNCx5R59gZuPfOQuaeTE3Bc2OQJpD-l-JtUs3oMZIhjhl9Xm/s1600/Pink+Tree.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg878KuX1YjFuRBTfmVbZb-G3O22N4A9pkpeu7QfW9gNkjqf0CFGwtzubY9PHuvU7QIMnx9F1cEvyFS3eDtWw8ecDR5kD89vNCx5R59gZuPfOQuaeTE3Bc2OQJpD-l-JtUs3oMZIhjhl9Xm/s320/Pink+Tree.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;">Here's the next fantastic profile in our series, collaboratively written by my Brunswick Community College Eng 111 students as part of their service learning "Profile of a Survivor" assignment. Many of these students are still in high school, participating as part of the Early College High School program. They are taking college level courses in addition to their full course load of high school classes, and many are involved in extra-curricular activities as well. In order to raise awareness of what breast cancer is really like right here in our community, these students collaborated to write profiles of 7 incredible survivors from our community. I'll share their writing with you over the next week.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;"><br /></span>
<div align="center" class="Normal1" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: center; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">A Healthy
Outlet Changed Everything</span><o:p></o:p><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span></div>
<div class="Normal1" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Guest Contributors: </span><span style="line-height: 200%;">Bailey Campbell, Mallorie Cole, Skyler
Watson</span><span style="line-height: 200%;"> </span></div>
<div class="Normal1" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="line-height: 200%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="Normal1" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;">In 2004 Andrea Duley moved to North
Carolina from California never expecting to battle cancer soon after the
transition. Her mother had passed away from ovarian cancer, her father had
battled lung cancer, and her brother had cancer too.</span></div>
<div class="Normal1" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Normal1" style="line-height: 200%;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">That April, Andrea went into the
doctor's office for her annual mammogram, which is how she found out that she
had a mass in her breast. When Andrea first found out she had cancer she was in
shock. She wanted to know everything she
could about the cancer because it was in her nature to work to understand and
research. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9iFQ1z1igU34e0DF9zWpv9_j8Lf3McsNwMqKrqqx4iZRB_iX7tOgqQr3mt5xMo4R6BfQWXzB38DDtvlY3Ytlezmvsy2SBRXYCnu0SYlxhEaKoWOi916ADzPhnHMRgys8ctLyITELHmDrA/s1600/Andrea+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9iFQ1z1igU34e0DF9zWpv9_j8Lf3McsNwMqKrqqx4iZRB_iX7tOgqQr3mt5xMo4R6BfQWXzB38DDtvlY3Ytlezmvsy2SBRXYCnu0SYlxhEaKoWOi916ADzPhnHMRgys8ctLyITELHmDrA/s200/Andrea+1.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Andrea at her heaviest, post-treatment</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="Normal1" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">After the lump was found in her
breast, a biopsy, which is when a small amount of tissue is taken from the mass
and then examined under the microscope to look for abnormal cells, was done to determine
if the mass was cancerous and if so, what kind of cancer it was. After that she
had a lumpectomy<b> </b>which removed the
lump and some of the tissue that surrounded it. Andrea chose not to have
chemotherapy because the recurrence rate was less than 50 percent. After her
surgery she endured 35 days of radiation, which targets any cancer cells left
in the body. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Normal1" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOuPM92mLzcTtSiIsC3w1c4SzmCvah2y-11TvoBBv21l2vvpy1KsYc7wT8-AQ9P65otZB4PWT9TgO-axghluQqcmdm06N_XDPUMQaqO6W041xGoHEJTNCaQdbqWc-80oAQBQAyix20sf3J/s1600/Andrea+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOuPM92mLzcTtSiIsC3w1c4SzmCvah2y-11TvoBBv21l2vvpy1KsYc7wT8-AQ9P65otZB4PWT9TgO-axghluQqcmdm06N_XDPUMQaqO6W041xGoHEJTNCaQdbqWc-80oAQBQAyix20sf3J/s200/Andrea+2.jpg" width="101" /></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">After completing radiation she
started to gain a lot of weight because of the side effects of the medicines.
She knew she wasn’t herself, and she felt that there needed to be a change
because she did not want to live an unhealthy lifestyle anymore. She knew then
that she had to make a change for the better, so she started to watch what she
consumed and ate more healthy foods. She also started working out consistently
to become fit and strong. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Normal1" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil6qK9gV2XGAeMNN7bSCfYKNAcaO99nLxlxL5pDgTUK98XiNHUsmkNPsRN8kPv5x20LqJRCgRAcRZG9e83EQhOPwlE9DM1iZWnWsQJtWFeJkZHaUgBQ3RQYAwYFM0NymGQ_tci1QR35To9/s1600/Andrea+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil6qK9gV2XGAeMNN7bSCfYKNAcaO99nLxlxL5pDgTUK98XiNHUsmkNPsRN8kPv5x20LqJRCgRAcRZG9e83EQhOPwlE9DM1iZWnWsQJtWFeJkZHaUgBQ3RQYAwYFM0NymGQ_tci1QR35To9/s200/Andrea+4.jpg" width="124" /></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Thoughts of cancer and recurrence
can become all-consuming. Working out became Andrea’s way to escape thinking
about her cancer all the time. Exercise
was her outlet and what kept her going through this journey. Working out also
helped her to become stronger in her fight against cancer. She believes that
becoming a healthier person contributed to her speedy recovery. She found out
when she made a switch to the healthier lifestyle, it helped her get through
cancer with a more positive mindset and outlook on life.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Normal1" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> In May
2015, nearly a decade after her first experience with cancer, she found a black
and blue mark under her arm. She was concerned so she went to her doctor. The strange mark led to testing, which
resulted in her second diagnoses of breast cancer. This time around she took
the BRCA test, which came back positive, and led to her decision to have double
mastectomy which removed both of her breasts. Her healthy lifestyle continued
into her second round of cancer. Before she had her surgery she ran a 5K, which
really showed her dedication to her healthy lifestyle. </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="Normal1" style="line-height: 200%;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH093n54C7rERfaPhL2F4MdrQolj8Q4q4NJ548xPC3zl8qDT5xGn5d8_HhG2epiI0I2MPN6IovSLvpaQo4tJ_Hd7N5Y3eJEORvIIWpZxOpX3CpIWkjexH8-NlCT9cqhlIJ7kFvyy0En125/s1600/Andrea+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH093n54C7rERfaPhL2F4MdrQolj8Q4q4NJ548xPC3zl8qDT5xGn5d8_HhG2epiI0I2MPN6IovSLvpaQo4tJ_Hd7N5Y3eJEORvIIWpZxOpX3CpIWkjexH8-NlCT9cqhlIJ7kFvyy0En125/s200/Andrea+5.jpg" width="75" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNISuOy8tqtwpqVMZat5AuTy9Wqn5hRSnNzeaH25c4RMGSYMrGKovwdEbfSNJAAmzb-LYgDs0thI9dBvAaX_mf6JRsKUsm8_zDqbvtppnlYopkXfUI17BLnWCHTI9uoH0tYJQwsfcXrr-h/s1600/Andrea+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNISuOy8tqtwpqVMZat5AuTy9Wqn5hRSnNzeaH25c4RMGSYMrGKovwdEbfSNJAAmzb-LYgDs0thI9dBvAaX_mf6JRsKUsm8_zDqbvtppnlYopkXfUI17BLnWCHTI9uoH0tYJQwsfcXrr-h/s200/Andrea+3.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Andrea had
many obstacles that she had to face as she went through treatment and life
after cancer. She remained grateful for her family, for life, and for how far
medicine has come. Even though her life
was hard she made decisions that not only benefited her mindset through treatment
but also her physical health. The decisions she made have impacted her life
tremendously, and long-term. Her decision to become healthier not only helped
her have a positive outlook but helped her during recovery because she was much
stronger and healthier. Andrea learned from cancer that everyone should always
have an outlet. She says, “You need to have something that can take your mind
off the things when you're going through a rough time.” Andrea stated "You
need to have an outlet because without one you constantly think about the
cancer.” </span><o:p></o:p></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7197593925008484302.post-73623193009909717712015-10-27T13:46:00.002-07:002015-10-27T13:46:48.630-07:00Pinktober Profiles: Christine Judd<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg878KuX1YjFuRBTfmVbZb-G3O22N4A9pkpeu7QfW9gNkjqf0CFGwtzubY9PHuvU7QIMnx9F1cEvyFS3eDtWw8ecDR5kD89vNCx5R59gZuPfOQuaeTE3Bc2OQJpD-l-JtUs3oMZIhjhl9Xm/s1600/Pink+Tree.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg878KuX1YjFuRBTfmVbZb-G3O22N4A9pkpeu7QfW9gNkjqf0CFGwtzubY9PHuvU7QIMnx9F1cEvyFS3eDtWw8ecDR5kD89vNCx5R59gZuPfOQuaeTE3Bc2OQJpD-l-JtUs3oMZIhjhl9Xm/s320/Pink+Tree.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;">I'm so excited to share the next profile in our series, collaboratively written by my Brunswick Community College Eng 111 students as part of their service learning "Profile of a Survivor" assignment. Many of these students are still in high school, participating as part of the Early College High School program. They are taking college level courses in addition to their full course load of high school classes, and many are involved in extra-curricular activities as well. In order to raise awareness of what breast cancer is really like right here in our community, these students collaborated to write profiles of 7 incredible survivors from our community. I'll share their writing with you over the next week.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;"><br /></span>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: .5in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b>Stronger
Than They Gave Her Credit For</b></span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: 0.5in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Guest Contributors: </span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Jalen Booker, Heather Hennessy, Amber Mingeaud, Justice
Parham, McKenna Spillane, Alexis Thorpe, Maggie Yang</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: 0.5in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI0VoQy2uv8C1liDtXfZCuaODwAKvG0QcR7hbNnB6rdD1UtMxgeMvMBQxsvHcXSg1LWTSQApRmmVnw7evpoJAVqGdtUJgxpPrISt3TTHwP1oeCMLjo-CWv2cVhrU4UgUJn73GvPf-9qZQ2/s1600/Christine+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI0VoQy2uv8C1liDtXfZCuaODwAKvG0QcR7hbNnB6rdD1UtMxgeMvMBQxsvHcXSg1LWTSQApRmmVnw7evpoJAVqGdtUJgxpPrISt3TTHwP1oeCMLjo-CWv2cVhrU4UgUJn73GvPf-9qZQ2/s200/Christine+2.jpg" width="150" /></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Christine Judd’s journey with breast
cancer began in 2012. She noticed she had a rash under her arm so she went to
the doctor. The doctor said they were 99.9% sure that she had a cyst, and
advised her to treat it with Primrose Oil. Four months later, Christine and her
family were getting ready for their family trip to Disney World, but the ever-present
rash under her arm became very itchy, hard, and swollen. Being in the sub made
the rash burn intensely, so Christine decided it was time to go back to the
doctor. Just days before her wedding anniversary and family trip to Disney,
Christine was set up for a mammogram, ultrasound, and MRI. The tests revealed
she had a large mass in her breast and 4 inflamed lymph nodes. Her doctors advised against travel, wanting
her to get a needle biopsy as soon as possible. When her breast surgeon wasn’t
able to schedule for that week, Christine chose to travel with her family,
spending much of their vacation suffering from the painful, itchy rash and the
stress of the unknown. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">She returned from her trip and
immediately had the biopsy performed. On her 2<sup>nd</sup> wedding
anniversary, Christine was told she had stage 3B Triple Negative Inductal
Carcinoma. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: #E5B8B7; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-background-themecolor: accent2; mso-background-themetint: 102; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 1.0pt 4.0pt 1.0pt 4.0pt;">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: none; line-height: 200%; padding: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Stage 3B breast cancer is described as “cancer that has
extended beyond the immediate region of the tumor, and may have invaded nearby
lymph nodes but has not yet spread to the organs.” Triple Negative Breast
Cancer (TNBC) is among the most difficult breast cancers to treat because of
the way it (doesn’t) respond to chemotherapy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRifV_nu1AFY27cjchY_ZO1quO8yTX4JK4WBZnvNmz7G_4tJAunWUQp45jWxAWHVdXrq-ksJLJa6_E_VuqjKOMVT6v9WFeJCYvCB4Yr2MCJYc1Njcr1UYjJcS0W2zyPDIuUSQ4C5mAKrtY/s1600/Christine+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="140" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRifV_nu1AFY27cjchY_ZO1quO8yTX4JK4WBZnvNmz7G_4tJAunWUQp45jWxAWHVdXrq-ksJLJa6_E_VuqjKOMVT6v9WFeJCYvCB4Yr2MCJYc1Njcr1UYjJcS0W2zyPDIuUSQ4C5mAKrtY/s200/Christine+1.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">When Christine was told she had
cancer she felt sad and wanted to cry, but she told herself she was going to be
successful and keep moving forward.</span> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">At that point, Christine had to mentally prepare herself for
the uphill battle she was about to embark on. She learned all that she could
about this aggressive, triple negative breast cancer. Hard times were just
around the corner, but she refused to let it get her down.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB8tsNtgdpFkL8N9j0EWP92n78i6PxGqk_IZpoKO8IKruHVG54feEwJlUezYliYny9J-b3pKNclFd_UgFpeezTJPrlDMcgfSPcDuHREm6l-bVuI2BZkld6rMGFzyxFw4hr8KA0XGm67Lf7/s1600/Christine+4.1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB8tsNtgdpFkL8N9j0EWP92n78i6PxGqk_IZpoKO8IKruHVG54feEwJlUezYliYny9J-b3pKNclFd_UgFpeezTJPrlDMcgfSPcDuHREm6l-bVuI2BZkld6rMGFzyxFw4hr8KA0XGm67Lf7/s200/Christine+4.1.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Christine’s treatment plan included
6 rounds of a chemotherapy referred to as “TAC” (Taxotere, Adriamycin – also known
as the “red devil” in the cancer world, and Cyclophosomide). She also endured a
lumpectomy to remove the mass from her breast, axillary node dissection to
remove her lymph nodes, and 30 rounds of radiation. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: #E5B8B7; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-background-themecolor: accent2; mso-background-themetint: 102; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 1.0pt 4.0pt 1.0pt 4.0pt;">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: none; line-height: 200%; padding: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The possible side effects from this chemo combination
include: risk of infection, bruising and bleeding, anemia, bladder irritation,
discolored urine, buildup of fluid, feeling sick, tiredness, sore mouth, taste
changes, diarrhea, constipation, hair loss, numb or tingling hands or feet,
skin changes, nail changes, changes in the way the kidneys and liver work, sore
eyes, muscle and/or joint pain, and headaches, among others. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdyR-2DNOh6hp6QpvrMh8nm1p8mFFi9wPKJbCBzYbB_XXFpX3l4JzYR4gy_B9h4wtUO_GGM2ftddSrpclZGLA-MJo22tWglh90GXnTkEE1SdHvBcdX2p2Eppv_3n3W02xymI7PHrlFDHpV/s1600/Christine+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdyR-2DNOh6hp6QpvrMh8nm1p8mFFi9wPKJbCBzYbB_XXFpX3l4JzYR4gy_B9h4wtUO_GGM2ftddSrpclZGLA-MJo22tWglh90GXnTkEE1SdHvBcdX2p2Eppv_3n3W02xymI7PHrlFDHpV/s200/Christine+3.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Christine experienced many of the
side effects from her chemo treatment, including loss of her hair, early
menopause, weight gain, and pale skin. One of the hardest moments during her
treatment came when her white blood count fell dramatically, increasing her
risk of infections. Her doctor recommended she stay away from children and
certain foods that could contain certain types of bacteria. Staying away from
children was extremely hard, because Christine had a family to take care of.
Therefore she was forced to wear a mask because she did not want to be confined
in a hospital room during her treatment.</span> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Her last chemo treatment caused her blood sugars to rise,
which led to convulsions. It was an enormous stroke of luck that she did not
end up in a diabetic coma. As a result, Christine had to endure insulin
injections in her stomach, and started a walking and exercise program to lose
the weight she’d gained during treatment. </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG1cSUtyXfHHJR-iuoT9bcorMeTgtsly8mZEPjiqYahYEbdK3W5SJKK5IYFdxBfC-TYEOFXja8JJQb1IGUA1b4nHyjoy0eSr8MWtQvRr8XEh0-X3dikaxh1cyF28FUW5Vw_Hf7Q0peu3xM/s1600/Christine+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG1cSUtyXfHHJR-iuoT9bcorMeTgtsly8mZEPjiqYahYEbdK3W5SJKK5IYFdxBfC-TYEOFXja8JJQb1IGUA1b4nHyjoy0eSr8MWtQvRr8XEh0-X3dikaxh1cyF28FUW5Vw_Hf7Q0peu3xM/s200/Christine+5.jpg" width="150" /></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">About a year and a half after she
finished her treatments, Christine was feeling very anxious and ill. She was
fearful her cancer had returned because TNBC is very aggressive. She simply
wanted to make it to the two year mark with no recurrence! When she went to her
doctor, she received some unexpected news. She was pregnant! Christine was very
surprised to found out that she was having another child. Her doctor’s warned
her that her body was probably not strong enough to maintain the pregnancy, that
she wasn’t likely to carry to full term. Christine proved them wrong! In her
words, “Nobody tells me what I can’t do!” In fact, at 39 weeks, Christine had
to be induced! She delivered Whitney, a healthy, beautiful, <i>MIRACLE</i>, baby girl. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9GPy9lKde5oI5q8K98ikVnX09BmGZuona_dfLC28FIVdkpEwiAy_fZRpW5_rGZE7VwZ-TUbLz0Rdt3dJhJIMlIjK7uKcZZleo0kb0WrrC65Ljz4iP80jHm1_CRmjPZfxDLQMlH0gv-eJ2/s1600/Christine+6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9GPy9lKde5oI5q8K98ikVnX09BmGZuona_dfLC28FIVdkpEwiAy_fZRpW5_rGZE7VwZ-TUbLz0Rdt3dJhJIMlIjK7uKcZZleo0kb0WrrC65Ljz4iP80jHm1_CRmjPZfxDLQMlH0gv-eJ2/s200/Christine+6.jpg" width="150" /></a><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtO6CiE89NXZAV9jd4Nes1Mp2rTdDHxXwWnUrl1Exm7d2aluU3ChOCFVA2QaBLM6hQ-BdJ57JzO5F6wjfvbnSz3vZeuqlnOEVwkchcexFSFkVCJLef-Vx3WJFRdHq0uJa_QKNx2OykfbiL/s1600/Christine+7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtO6CiE89NXZAV9jd4Nes1Mp2rTdDHxXwWnUrl1Exm7d2aluU3ChOCFVA2QaBLM6hQ-BdJ57JzO5F6wjfvbnSz3vZeuqlnOEVwkchcexFSFkVCJLef-Vx3WJFRdHq0uJa_QKNx2OykfbiL/s200/Christine+7.jpg" width="110" /></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Once again, diabetes struck because
her pancreas was still too weak from the chemo and the steroids. Through
Christine's illness she was determined to be successful. Her strength and the
support of her family and friends helped Christine survive through the cancer, the
diabetes, the miracle pregnancy, and even nursing with one breast! Christine
says, “You’ve got to run with it.” And she did! She ran with everything that
was thrown at her. Christine’s advice to all cancer survivors and patients
around the world: “Live your life.” </span><o:p></o:p></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7197593925008484302.post-90816523909764452652015-10-26T15:43:00.004-07:002015-10-26T15:43:55.082-07:00Pinktober Profiles: Toni Whitaker<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg878KuX1YjFuRBTfmVbZb-G3O22N4A9pkpeu7QfW9gNkjqf0CFGwtzubY9PHuvU7QIMnx9F1cEvyFS3eDtWw8ecDR5kD89vNCx5R59gZuPfOQuaeTE3Bc2OQJpD-l-JtUs3oMZIhjhl9Xm/s1600/Pink+Tree.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg878KuX1YjFuRBTfmVbZb-G3O22N4A9pkpeu7QfW9gNkjqf0CFGwtzubY9PHuvU7QIMnx9F1cEvyFS3eDtWw8ecDR5kD89vNCx5R59gZuPfOQuaeTE3Bc2OQJpD-l-JtUs3oMZIhjhl9Xm/s320/Pink+Tree.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;">I'm so excited to share the next profile in our series, collaboratively written by my Brunswick Community College Eng 111 students as part of their service learning "Profile of a Survivor" assignment. Many of these students are still in high school, participating as part of the Early College High School program. They are taking college level courses in addition to their full course load of high school classes, and many are involved in extra-curricular activities as well. In order to raise awareness of what breast cancer is really like right here in our community, these students collaborated to write profiles of 7 incredible survivors from our community. I'll share their writing with you over the next week.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;"><br /></span>
<div align="center" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">
Defying All Odds<o:p></o:p></div>
<div align="center" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">
Guest Contributors: <span style="line-height: 200%;">Kaitlyn Dove, Claire Longshore and Valerie Renna</span></div>
<div style="background: #E5B8B7; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-background-themecolor: accent2; mso-background-themetint: 102; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 1.0pt 4.0pt 1.0pt 4.0pt;">
<div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: none; line-height: 24pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; padding: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Did You Know?</b> As many people may
know, breast cancer is very common in women. Over 232,000 females develop this
disease every year and about 40,000 die from it. Men can develop breast cancer
but this sickness is about 100 times more common among women. Health is a major
factor in the occurrence of breast cancer, along with genetics and obesity. Overweight
women, and women who produce (and consume) high levels of estrogen are more
likely to produce higher levels of estrogen which “feeds” many types of breast cancer
cells. After a woman discovers that she has breast cancer, she then visits
an oncologist who specializes in the study of cancer. There are three different
types of oncologists, medical, surgical and radiation. Depending on the
patient's plan of treatment, he or she visits one or all of the different
oncologists. These doctors suggest popular treatments such as surgery, chemotherapy,
and radiation.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div style="line-height: 24pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH-1vmG_-8VSyeMOQsH7PcRhFh1XlhiBlFXF2a8mhyphenhyphen1ChtEQKiXubHVrNjsy5M5AH2nmKnporSweBu0tKNQWKSwvXeGPe6_b_coVEukjxMs8gCb7aaVfsfwWQZ6ymLg98zY93PDTl-IBrB/s1600/Toni+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH-1vmG_-8VSyeMOQsH7PcRhFh1XlhiBlFXF2a8mhyphenhyphen1ChtEQKiXubHVrNjsy5M5AH2nmKnporSweBu0tKNQWKSwvXeGPe6_b_coVEukjxMs8gCb7aaVfsfwWQZ6ymLg98zY93PDTl-IBrB/s200/Toni+4.jpg" width="136" /></a><u1:p></u1:p>Toni Whitaker was an
all-around strong and healthy thirty-four year old woman. Toni had gone through
some major traumatic events including a total of four miscarriages and one
stillbirth over the course of five years. She was told that she would never be
able to have children and although that discouraged her, physically and
mentally, she always had a positive attitude and was grateful for all of the
things in her life. Toni worked hard at maintaining a healthy lifestyle
including playing tennis, eating right, and running on a daily basis. Toni was
healthy, married for five years and all around very happy, until one day in the
shower she noticed that her breasts were unusually lumpy. Although Toni hated
to think about it, she knew what this could mean. She explained to her husband
what she had discovered and scheduled a visit with her primary doctor, who then
sent her to an oncologist.<u1:p></u1:p></div>
<o:p></o:p><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiSNNliWBspgDq7CvFCq1l9I2jHDb2zuZQLuZ_-pSzaFXWAD21y_5iX1FOjiD_f9fQB8SASdpbXtysdIoGuiDfTOa6nozJjBswSC9a92r2DZF_O1G6K4TK0KxX9VnLufmhrp2oeHR-uwmm/s1600/Toni+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiSNNliWBspgDq7CvFCq1l9I2jHDb2zuZQLuZ_-pSzaFXWAD21y_5iX1FOjiD_f9fQB8SASdpbXtysdIoGuiDfTOa6nozJjBswSC9a92r2DZF_O1G6K4TK0KxX9VnLufmhrp2oeHR-uwmm/s200/Toni+3.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div style="line-height: 24pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
At the oncologist it was standard
procedure to take a pregnancy test even after she explained to her doctor that
there was no way possible that she could be pregnant. Toni’s doctor came in and
told her that he had good news as well as bad news. The doctor explained his
good news was that she was finally pregnant. The bad news was that she, in
fact, had breast cancer. That’s right. In that moment, Toni found out she was
pregnant <i>and</i> had breast cancer.
According to Toni, in the 1980’s treatment for pregnant women with cancer was
unheard of . The doctor explained to Toni and her husband that she could not
undergo chemotherapy and radiation because of her pregnancy. They knew there
was <u>no way</u> they were terminating her pregnancy and asked the doctor to
examine other possibilities to get rid of the cancer. After some discussion,
Toni was told about an experimental medication available through a trial in
Boston. There were risks in taking the medication, particularly for pregnant
women. In order to receive this medication, her supportive husband drove to
Boston from Connecticut every two days for a supply. Toni was warned; while
taking this medication, there was a possibility she would not live more than
six months and that if her child survived she would likely be born with serious
disabilities.<u1:p></u1:p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7IxAe7dVsNBjQt_Vq0v_PTfgsFS8y5_QHAdqQR_c3HBmqlpvq6jv83ObbPNhtNR13t-NDO8jCYdco5OkCMaiFTWbjnVNtAvhq-gJ0_uOsth5rpkHoTEQ73pQJ1hzNKh-fc-dI78spXTBz/s1600/Toni+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7IxAe7dVsNBjQt_Vq0v_PTfgsFS8y5_QHAdqQR_c3HBmqlpvq6jv83ObbPNhtNR13t-NDO8jCYdco5OkCMaiFTWbjnVNtAvhq-gJ0_uOsth5rpkHoTEQ73pQJ1hzNKh-fc-dI78spXTBz/s200/Toni+2.jpg" width="162" /></a></div>
<o:p></o:p><br />
<div style="line-height: 24pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
Toni never once let this news bring
her spirits down. She maintained a positive attitude throughout this journey
despite all of the possibilities and set-backs. She carried her child full term
and delivered a completely healthy baby girl! Toni’s daughter is now
thirty-three years old and is living a perfectly healthy, normal life. Toni
also beat the odds and those six months have turned into twenty-nine years. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="line-height: 24.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS-OSrXrf80faw7dUqaw4-XBuqTvt_uZ3qcC0diSRk2D9hoTAbmB40u3r2wtUj_zh_rjGzE3pQ3vIXVWl3Y3MQPBzskpxeBloAsXQDvM9lPmZvIWZpGhbWZJrnW9kNTibDjgoNDrV5qbXw/s1600/Toni+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS-OSrXrf80faw7dUqaw4-XBuqTvt_uZ3qcC0diSRk2D9hoTAbmB40u3r2wtUj_zh_rjGzE3pQ3vIXVWl3Y3MQPBzskpxeBloAsXQDvM9lPmZvIWZpGhbWZJrnW9kNTibDjgoNDrV5qbXw/s200/Toni+1.jpg" width="132" /></a>No stranger to health problems, despite a healthy
lifestyle, Toni late suffered a heart attack. Three years ago, Toni also had a
recurrence of her breast cancer. Now, as before, she chooses to live day-by-day
and she does not dwell on what happened yesterday. Toni positively says “if you
are worried about tomorrow you miss out on today.” Throughout her journey, she
has done some serious positive-thinking as well as trusting her faith. She
strongly believes in the power of prayer, because of the miracles God has given
her. Toni believes that although her faith was strong before her diagnosis, it
had gotten stronger throughout her journey. Toni’s ability to defy the odds and to do so with such a positive outlook is incredibly inspiring. To
this day, Toni is very excited to still have the opportunity to accomplish all
of her goals and dreams. Her next journey: zip-lining in Australia within the
next year! </div>
<o:p></o:p><br />
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7197593925008484302.post-83261282124601697012015-10-25T19:27:00.002-07:002015-10-25T19:27:44.698-07:00Pinktober Profiles: LaVonda Howard<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg878KuX1YjFuRBTfmVbZb-G3O22N4A9pkpeu7QfW9gNkjqf0CFGwtzubY9PHuvU7QIMnx9F1cEvyFS3eDtWw8ecDR5kD89vNCx5R59gZuPfOQuaeTE3Bc2OQJpD-l-JtUs3oMZIhjhl9Xm/s1600/Pink+Tree.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg878KuX1YjFuRBTfmVbZb-G3O22N4A9pkpeu7QfW9gNkjqf0CFGwtzubY9PHuvU7QIMnx9F1cEvyFS3eDtWw8ecDR5kD89vNCx5R59gZuPfOQuaeTE3Bc2OQJpD-l-JtUs3oMZIhjhl9Xm/s320/Pink+Tree.jpg" width="320" /></a>I'm so excited to share with you the first profile collaboratively written by my Brunswick Community College Eng 111 students as part of their service learning "Profile of a Survivor" assignment. Many of these students are still in high school, participating as part of the Early College High School program. They are taking college level courses in addition to their full course load of high school classes, and many are involved in extra-curricular activities as well. In order to raise awareness of what breast cancer is really like right here in our community, these students collaborated to write profiles of 7 incredible survivors from our community. I'll share their writing with you over the next week.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“Finding Light in her Darkest Dance”</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhy9keNN7a8uXr5AUvypfM9EaO1vBgw1Y14jEEE1pcOy2myfU9qDVbs38u3D3VaYHw-J7baGtqm5pLq0zIaqQzmV8S1KPDa2kbUNRY0g6g84cVC4RoklCEjp8qP5f-kwxabjJEdAjCMZ2U/s1600/LaVonda+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhy9keNN7a8uXr5AUvypfM9EaO1vBgw1Y14jEEE1pcOy2myfU9qDVbs38u3D3VaYHw-J7baGtqm5pLq0zIaqQzmV8S1KPDa2kbUNRY0g6g84cVC4RoklCEjp8qP5f-kwxabjJEdAjCMZ2U/s200/LaVonda+1.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Guest Contributors: </span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Dylan Blanton, Dezarae
Lehman, Shelby Mathis</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOjWTyiJAj4zwuNYqqWe14wO_rIWfp8TZ_X7b7noDGhshHhkZ9cudgdjt4lbnmROmSi3W71o2TEiiELsD7QgBCapAqIHjX-KgNMtNVrcTfP33qkAICZgTGjH1b989AAsWmU7gvYn2rb_li/s1600/LaVonda+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOjWTyiJAj4zwuNYqqWe14wO_rIWfp8TZ_X7b7noDGhshHhkZ9cudgdjt4lbnmROmSi3W71o2TEiiELsD7QgBCapAqIHjX-KgNMtNVrcTfP33qkAICZgTGjH1b989AAsWmU7gvYn2rb_li/s200/LaVonda+2.jpg" width="149" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">LaVonda instructing one of her<br />young students.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> LaVonda Howard has a passion for dance. She lives, sleeps, and breathes dance.
She moved back to her hometown, Wilmington NC, after graduating from East
Carolina University and pursued her childhood dream to become a dance
instructor. She fell in love, got married and then had two amazing children
that mean the world to her, Brooke and Trevor. LaVonda's life was great despite
a few minor setbacks she faced. She was the best mother and dance teacher she
could possibly be. She loved her dance students like they were her own. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYvXx9FQSxMxCbmvYVt60Tt9HEf2P_Mqr0BGFBa4h8aFy22aWEQGjhfVgdFdXYHK2GjVJxdkMyuK6TDtO6kCYMsE60-4et2OIUpSaX-yeiHJK3nre2_6CbY0BbA1c3Mxp49qKPzpPxrjcS/s1600/LaVonda+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYvXx9FQSxMxCbmvYVt60Tt9HEf2P_Mqr0BGFBa4h8aFy22aWEQGjhfVgdFdXYHK2GjVJxdkMyuK6TDtO6kCYMsE60-4et2OIUpSaX-yeiHJK3nre2_6CbY0BbA1c3Mxp49qKPzpPxrjcS/s200/LaVonda+5.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">LaVonda with her mom</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> So many of us, including LaVonda, picture cancer from its physical hallmarks. Certainly, when people are sick, they LOOK sick, right?! But that's not always the case. LaVonda's aunt had cancer 2 years before her own diagnosis, but she hadn't "looked sick" because she hadn't had chemo and never lost her hair as a result. Then, one year at Thanksgiving, LaVonda was startled by her aunt's appearance after a recurrence had landed her in chemotherapy, which had caused her aunt's hair to fall out. LaVonda knew she hadn't been doing her self breast exams, but she did one when she got home. That's when she found a lump in her right breast, near her armpit. LaVonda wasn't too concerned. Women get lumps and bumps in their breasts for other reasons (cysts, hormonal fluctuations, etc), but if it was still there at her next appt with her gynecologist, she'd be sure to point it out. It ended up being an appointment that would change her life forever.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx7cJFwv9Hify8BDoosjxoZT6GceafcLtvzSoRynLoj4Bz2tpOs25kSSWE6Luq8TAJeQNDO1zH5g30BjUwAfqq_4qw60_Tmfh3gIQkxESZncx4YlY-khL3aSUmsffbfcgzrOJUCwxU6puj/s1600/LaVonda+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx7cJFwv9Hify8BDoosjxoZT6GceafcLtvzSoRynLoj4Bz2tpOs25kSSWE6Luq8TAJeQNDO1zH5g30BjUwAfqq_4qw60_Tmfh3gIQkxESZncx4YlY-khL3aSUmsffbfcgzrOJUCwxU6puj/s200/LaVonda+4.jpg" width="137" /></a><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> </span></div>
The gynecologist sent LaVonda for a mammorgram (her second since she'd turned 40), and an ultrasound. The mammogram showed nothing, which is common in young women because of their dense breast tissue. The ultrasound showed a suspicious area that lined up with the palpable lump LaVonda had discovered, but neither test clearly showed cancer. It wasn't until she had an MRI that they were able to confirm the mass. That's when LaVonda went to see Dr. Bebb. After her biopsy, Dr Bebb asked LaVonda what she had planned for the next day. When she told him she had dance classes to teach, he encouraged her to reconsider. She wouldn't want to be teaching little ones how to dance if the call came that she had cancer. LaVonda knew, right then, that he'd be calling with bad news the next day.<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEjFJckqisyTMbHBVTUAp6qnU2FocKpgNgB-17jnhRblxhP_c7sa_fSEsITS3ikZ_YyZt0Unr-WXKlhqkgsR5Chq3Z__rP821-ZGXH1U6eQZUJr_Nnm9a3YSINXCYG1eje1AqfQmUG5Nib/s1600/LaVonda+6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEjFJckqisyTMbHBVTUAp6qnU2FocKpgNgB-17jnhRblxhP_c7sa_fSEsITS3ikZ_YyZt0Unr-WXKlhqkgsR5Chq3Z__rP821-ZGXH1U6eQZUJr_Nnm9a3YSINXCYG1eje1AqfQmUG5Nib/s200/LaVonda+6.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">LaVonda with her kids </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Thankfully, when the time came to tell her family, they gave her more support than she could </span></div>
have imagined, and none of them doubted that she was stronger than the cancer
inside of her. LaVonda worried about how her children would take the news, and about how her cancer would impact their lives. As her son grabbed her hand and asked her if little boys can get cancer, LaVonda remembered <a href="http://home.townisp.com/~lclark/students/pages/insptchpoems.htm" target="_blank">the heart-wrenching tale of Little Teddy Stoddard</a>. In the story, Teddy turns from a bright and eager student into a defiant, careless, sad boy after the loss of his mother to cancer. One teacher's relationship with Teddy changes them both after she realizes the tragedy this young boy has faced. LaVonda knew she had to channel every bit of strength she could to be there for her children, even as she endured a bilateral mastectomy (the surgical removal of both breasts), a lymphectomy (removal of her axillary lymph nodes), chemotherapy, and radiation. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;">LaVonda wanted to still be able to be the great mother and
dance teacher she had always been. She wanted to show her children, including
her dance students, that she was strong and that she could beat cancer. Her
kids and her passion for dance were her motivation. She couldn't wait till she
could get up and dance again or take her kids to school again. The suffering,
the pain, the physical and emotional depression was so big yet seemed so small
when you compared it to all of the desires she had to be herself again, a great mom and teacher. Through
all the pain and suffering, she was lucky enough to have the help of her friends and family, including a former dance student who stepped in to help LaVonda with her kids. </span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSv8j_5Aq9vdJIK2netrZOaq0vxLuEROWTCdiND2IWKe8nmPsLmZpdst_wb58TYkfFdijtpas-tvKR323kqgCJriESFwdO_PPXvFMqasUkqPXBySKA5zTFFQOjjHrpATCuDu0oTSRFvqkZ/s1600/LaVonda+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="173" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSv8j_5Aq9vdJIK2netrZOaq0vxLuEROWTCdiND2IWKe8nmPsLmZpdst_wb58TYkfFdijtpas-tvKR323kqgCJriESFwdO_PPXvFMqasUkqPXBySKA5zTFFQOjjHrpATCuDu0oTSRFvqkZ/s200/LaVonda+3.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">LaVonda with Margaret and Trevor</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6_s5001B_cV-IgaIYq73QYAXU5FU_4A9xmcQ0d70grQd50iQmLi_GcY__kQFcUmCdPvooKJX5nQYEh7mbkWWVFM1KpM9N2G6mQCagFLnrXOz3wO-QG9J41pggZc5q5AMt7q0IppiyjUcv/s1600/LaVonda+8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6_s5001B_cV-IgaIYq73QYAXU5FU_4A9xmcQ0d70grQd50iQmLi_GcY__kQFcUmCdPvooKJX5nQYEh7mbkWWVFM1KpM9N2G6mQCagFLnrXOz3wO-QG9J41pggZc5q5AMt7q0IppiyjUcv/s200/LaVonda+8.jpg" width="133" /></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;">While she never quite returned to feeling 100% like her former self, LaVonda has regained much of her strength and has returned to teaching dance, though at a new studio. In the darkest days of
her life, LaVonda found sunshine. </span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 32px; text-indent: 48px;">Through all of the dark days, weeks, and months she had to face, Brooke and Trevor kept her world shining. </span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;">Her children gave her a reason to push through the difficult and draining treatments, and her drive to return to dancing and instructing dance gave her a goal to focus on. She danced her darkest dance and never gave up. She leaped over so
many obstacles</span></div>
until she found light in the darkest dance of her life.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7197593925008484302.post-14716439418534539552015-10-21T08:10:00.002-07:002015-10-21T08:10:52.518-07:00Life ChangesLife is hardly a dull drumbeat these days. Where do I even begin?<br />
<br />
I'm feeling really stuck on the reconstruction front. I'm so unhappy with the results. They are unbalanced, uneven, and cause me a lot of pain. I don't know where or who to go to next. I've never even had the proper surgical follow-up to make sure I'm healing correctly, though I'm guessing I am. I'm told the muscle spasms are just par-for-the-course, and that they will continue. I'm learning to adapt my movements to avoid the motions that generally trigger the spasms, but the whole "putting on pants" thing is unavoidable, so I suppose I'll continue to expect those spasms pretty regularly [wink, wink].<br />
<br />
I have decided on a tattoo to cover up the scars, rather than getting the nipple tattoos. I've always had a penchant for song lyrics, and one song in particular has ALWAYS moved me. I'm thinking of getting some of the<a href="https://www.pinterest.com/pin/299278337713762349/" target="_blank"> lyrics from Blackbird</a>, specifically "Take these broken wings and learn to fly. All your life, you were only waiting for this moment to arise." I thought it would be beautiful to have birds perched on a tree branch on one side (over the scar), and the lyrics over the scar on the other side. And, though the song lyrics refer to Blackbirds, at least 2 of the birds I get will have to be Cardinals because of the ones that visited me daily while I was sick. I felt so much peace watching them flit around on my balcony while I curled up in bed day after day through treatment. I'm aiming for a very delicate, feminine-looking tattoo. The last thing I need is another harsh-looking mark on my skin. I'm also pretty sure I've found <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Pink-Ink-Tattoo-623783341031923/" target="_blank">the tattoo artist</a> who'll do the work. She is out of Raleigh and is endorsed by <a href="http://p-ink.org/" target="_blank">P.Ink</a>!, an organization that helps match women in my situation with tattoo artists with experience tattooing over scars, particularly mastectomy scars. Now, I just need an artist willing to draw the tattoo for me. If you know of anyone, please PLEASE let me know.<br />
<br />
Speaking of my penchant for song lyrics, there is a new song by Sara Bareilles called "She Used to Be Mine" I've been listening to on repeat. The lyrics speak to the imperfection we feel (all of us, I suspect, but many women, and particularly women who've gone through some scarring life event). Maybe I am projecting a bit, but I think many of my sisters-in-cancer will identify with the beautiful lyrics of this song. If you are so inclined, give it a listen, or buy it (Amazon and iTunes have the digital download available for the single)! It's so beautiful! Here's a link to a live version posted on YouTube: <a href="https://youtu.be/Qfr3KpwysAs" target="_blank">She Used To Be Mine - Sara Bareilles</a><br />
<br />
I'm also taking some much needed steps to work on my strength. Treatment has taken such a toll on my body. I know you are all pretty tired of me complaining about pain, but it is the reality of my daily life. I'm getting pretty good at dealing with it, drudging through. I think I am also coming to the realization of just how weak I am now. I'm not used to feeling so tired and run-down. I've always been strong. Now, I seem to have more strength early in the day, but by bedtime, I can't open a bottle of water by myself. That was a real kick-in-the-pants to start making changes. You all know I have been working on changing my diet for some time now. I have good days and bad days when it comes down to it. I'm trying to find my sweet spot when it comes to clean eating. This coming week, I will start training regularly with a personal trainer. She has lots of experience training women who've been through all the surgeries and treatments I've endured. AND she hasn't always been super fit, having lost a ton of weight and faced a debilitating spinal injury. I know she "gets it," and that makes me feel really safe in her care. I am so excited about building my strength back and getting healthy, and trust me, if weight loss happens to be part of this, I'm game! Won't hurt my feelings to see the number on the scale drop! Bring it on, Angie!<br />
<br />
In two weeks, I'll be starting a new job, that may lead to a new career. I've been hired as a technical writer! It took a lot of soul-searching, hemming and hawing, contemplating, (you get the picture?!) to come to the decision to apply for and accept this position. I'm a mix of crazy-excited and terrified. I will still be teaching some online classes because, frankly, I can't sever the relationship with Kara-The-Teacher, but I am letting go of my connection to the community college I've been teaching with for 4 years. My heart aches over saying goodbye to my students and colleagues at the community college. They have brought much joy and professional growth into my world. But, as with so much in my post-cancer life, it's time for a change. Please pray that I will have the strength, energy, and skill to succeed in my new position. Having worked mostly from home for all of my daughter's life, this change will be a lifestyle change for my family, too. I think we are doing a good job of preparing to become a two-parent-working-out-of-the-home family, but there are sure to be missteps and stumbles along the way. While you're at it, can you go ahead and throw in a prayer for my little family, that we manage this transition well? Thanks!<br />
<br />
And, just in case you're curious about the whole-family-cancer situation.... My step-dad is doing well. Still no symptoms and no treatment. We are all hoping he stays that way permanently! Mom is still a little in limbo. Maybe she'd describe it differently, but I don't feel like we have much in the way of answers. It's been 2 months, at least, and she's had lots of tests and bloodwork. It seems a bone marrow biopsy is in her (near?) future. We had a bit of excitement over her platelet counts dropping significantly a few weeks ago, but then we were told that this kind of change is normal and it will likely go back up to where it was. At this point, I think they have ruled out all of the possible secondary causes, so this is definitely on the cancer spectrum. She's been noticing more and more symptoms, and while she wants to attribute them to other causes (like headaches meaning she needs glasses), they are likely related to the increased number of platelets in her blood. Regardless, she is keeping her spirits up, laughing and smiling as always! We just had a surprise birthday party for her. It was a great way to celebrate her, and to lift her spirits. Thanks to all who came out and made her day so special! Please keep my mom in your prayers, too.<br />
<br />
One final thing: Each day of the last week of October (as part of my "Pinktober Profiles" Breast Cancer Awareness series), I will be posting a profile of a local breast cancer survivor. What makes these profiles SO special goes beyond the AMAZING women they are written about, and extends to the students who wrote them. My Eng-111 students (mostly Early-College High School students) have been working tirelessly on writing and revising their profiles and we are all getting pretty excited to finally share them with you. Keep checking back for the profiles. You won't want to miss out on their stories! They are all so inspiring.<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7197593925008484302.post-16700668647828610362015-09-15T07:40:00.000-07:002015-09-15T12:42:00.601-07:00Cancer: A Family AffairHearing that you have cancer can be quite shocking to your sensibilities. You can imagine then, that within 2 years of a cancer diagnosis, hearing that another family member has cancer is very upsetting. And, really, hearing that a third family member has a rare blood disorder that could possibly be (or turn into) cancer is just infuriating! But friends, THAT is what I am writing to tell you about today.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
About a month ago, my step-dad went for his routine check-up with the internist. There were some abnormalities in his blood work, that apparently had been increasing over time, so his internist referred him to an oncologist/hematologist. Turns out, he has Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia, otherwise known as CLL. Luckily, the particular chromosomal defect he has means he has the most common type of CLL, and THANKFULLY, the one least likely to have the nasty symptoms or convert to a worse type of leukemia. Thank God for the little reliefs! Still, cancer is there. His body will continue to "make cancer" and he must live everyday wondering and waiting. I'm glad to report that, for now, he doesn't have to endure any crappy treatments and the prognosis is very good. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Then, while this diagnosis was still ongoing, my mom went to the same internist for her exam (she missed hers last year because she was so busy caring for me during my treatment). Hmmm.... your platelets are REALLY high. Maybe a lab error, or maybe..... Yep! You guessed it! Maybe it's cancer. She had to wait-and-see, which I'm sure was maddening for her. It was for me. Her blood work was recently redone, and her platelets are even higher. For now, she is diagnosed with a rare (about 1 in 1 million) blood disorder called Essential Thrombocythemia. This is an ongoing diagnosis, and one of exclusion, which means that they have to do lots more testing to make sure that the ET isn't secondary to something else. We are all anxious to find out more about her specific situation, but right now, we just know that more testing has to be done before we have answers.</div>
<div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin-hPIJC_koXsiv_CyojDR00WAjURLX6McC8nmAyVhec8CyqtPrLA3ywx8l0h0ktIdNLqXMr4WCxA7tymmPtW7oLTy6XeVW675EaboosU0wSg1DGl7SqMQZL16l6pgqSltSxNXyC5VfHI6/s1600/photobooth+family_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin-hPIJC_koXsiv_CyojDR00WAjURLX6McC8nmAyVhec8CyqtPrLA3ywx8l0h0ktIdNLqXMr4WCxA7tymmPtW7oLTy6XeVW675EaboosU0wSg1DGl7SqMQZL16l6pgqSltSxNXyC5VfHI6/s320/photobooth+family_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div>
And, while all this was going on, another loved one (also in the family) was facing a possible breast cancer diagnosis. Thankfully, that ended up ALL CLEAR, which is exactly what needed to happen. I think our family chant should be "No More Cancer!" Really! Isn't this enough already?! You can imagine that this is a stressful and scary time in our lives. Your prayers, warm wishes, positive vibes and good thoughts are all very much appreciated. Please wrap my silly, wonderful family in your love!</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7197593925008484302.post-27236918516725773142015-09-08T07:21:00.000-07:002015-09-08T07:21:06.665-07:00Not-so-Lazy Days of SummerWhat a fun, busy summer it's been! I tried really hard to make the most of every summer day, and I have to say I'm feeling very fulfilled.<br />
<br />
I continue to have pain in my legs. Medications that seemed to help last Fall are no longer helping. I've stopped taking the Nortriptiline and Flexiril combo every night. I've been working with a rheumatologist for nearly a year, and though we tested and tried a full arsenal of options to figure out the cause of the pain and tried to manage it, the pain remains and we came up short of answers. In a very professional and polite way, he threw his hands up in the air and advised me to seek answers elsewhere. OKAAAAAYYYYYY...<br />
<br />
Just about the same time, I had a 6-month follow-up with my oncologist's office. I went in with a host of ills to talk about. Piercing headaches, a cough that won't go away, continued pain in my legs and several friends (who happen to be as far out from diagnosis as I am) who've been back in the muck with recurrences and metastases have wreaked havoc on my psyche these past few weeks. I was advised to have my eyes checked (likely cause of the headaches is a need for glasses). The cough could be allergies or a side effect of the Tamoxifen. A chest XRay from my yearly physical weeks ago was beautifully clear, so we know the cough isn't a symptom of a lung met. My blood work all looks good, except that pesky vitamin D is still at the bottom of the normal range (32, when they want it in the 60s) and that's already with a supplement everyday. Next, we chatted about the pain. I've been whining to loved ones about the pain in my legs and feet, sure that the pain is coming from my veins, not my bones or joints. I've mentioned it to doctors but they poo-pooed the idea. Since the rheumatologist came up empty, I once again brought up the idea that the pain is vein related. "Well, wouldn't hurt to make an appointment and see." K - thanks!<br />
<br />
That night, I called the local varicose vein specialist. I literally called minutes before they were closing, and I was in luck! "We have a cancellation for tomorrow. Can you come in then?" YES!! When I arrived for my appointment, they explained varicose veins to me, much like they were selling a service, but when we got down to talking about what was going on with the pain and cramping in my legs, cancer and chemo history, the mood in the room changed. I was fit for compression hose <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAn4qVHt10Q9cimHLYaDkhoC6WznGdtfGlyKd5W7O0nkuBSvtTFE8AUK9i-QQPdARZ761umufEtetLWj3kLD4043FsSFF7q7WbMcbnwiGttbuTMEcX3Rw-z15Y9ISaGcovhXwZu1mdP4dl/s1600/vein+images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAn4qVHt10Q9cimHLYaDkhoC6WznGdtfGlyKd5W7O0nkuBSvtTFE8AUK9i-QQPdARZ761umufEtetLWj3kLD4043FsSFF7q7WbMcbnwiGttbuTMEcX3Rw-z15Y9ISaGcovhXwZu1mdP4dl/s200/vein+images.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
(darn sexy, I must say!) and then we did a preliminary ultrasound, just to see if anything was going on with my veins. Less than 5 minutes later, the doctor, his PA, his nurse, and the ultrasound tech were all in the room. There is definite reflux of the blood in both legs. Many of the veins look HUGE and the valves that are supposed to work to push the blood back up to my heart aren't working. I'm going back this week for a more detailed vein-mapping ultrasound so we can get a picture of the extent of the damage. The doctor said that surgery is in my future (oh, joy!) and it will hurt, but compared to what I've dealt with already, this is cake. I'm not sure what kind of surgery or how many. We'll know more after the vein mapping is complete. He also said he can't guarantee 100% pain relief, but we would definitely put a dent in the hurt. Much less pain and no more cramping... yeah - I'm in!<br />
<br />
As for reconstruction, I'm at a standstill. I don't feel comfortable going back to my former plastic surgeon. I know so many local survivors LOVE him, worship him, but I didn't get the best of him. Maybe it was bad luck, or bad timing (I'm certain he's not a bad surgeon), and maybe he has no idea the extent to which I got shafted while in his care. Either way, I don't see another visit with him in my future. I did see him at the Pink Fashion Walk, and soon after he sent me a friend request on Facebook. I feel like I'm ready to bury that hatchet and move forward. So, we're Facebook friends. LOL. Now, I'm researching and wait-and-seeing. I'd like to see a female plastic surgeon for a consult about tweaking or redoing my reconstruction, but I've had no luck with all the contacts I've made so far. If you are reading this and have ideas, please share them! Please.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijyoegUU5TwhrGVCPZdf7rZlMwy7vqnp5pYBErCfFIMfW4NhcJ6ssNgjG1AltADccfZAVQNG86vwT0a1vY8aN6ck8-oTxxSxe_71Fu82YlCHg1K0kOdyZpQCksIEcRGrDcn202UdS9D2qB/s1600/11988354_985700938139617_6377623074032594657_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijyoegUU5TwhrGVCPZdf7rZlMwy7vqnp5pYBErCfFIMfW4NhcJ6ssNgjG1AltADccfZAVQNG86vwT0a1vY8aN6ck8-oTxxSxe_71Fu82YlCHg1K0kOdyZpQCksIEcRGrDcn202UdS9D2qB/s200/11988354_985700938139617_6377623074032594657_n.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUiAyERyVCTdmZCq5I5Gcrgws1jhUJRxoL6gzpCPD6RvH6TzsFssnNCY4E31NehXj7Oz2ooMJfISUgcngPRPY5azuOK3siKCsc50uXrhvEixo5b__YtdLjCmbKg0UNwarNc4ZUwl59Bj-l/s1600/11954761_10207563559796174_8289623164373080146_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUiAyERyVCTdmZCq5I5Gcrgws1jhUJRxoL6gzpCPD6RvH6TzsFssnNCY4E31NehXj7Oz2ooMJfISUgcngPRPY5azuOK3siKCsc50uXrhvEixo5b__YtdLjCmbKg0UNwarNc4ZUwl59Bj-l/s200/11954761_10207563559796174_8289623164373080146_n.jpg" width="158" /></a>The Pretty in Pink Foundation Pink Fashion Walk Gala was AMAZING again this year. I was so thrilled to share the stage with my daughter. They did a spotlight video about us and she got to be a superstar for a day. It was magical. There were so many familiar faces in attendance, and the backstage vibe was so full of love. I'm still on a post-gala high! I'm sad to hear that Camille's won't be doing it next year. The Camille's team is so amazing. Every woman I spoke to back stage has a story to tell about this event helping them to see themselves as beautiful, sometimes for the first time since surgery, chemo, and radiation wrecked their self-image. We all owe Camille's and PIPF a million thanks for everything this event is and does.<br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: #d5a6bd;">(If you haven't "liked" my Brave Like a Tree Facebook page, here's the link: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/BraveLikeATree?ref=aymt_homepage_panel">https://www.facebook.com/BraveLikeATree?ref=aymt_homepage_panel</a> and the video is pinned to the page if you want to see it. The file is too big to upload here, but the video is short and it's a tear-jerker, I think so anyway.)</span><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCCOid-JFhDXOMDa7yQ38PdnmPsWTq7KWoAXXlHQWLOOe-5AZko4uTjpr5tolMeJTP4zKJ21M8qUUdw3XfbEuQFA7ywIra4KMjJEwyh5hl6bjTsCrccoEYpVvoSyfjW9pg6J_baORZ_eq2/s1600/20699_10207233850313643_5065514375821682182_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCCOid-JFhDXOMDa7yQ38PdnmPsWTq7KWoAXXlHQWLOOe-5AZko4uTjpr5tolMeJTP4zKJ21M8qUUdw3XfbEuQFA7ywIra4KMjJEwyh5hl6bjTsCrccoEYpVvoSyfjW9pg6J_baORZ_eq2/s200/20699_10207233850313643_5065514375821682182_n.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Great Smokey Mountain Railroad</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
My family traveled to the Great Smokey Mountains this summer, and to NY for my high school reunion. I got to reconnect with old friends, and fill my cup full with family love. Many days were spent swimming, playing, exploring, and enjoying everything the summer had to offer.<br />
<br />
I've also been blessed with a collaboration between my BCC writing class and the PIPF. My students will be writing profiles of local breast cancer survivors and I'll publish those here on the blog for my Pinktober Profiles series this October. This gives my students a service-learning experience, and a REAL audience to write for I'm so excited. Our first group of survivors is coming later today to tell their stories. How cool is that!?! Life is so good!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7197593925008484302.post-57698776553089620462015-06-29T06:42:00.001-07:002015-06-29T06:42:30.824-07:00Change of plansWell, I feel pretty stupid. I got all kinds of excited about moving forward with the CRBS in New Orleans. And I thought I had it all figured out. And then came the call about the financials...<br />
<br />
You see, I knew that they were out of network, and that there would be some cost above and beyond what insurance covered, but I had NO IDEA it would be <u>so much</u> over and beyond what insurance covered. I'm sure it's worth every penny of the cost, but I'm way too pragmatic. In fact, if I had the nearly $40,000 they charge beyond the $60,000 the insurance company would pay, I'd be using that money to design and build my breast cancer information website. So, New Orleans is out.<br />
<br />
I'll admit, it was a pretty hard blow. I cried my eyes out for a few hours, and moped for a few more. I was really focused on getting the best care for my revision. But, it's clearly time to take the blinders off, broaden the scope of my search, and find the best care within network, instead. I made an appointment for late July to revisit Dr. Zenn at Duke Cancer Center. He's one of a few surgeons in NC that performs the microsurgery techniques I'd need for the type of revision I want. I consulted with Dr. Zenn before my implant exchange surgery, but chose to stay put because it was easier. I'm interested to hear what he has to say about my reconstruction, and to find out what he recommends and if he is willing to do the revision for me. Please keep me in your thoughts and prayers as I move forward. I'm really in need of some clarity and resolution here.<br />
<br />
Also, I realized that I haven't mentioned in the blog what I am doing with the website and fund-raising. I've posted it to the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/BraveLikeATree?ref=aymt_homepage_panel" target="_blank">Brave Like a Tree Facebook page</a>, and explained my goals on the <a href="http://www.bravelikeatree.com/about.html" target="_blank">www.bravelikeatree.com</a> website, but not here (strangely enough). Just so you know, I am selling bracelets (and key chains) to raise money for a non-profit website and organization that will address the gaps in information for people in the breast cancer community. The first run of the bracelets sold out quickly, but I have more in stock now, and have added the key chain as well. This is a huge undertaking and will take time, but I am determined to make the best use of the knowledge I gained from this experience to help others avoid some of the pitfalls and difficulties I faced during treatment. Thank you, in advance, for supporting me in this endeavor, and thanks to those who already have!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7197593925008484302.post-58776923926860988522015-06-23T07:56:00.001-07:002015-06-23T07:56:23.213-07:00Reconstruction News!So, the last time I checked in it was to tell you about that lump I felt which, thankfully, was just fat necrosis from the fat grafting I had done at my exchange. I was so relieved to hear that news, and really was able to let go and enjoy family time in Disney. <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhctViRiizCsLdWljCnfoRIdMkQGVa_Xr8LOZvKBll1GRBMjmKnrm81OAB4Rk0yYBxCr5LchcZjVdNHHu0rmBaYLxaNwvTu3zwX2HIPfEiI2jRKTZnWqps3RgPP1IbW0AVK2qcLvs6ddEHV/s1600/Disney+Day+2_Magic+Kingdom_first+half_+%2528231%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhctViRiizCsLdWljCnfoRIdMkQGVa_Xr8LOZvKBll1GRBMjmKnrm81OAB4Rk0yYBxCr5LchcZjVdNHHu0rmBaYLxaNwvTu3zwX2HIPfEiI2jRKTZnWqps3RgPP1IbW0AVK2qcLvs6ddEHV/s200/Disney+Day+2_Magic+Kingdom_first+half_+%2528231%2529.JPG" width="133" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Family fun at Disney!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
My 3-month post op for my reconstruction was scheduled for the day after I returned from Florida. Now, you all know I've had some angst about my plastic surgeon, so as I drove the 40 minutes to his office that morning, I prayed to feel settled about this relationship. I never felt right just walking away from him, but I certainly didn't feel comfortable in his care, either. I was feeling particularly desperate for resolution, and very unhappy about how my reconstructed breasts looked and felt. When I arrived at his office, strangely enough, my appointment had disappeared from their system and the doctor wasn't in [insert snark here]. I took that as a clear sign it was time to sever the relationship. Answered prayer!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Last year I met a wonderful woman in the cancer community. At some point, she had told me that she had her reconstruction done at the <a href="http://www.breastcenter.com/" target="_blank">Center for Restorative Breast Surgery</a> in New Orleans. She was practically glowing as she told me how much she loved her doctor, her care team there, the whole experience. She recommended them, so I checked them out. The doctor's there are doing some cutting edge procedures with microsurgery (to restore blood flow to affected areas), and as I've mentioned in earlier blogs, they are one of only a few practices that do the <a href="http://www.breastcenter.com/breast-reconstruction-procedures/lymphedema-treatment/" target="_blank">vascularized lymph node transfer</a> procedure which can eliminate lymphedema (not planning on that just yet - but keeping it on my radar!). One look at their <a href="http://www.breastcenter.com/photo-album/" target="_blank">photo gallery</a>, and you can tell that these surgeons do great work!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhssViq-Yy0Dloc22F1NFAGm7lI27JwvhAdGu2JYRww-BJ7pnkwT1TIdyNwFU-gT4hITmvcNR6IngX1a_fPoTb2Q7_V79k-rzKcpHYGfF8JaSzsAJdb2zOFaf9D3IDMsTyKGvxBJTkulhv2/s1600/Dr+Kotz.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhssViq-Yy0Dloc22F1NFAGm7lI27JwvhAdGu2JYRww-BJ7pnkwT1TIdyNwFU-gT4hITmvcNR6IngX1a_fPoTb2Q7_V79k-rzKcpHYGfF8JaSzsAJdb2zOFaf9D3IDMsTyKGvxBJTkulhv2/s320/Dr+Kotz.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here's a picture of me with Dr. Kotz, my oncologist.<br />He was the keynote speaker this year at<br />Relay for Life.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
In the meantime, I had a follow up to my biopsy with Dr. Weinberg. While there, I asked for her opinion on my reconstruction results. If it were her, what would she think? She told me that on a scale of 1-10, my reconstruction was <u>at best</u> a 7. Then, she went on to point out everything I've been complaining of (uneven, lopsided, one bigger than the other, possibly twisted implants, and restriction/pulling and pain/discomfort in spots, too). Funny, since my former plastic surgeon had already set up the rhetoric that if I was unhappy, it was because of my expectations, not because of his work. But now a talented and respected surgeon, very familiar with breast reconstruction outcomes, is agreeing that this [points to chest area] could be a whole lot better! As a side note, she also said that my radiated skin was in excellent condition. She even called the tissue there HEALTHY, resilient AND she cleared me for a year. Yup, don't have to go back to her for a whole year! My radiation oncologist reiterated that sentiment recently and also cleared me for a year, or forever if I felt I had nothing to report next year in terms of radiation follow-up. Every step along the way to healthy and doctor free is so exciting! Now, I just have follow-ups with Dr. Kotz (my oncologist) every 6-months, and I'm working through some more PT with <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Bodies-in-Balance-Physical-Therapy/145671265457743" target="_blank">Bodies in Balance</a> to get the lymphedema back under control (my old sleeve stopped fitting after my exchange surgery, and pumping didn't get it back under control). </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Feeling excited about fixing things, I contacted the Center for Restorative Breast Surgery to start the consultation process. About a week after sending them the final documents and images they needed, I got an email that said I am a great candidate for the DIEP flap surgery, possibly an extended DIEP flap, and that they could even add implants if I wanted more fullness in the end. For those of you familiar with flap-style breast reconstruction, you know that the recovery is a lot harder, the surgery a lot longer and more extensive than what a patient faces with implant reconstruction. The good news is that this DIEP flap procedure doesn't remove/use the abdominal muscles like a TRAM flap does. Basically, they will use the pudge around my belly to create new breasts, and those new breasts will be a lot more like natural breasts because they are made from my own body tissue and skin. Also, <a href="http://www.breastcenter.com/facilities/repigmentation-tattooing/" target="_blank">the renowned Vinnie Myers (3d nipple tattoo innovator) </a>works there now, so when it's time for that phase of reconstruction, I know I can count on excellent results. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
At this point, I am waiting to schedule the surgery (and the travel) and to make sure my insurance will cover the re-do. I'm hoping to have the surgery in August so I can recover in time for the Fall semester. I'm not excited about more surgery, more recovery time, and putting more pressure on my caregivers, but I know it will be worth it in the end.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I'd love to hear your questions about this procedure because they'll help me figure out what else I need to ask the new doctor before moving forward. Your prayers and well wishes are always appreciated!</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7197593925008484302.post-41823470268042167902015-04-30T16:38:00.003-07:002015-04-30T16:38:51.379-07:00Pink Fashion Walk: Save the Date!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLRS6ShvdphDXJeDrml6uJf48LrXksCkQ6tu0rD_1ZJSf4Qe4jdgSZ2vTZ_oYtlrmo2hYq74KCsMvJnp8rtOJ-rc5mAN341P-YaxCvreqLL3jRbkmdSUO6i0-Jpx-9vZAFpbxE90vNKu57/s1600/11009954_815832428454031_7577116143569335775_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLRS6ShvdphDXJeDrml6uJf48LrXksCkQ6tu0rD_1ZJSf4Qe4jdgSZ2vTZ_oYtlrmo2hYq74KCsMvJnp8rtOJ-rc5mAN341P-YaxCvreqLL3jRbkmdSUO6i0-Jpx-9vZAFpbxE90vNKu57/s1600/11009954_815832428454031_7577116143569335775_n.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">It seems like every time I turn around, </span><a class="profileLink" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/user.php?id=100000818458679" href="https://www.facebook.com/joybwade" style="background-color: white; color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; font-family: helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; text-decoration: none;">Joy Wade</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"> and </span><a class="profileLink" data-gt="{"entity_id":"90094047131","entity_path":"\/pagelet\/pageletserver.php:LitestandMainStreamPagelet:topnews"}" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/page.php?id=90094047131" href="https://www.facebook.com/PrettyInPinkFoundation" style="background-color: white; color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; font-family: helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; text-decoration: none;">Pretty In Pink Foundation</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"> are doing something amazing for local breast cancer survivors. Please come support their mission in the community by buying a ticket to this amazing event. Cancer survivors at all stages simply shine on stage. It's an amazingly uplifting experience, followed by one-heck-of-a FUN party. Don't miss out. Tickets sold out completely last year! Get your tickets early! Contact details on the picture.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7197593925008484302.post-23219344238513424172015-04-24T16:36:00.003-07:002015-04-24T16:36:13.458-07:00Have You Heard?: Coffee & Tamoxifen: Best Friends Forever!<h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 22px; font-stretch: normal; margin: 0px; position: relative;">
<a href="http://bravelikeatree.blogspot.com/2015/04/have-you-heard-abus.html" style="color: #444444; font-stretch: normal; text-decoration: none;">Have You Heard?: C</a>offee & Tamoxifen: Best Friends Forever!</h3>
<div class="post-header" style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">
<div class="post-header-line-1">
</div>
</div>
<div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-2589337966319092678" itemprop="articleBody" style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; position: relative; width: 586px;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYqhB-pgXvH2EvdkIrUhbfjiJPSoOSyWErLHLLBFaibUV1_XiF19BHLGW2AQlUl7r3YPcxfntYjg5AP9jxi_ZO_B3vty5Ex5mEmumeXHOjhwH9DkRD4CyQnF-QeX1YA2Nle0NXJ61cWcMo/s1600/Coffee.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYqhB-pgXvH2EvdkIrUhbfjiJPSoOSyWErLHLLBFaibUV1_XiF19BHLGW2AQlUl7r3YPcxfntYjg5AP9jxi_ZO_B3vty5Ex5mEmumeXHOjhwH9DkRD4CyQnF-QeX1YA2Nle0NXJ61cWcMo/s1600/Coffee.jpeg" /></a><span style="font-size: xx-small;">The "Have You Heard?" series from BLAT is meant to summarize developments in the breast cancer world. As always, be sure to consult a physician with any questions or concerns you have about your cancer care.</span><br /><br /><b><span style="color: blue; font-size: large;">Have You Heard?: Coffee & Tamoxifen: Best Friends Forever!</span></b><br /><br />Coffee lovers rejoice! A smartly designed study by researchers at Skane University Hospital and Lund University in Sweden and University of Bristol in the UK revealed that 2 cups of caffeinated coffee a day, in combination with Tamoxifen, the often-prescribed estrogen blocking therapy, works to reduce breast cancer recurrence rates by up to half (OHEMGEE!!!!) AND there's evidence that caffeine slows cancer cells growth in ER+ and ER- breast tumors. Now, there is a threshold. The study found that 2-5 cups of coffee were the key. A 1-cup a day habit was simply not enough (most mornings I'd agree!). <a href="http://clincancerres.aacrjournals.org/content/21/8/1877.abstract?sid=78e79e08-e9e9-451d-9369-b4c4d7616bae" target="_blank">The study</a> found that women (more than 1,000 studied) with moderate to high coffee consumption had smaller invasive primary tumors, a lower proportion of ER+ tumors, and (the really big deal) a 49% lower risk for recurrence when combined with the hormone therapy Tamoxifen (<span style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 23.7999992370605px;">adjusted </span><a href="http://www.nhs.uk/news/Pages/Newsglossary.aspx#hazardratio" style="color: #0064b7; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 23.7999992370605px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">hazard ratio</a><span style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 23.7999992370605px;"> 0.51; 95% </span><a href="http://www.nhs.uk/news/Pages/Newsglossary.aspx#confidenceinterval" style="color: #0064b7; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 23.7999992370605px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">confidence interval</a><span style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 23.7999992370605px;"> 0.26-0.97)</span><span style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">. Researchers believe the mechanism involved here is that the caffeine and caffeic acid found in coffee sensitizes the tumor cells to the Tamoxifen. And while this news is very exciting to coffee-loving breast cancer survivors, it's important to remember that over-consumption of coffee can cause insomnia, irritability, heart palpitations, and upset stomach. Everything in moderation, friends!</span></div>
<div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-2589337966319092678" itemprop="articleBody" style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; position: relative; width: 586px;">
<span style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;"><br /></span>
<span style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">Here's the link to the full-text of the study: <a href="http://clincancerres.aacrjournals.org/content/21/8/1877.full">http://clincancerres.aacrjournals.org/content/21/8/1877.full</a></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-2589337966319092678" itemprop="articleBody" style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; position: relative; width: 586px;">
<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7197593925008484302.post-25893379663190926782015-04-20T11:25:00.000-07:002015-04-20T16:57:58.063-07:00Have You Heard?: ABUS<span style="font-size: xx-small;">The "Have You Heard?" series from BLAT is meant to summarize developments in the breast cancer world. As always, be sure to consult a physician with any questions or concerns you have about your cancer care.</span><br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: blue; font-size: large;">Have You Heard?: Automated Breast Ultrasound Screening (ABUS)</span></b><br />
<br />
It's well established that even the most advanced mammography available fails to render effective diagnoses in women with dense breast tissue. <a href="http://jnci.oxfordjournals.org/content/92/13/1081.full.pdf" target="_blank">Nearly 1/3 of cancers go undetected</a> in patients with dense breast tissue. Young and middle-aged women most often have dense breast tissue which appears cloudy on mammography imaging, and can often obscure the view of tumors in the breast tissue. Ultrasound has long been used to supplement mammography in an effort to improve detection of breast cancer. Yet, even when used in combination, many women still don't get the correct diagnosis. My case is a perfect, and all too common, example. I had a mammogram and ultrasound. According to the radiologist's report, I had "micro-calcifications, likely benign" and should "return in 6 months for follow-up." 6 months would've LITERALLY meant the difference between life and death for me. Luckily, my PA was smart and thorough. She sent me to a breast surgeon (<a href="http://www.coastalsurgery.com/bio_es_weinberg.htm" target="_blank">Dr. Elizabeth Weinberg</a>, who just happens to be the BEST breast surgeon in South Eastern North Carolina!) where my lump was immediately biopsied, and found to be malignant. My dense breast tissue likely obstructed the view of what we later found out was a 5.5cm Invasive Ductal Carcinoma (the size of a lime). Cancer had already started to spread to my lymph nodes. If we had waited 6 more months for follow-up, I would've been stage IV, metastatic instead of stage IIIa. As of now, there is no cure for metastatic breast cancer, and sadly, very little research is done to cure cancer at this stage.<br />
<br />
While it is maddening that little is done to develop a cure, or even to track the medical experiences of women and men with stage IV breast cancer, it's good to know that some R&D teams are still making breakthroughs that have the potential to help millions of women, particularly those with dense breast tissue. Enter GE:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgOdmttm9iG4uhQGfc_3XPW2ucDx-xQxA7kkJVQ93c3CCuKouHuBLihKwv75hvs6i5I5bR3mdqaW0XVv_gjiMdKUdRqj4-dk6K-IlQhSkdgROPvH7Yh4QC7YTI2dLvLItxIpcYhteypGWW/s1600/ABUS+by+GE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgOdmttm9iG4uhQGfc_3XPW2ucDx-xQxA7kkJVQ93c3CCuKouHuBLihKwv75hvs6i5I5bR3mdqaW0XVv_gjiMdKUdRqj4-dk6K-IlQhSkdgROPvH7Yh4QC7YTI2dLvLItxIpcYhteypGWW/s1600/ABUS+by+GE.jpg" height="158" width="200" /></a></div>
<br />
GE Healthcare has developed the <a href="http://www3.gehealthcare.com/en/products/categories/ultrasound/somo_v_abus_breast_imaging" target="_blank">ABUS</a>: Automated Breast Ultrasound Screening, an ultrasound device that is the <span style="background-color: yellow;">only FDA approved ultrasound for screening dense breast tissue</span>. Check out the image captions for details.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj94cliC-6Qx-rTJmEbbgE0ykwvrTnYSywfO289WAlsvdrOCB4s5QeoWJWM8iAKoGxkWHifCpWsvFvmezUJH6ZYZAGUON-r05Ti2V_InffEVNy_AT8PATLp-REyYpwxMfOM9yhe_Yw_btDj/s1600/Tumor+in+dense+breast+tissue+ultrasound+vs+mammo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj94cliC-6Qx-rTJmEbbgE0ykwvrTnYSywfO289WAlsvdrOCB4s5QeoWJWM8iAKoGxkWHifCpWsvFvmezUJH6ZYZAGUON-r05Ti2V_InffEVNy_AT8PATLp-REyYpwxMfOM9yhe_Yw_btDj/s1600/Tumor+in+dense+breast+tissue+ultrasound+vs+mammo.jpg" height="198" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: right;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 12px; font-style: italic; line-height: 15.6000003814697px; text-align: left;">Courtesy of GE Healthcare: On the left, an ultrasound image<br /> obtained with GE’s ABUS reveals an invasive malignancy<br /> (where the crosshairs meet). On the right, a standard <br />mammographic image of the same breast <br />shows dense tissue with non-specific calcifications.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
So, why isn't ABUS a standard part of the diagnostic protocol? The fight to include any ultrasound as an automatic part of diagnostic imaging for breast cancer has been a long one. <a href="http://www.radiologytoday.net/archive/rt0314p10.shtml" target="_blank">Objections include cost and manpower</a>. Many reports express fear that radiologists would be inundated with ultrasound patients because of the sheer number of women with dense breast tissue that are referred for diagnostic imaging each year. It should take a technician around 15 minutes per patient to obtain the ultrasound images, and then more time for the radiologist to read them. Given the amount of time that goes into the diagnostic process, the backlog at any given practice could become outrageous. Also, given the financial climate of our healthcare system, physicians are not in a position to afford the new equipment, or are forced to choose between a 3-D mammography (which is also being raved about for the quality of its imaging), and an ABUS when deciding on new imaging equipment for their practice.<br />
<br />
Ultimately, advanced screening methods save lives. Early diagnosis leads to MUCH better outcomes for those facing a breast cancer diagnosis. In my opinion, young and middle-aged women with any indication that something is wrong should automatically have ultrasound included in their diagnostics, and it should be with a machine, like ABUS, that can improve detection of breast cancer in dense breast tissue.<br />
<br />
Want to read more about ABUS? Check out: Elaine Schattner's <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/elaineschattner/2015/04/07/ge-healthcares-automated-breast-ultrasound-system-abus-improves-cancer-detection-in-dense-breasts/" target="_blank">article</a> in Forbes, or go to GE Healthcare's <a href="http://www3.gehealthcare.com/en/products/categories/ultrasound/somo_v_abus_breast_imaging/invenia_abus" target="_blank">website</a>.<br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">**all images on this post are property of GE Healthcare**</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7197593925008484302.post-47209569738877470872015-03-14T05:31:00.003-07:002015-03-14T05:31:40.551-07:00It's FATPhew! It IS just fat. Fat necrosis to be more specific. I'm feeling so incredibly relieved.<br />
<br />
Yesterday seemed to drag on. No matter how I tried to distract myself, my thoughts kept drifting back to the what-ifs. I took Charlotte and a friend of hers to the park. I sat on the bench, watching the girls play. I looked over at a mom on the swings. The back of her shirt read "Keep Calm and Trust God." I got the message. But the day continued to drag. Why hadn't she called? Was she waiting for more info, delaying giving me the bad news until she had finished with patients for the day and had more time to talk and answer questions? And then the phone rang. Dr. Weinberg's voice was cheerful, bubbling through the phone line with GOOD news. "Relax and enjoy your vacation," she said. "It's just fat, just like we thought." Phew. We hung up and I cried some more. Actually I fell to my knees and cried and thanked God.<br />
<br />
Phew.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7197593925008484302.post-2021955732574839772015-03-13T08:34:00.005-07:002015-03-13T08:35:57.801-07:00Another lumpAs I write this, it's 11:05 on Friday, March 13th. I'm not much for superstition, but I can't help but notice some similarities between today and a fateful day about 16 months ago. It was Nov 12th when Dr. Weinberg first biopsied that nasty lump, and the 13th when she called to tell me it was cancer. Once again, on the 12th of a month (March, in this case) I sat in her office for a biopsy. And once again, on the 13th, I sit here anxiously awaiting her voice on the phone. Is it cancer?<br />
<br />
Just days ago, I found another lump. It's different than last time, higher up, much smaller. Immediately, I thought "it's just fat lumps." The timing is right, about 3 months out from my reconstruction, for the fat grafting on my left side to start settling in. Fat is unpredictable, and it is likely that some of the fat has clumped together leaving a lump I can feel just beneath skin. Nevertheless, finding a lump after the treatment I've been through for the last year is scary. Those odds are always lurking just beyond my consciousness, nagging at me. It's something I'm trying to move beyond.<br />
<br />
I left a message for the doctor the next morning, and within 15 minutes, the receptionist was on the phone setting up an appointment for Thursday, the 12th. I didn't notice the similarity in the date until I was already at the appointment. Superstitious or not, why tempt fate?! Oh well, that's neither here nor there. [the cliche queen in me must come out when I am most stressed, lol!]<br />
<br />
Doug came with me to the appointment yesterday. Right away, Dr. Weinberg put us at ease. It was likely fat from the grafting, it felt smooth like fat lumps do. Just to be safe, she wanted an ultrasound. Fat shows up bright white on an ultrasound. It would be easy to see if there was reason to worry. We were all for it. We're preparing for a vacation, ready to leave the stress behind. The ultrasound tech, Dana, was great, showing me all the white spots showing up on the screen and talking me through the spot where I felt tender. She took measurements, and called Dr. Weinberg in to examine the screen. Most of what they saw was definitely fat, connected, bright white and deep. But there was an area that wasn't quite as white as the rest, right near the skin, where I'd felt the lump. Dr. Weinberg suggested I come back in a few weeks as a follow up, but then she hesitated. "We could always just biopsy it right now so we'll know." Given my history, my odds, and how sneaky that last lump was, I opted for the biopsy.<br />
<br />
This biopsy was different, guided by the ultrasound, I could see the needle for the lidocaine. I could see the corer (is that even what it's called?) removing samples as it was happening. Doug looked on, ever my rock. This time, the clicks weren't quite as loud, and there was some suction involved. I tried not to watch. Dr. Weinberg said the samples looked like fat. Last time, she didn't say anything at all. I'm taking that as a good sign. I can't have cancer again already!<br />
<br />
And now, I'm sitting here, pacing, trying to keep busy, and waiting to hear her voice on the phone. Waiting to hear it's just fat. I wasn't going to share this until I knew the results, but then I did promise myself I would use this blog to be brutally honest about what this cancer experience is like. It seems these scares are part of that journey. An ongoing tension and source of worry. I don't think I've ever prayed so hard for fat in all my life.<br />
<br />
Whatever the results, I will share with all of you soon. Good or bad, I need some time to process these emotions, so please don't worry too much. Lift this up in prayer, please, and know I am always so grateful for your support through every curve in the road.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7197593925008484302.post-84250505697219624442015-03-06T07:04:00.002-08:002015-03-06T07:04:25.661-08:00Right Now CountsI don't know about you, but I often (before, during and after cancer) get wrapped up in what the future holds. I am a very driven person. I set goals and I work hard, heck - I push hard, to achieve them. As much as accountability is part of my core personality, so is this drive to achieve my goals. I'm a dreamer, yes, but I am a dreamer that will see her dreams realized.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Being driven is good in many ways. I tend to get a lot done. I don't give up easily. I'm great at visualizing the big picture and the details; seeing how things are interconnected in life. I pay attention to (most) details, and learn from mistakes. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
This drive is also damaging, because I can easily miss one simple fact; Right Now Counts. It is so easy to put on the blinders and miss the moments. You know, the really great moments of everyday. They happen all the time. So often, that I take them for granted sometimes, or just miss them entirely because I'm too focused on everything that needs to get done, everything that needs to change, everything that CAN be better. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The things I do may seem excessive to most. Right now, I'm working hard to balance (and excel at) being a great wife and mother, daughter, sister, and friend,4 jobs (online teaching for 2 colleges, tutoring in a writing center, and substitute teaching grades K-12), to keep up with our active lifestyles, and make major dietary lifestyle changes to improve my health, and find time for exercise (because despite constantly being on the move, I RARELY hit 10,000 steps a day; what gives?!). If you know me well, you know that I am pretty good at balancing on this trapeze, that what doesn't break me becomes a learning experience, making me stronger or better in some way. But there are days the safety net beneath me calls me from the chaos. We all fall from time to time. I'm beginning to see that in the falling is a moment of quiet where I remember that right now counts, and I want to hang out in the safety net beneath the "get 'er done" mentality for just a bit longer. There, the moments of right now fill my cup. There is where each embrace, each kiss, each laugh, each tear, each smile, each cheer holds us tightly together and reminds us how important each moment is. Right there, in that quiet space beneath the clanging of everyday life, is where our memories lead us to this moment, and these moments, together, create the memories of our future, reminding us that right now counts.<br />
<br />
I'm going to try hard to remember this, to pay more attention to now, to let the "busy" noise of everyday life fade out so I can remain more mindful of the moments that really matter in the end. I hope you will too.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7197593925008484302.post-65332831979384797562015-01-28T15:28:00.004-08:002015-01-28T15:28:50.770-08:00Fruits of the SpiritI've been mentally writing this post for days. Wondering how or if "you" will judge me for what I write here. I promised you, and more importantly, myself, early on, that this blog would be an honest account of what this breast cancer, and now post-cancer life is like. So I'm going for total transparency here.<br />
<br />
In some ways, I am doing really well. Recovery from the exchange surgery wasn't too bad. Mostly it was inconvenient and uncomfortable to wear all of the compression garments. I hadn't known that was coming and I don't care much for surprises. My results aren't what I was hoping for. The new "breasts" if you can call them that, are uneven, one is definitely larger than the other and still tends to slide toward my armpit. The incision on my radiated side became hard suddenly, but otherwise seems to be healing well. I have more scars, but the old ones are starting to fade a bit, and I should be cleared for tattooing in a few months. Please don't read this as a failure of my surgeon. He did a great job surgically. Much of my disappointment stems from one of two issues; I don't feel like I was well prepared for what the outcome was likely to look like and some part of me was secretly hoping the new "breasts" would be more like the old ones. I seem to be mourning them now, post reconstruction, more than I did after the mastectomy. I didn't know that animation deformity was a normal outcome of this kind of reconstruction. The implants are placed under the pectoral muscle. When the muscle engages, it pushes down on the implants and pushes them in a down and out motion. This is really noticeable in female bodybuilders that have implants. When they pose onstage during competition, animation deformity is what makes their implants push down flat and out into their armpits. I wasn't prepared for how different it would feel to do something simple, like open a medicine bottle or close a car door. I really wish someone had told me or I would have known this is what it was going to be like before I made the decision to go with implant reconstruction. I'm sure I'll just get used to it, like everything else.<br />
<br />
This week was a tough one. I've been out and about a lot more lately and lots of people have noticed that I don't have the long hair I wrote about in my last post. Let me catch you up... I got the weave on Sunday morning. By Wednesday, my head still hurt and my hair line was welting and bleeding in some spots. Obviously, though the cornrows were beautifully and expertly executed, they were too tight for my wussy scalp and the hair HAD to come out, and I mean right then! It was late on Wednesday night when I asked Doug to help me get the hair out. We had no idea it would take as long to get it out as it did to put it in. More than 3 1/2 hours later, I had a fro a la <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=thing+1+and+thing+2&biw=1366&bih=643&tbm=isch&imgil=bqymb0NIuPIyeM%253A%253ByvUbp5yjqvvmCM%253Bhttp%25253A%25252F%25252Fseuss.wikia.com%25252Fwiki%25252FThing_One_and_Thing_Two&source=iu&pf=m&fir=bqymb0NIuPIyeM%253A%252CyvUbp5yjqvvmCM%252C_&usg=__sr3oNYdBBz4pRe-emafmd_4pcKE%3D&ved=0CCkQyjc&ei=H2PJVOqlLZbIsAT7zoDYCg#imgdii=_&imgrc=bqymb0NIuPIyeM%253A%3ByvUbp5yjqvvmCM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fvignette1.wikia.nocookie.net%252Fseuss%252Fimages%252F6%252F6b%252FThing1_and_thing2.gif%252Frevision%252Flatest%253Fcb%253D20121226154139%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fseuss.wikia.com%252Fwiki%252FThing_One_and_Thing_Two%3B584%3B434" target="_blank">Thing 1 or Thing 2</a> from Dr. Seuss, and I finally had some relief. Add a bit of guilt for the wasted time, money, and energy, but at least my head didn't hurt anymore. Anyway, the hair is gone and people are noticing. While I know full well they are not noticing in a bad way, or even thinking anything about my appearance, I am. I don't think I've ever felt this self conscious. I don't say that to solicit a bunch of compliments. So many of you have told me you like my hair short, or that I look beautiful, and I realize I should be (and AM) very grateful to be alive, regardless of what I look like, but this physical part is SO FREAKING HARD. I wasn't prepared for how my appearance would make me feel weak. I worked hard to develop as a person regardless of beauty. I felt beautiful because I was smart and vibrant and a good person. Now, I just feel ugly and out of control and scared A LOT. I wonder if other cancer survivors feel this way too, or is it just a weakness in me?<br />
<br />
I've been reading and researching a lot during this journey. I feel like I ought to just go to medical school at this point because I'm so well versed in this ugly thing called Breast Cancer, and even still, compared to what there is left to know, I know nothing. It's overwhelming really, the amount of information available without really offering any cut and dry answers. It's frustrating. Anyway, getting back to that tough week I was telling you about... I'm very sensitive to the challenges my friends and family face. This week, a friend got difficult news about her daughter, another gave birth nearly a month early, my daughter has been sick with the flu and then WHAM! 3 local YOUNG women from the breast cancer community died. 3. Young. Women. In. One. Week. I didn't know 2 of them, and only knew one from a couple of encounters for the Pink Fashion Walk last year, but their stories and their spirits are unforgettable. You didn't have to know them to feel their loss. I never did well with death. Some people can shake the sadness, move on easily. Some can stay focused on the relief that going home to our Lord brings. I always just felt really stuck and strange and sad. And now, knowing how much their stories are like mine, I struggle with their loss. I want to pound my fists and yell out "It's Not Fair!!" like a child. I know our stories are our own. I'm not them and they're not me. I'm blessed to be here, surrounded by love and able to live. The loss of three young women, all moms to young children, is devastating, but in a way it makes me want to burn a little brighter to honor them.<br />
<br />
A good friend of mine called me Saturday morning. She had just heard that our mutual friend (one of the women I mentioned above) was in hospice and likely to pass soon. I hadn't known we both knew her, and she hadn't known that her friend was dying (it wasn't public knowledge). The news took us both by surprise. I had known she was back in treatment, but not that the prognosis was so grim. My sweet friend called me, not because we both knew the woman, but because the news lit a fire in her and she was going to light a fire in me. Little did she know, the embers were already in place.<br />
My sweet friend told me she was ready to change her lifestyle. To get rid of all the junk food she'd been feeding herself and her family, and she wanted me to join her because (I'm guessing) she wasn't going to lose another friend to this awful disease. I went for the most aggressive course of treatment offered by the oncologists on my team because I wasn't about to let cancer kill me. But I have been failing miserably when it comes to diet. We all know that junk foods and sugar feed cancer. If there is even one cell of that crap left in me, I'm going to starve it. I've done the research (as I mentioned before) and I know what needs to be done. So why am I still shoveling Girl Scout cookies in my face every chance I get? Why am I doing this to myself?!<br />
<br />
It's pretty clear how strong the connection is between emotions and food. Unless you've recently rolled off the back of the turnip truck (southern for dumb), you know that we all eat for any number of reasons other than actual hunger. I've been using food to mask fear and weakness. It has to stop. I am 4 sizes larger than I was when I was diagnosed, and I keep getting bigger and bigger because I haven't made the changes I know I need to make. So this is it. Utter accountability.<br />
<br />
If you see me out and about and I'm feeding myself something that isn't good for my body, call me out on it. Please! You'll be helping save my life. If you have good, healthy recipes, or ideas that will help me make this transition, share them with me. Please! I'm done with cancer, for now and <u>for good</u>. It's time to face the fears and the weakness. It's time to stop making excuses.<br />
<br />
Now, I've got to run and catch up with that turnip truck. Turnips are WAY healthier than cookies....<br />
<br />
P.S. I love you sweet friend! Thank you for loving me. <br />
<br />
Thank you all for loving me!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7197593925008484302.post-16964099022634368572015-01-04T15:12:00.001-08:002015-01-04T15:12:25.578-08:00Let There Be Hair!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQaqsXdSQfKrgeY1dGceliZxL1SNWtz1HNHfBoln4RzusHRC2MLPPp-jKiprCvngZ7a7ZIoOwgQqiZSzk_4OJnHjw_T3mJZ2wSjGIZ8-Z32BVFLTAQBU0omfh2W8OtRZBDG8avRURfzAO8/s640/20150104_103410.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQaqsXdSQfKrgeY1dGceliZxL1SNWtz1HNHfBoln4RzusHRC2MLPPp-jKiprCvngZ7a7ZIoOwgQqiZSzk_4OJnHjw_T3mJZ2wSjGIZ8-Z32BVFLTAQBU0omfh2W8OtRZBDG8avRURfzAO8/s640/20150104_103410.jpg" height="200" width="112" /></a>Happy New Year, friends! Hope everyone finds 2015 treats them better than 2014 (even if '14 was a good year for you). I, for one, am determined to have a much better year. Let each day be better than the last!<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I have a surprise! Ok, for some it's not a surprise because I've been obsessing about this for months. I finally went ahead with it. I GOT A WEAVE! The super short, super curly hair was not for me. Each look in the mirror made me want to take down all the mirrors in my home. I just don't want to see my reflection and have CANCER looking back at me. So, I changed it up. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0G9tw3wWPC3hYyBI3XcB-O0ex8-6KbN3UjWk_nJOHNu9gyTHg5Am1sHyN77mJNk4H5vvILCLmgtsgiSZB2eBVKBEDnHNWiKfZxNXvAUYm2W59PNG6U2rCzSb3Mv6Gs5WiS6Qs7Odj2DuP/s640/20150104_122811.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0G9tw3wWPC3hYyBI3XcB-O0ex8-6KbN3UjWk_nJOHNu9gyTHg5Am1sHyN77mJNk4H5vvILCLmgtsgiSZB2eBVKBEDnHNWiKfZxNXvAUYm2W59PNG6U2rCzSb3Mv6Gs5WiS6Qs7Odj2DuP/s640/20150104_122811.jpg" height="200" width="112" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOQSF6PZ7kQqC7NptAxb_Nugkg1miHRCJ6E-0TgjOcU0w8of6uVmViH3EMU5w1ytaUoCMxLct9zKpoqcnPHYiGJCc21RxV1rzTZ7YepER2aRDsg1ujvWcM48CR8k4ptcq-H5TRRdJnQTt0/s640/20150104_112053.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOQSF6PZ7kQqC7NptAxb_Nugkg1miHRCJ6E-0TgjOcU0w8of6uVmViH3EMU5w1ytaUoCMxLct9zKpoqcnPHYiGJCc21RxV1rzTZ7YepER2aRDsg1ujvWcM48CR8k4ptcq-H5TRRdJnQTt0/s640/20150104_112053.jpg" height="200" width="112" /></a>Doing this felt a bit awkward and a lot empowering. I did a lot of research, and it seems that weaves aren't all that much different than extensions, and better suited for my needs and budget. I did cheap out a bit on the hair (they're called wefts) because I was unsure of the outcome or how long it would last. If I do this again (which is likely) I'd probably get better quality hair and lighten up a bit more. I went with hair that is 2 shades lighter than my natural growth and it still looks very stark, very dark for me. I'm sure going from next-to-no hair to lots of long hair, along with the dark color which I am not used to, will just take some getting used to. Also, my stylist (Ommo, a beautiful, young woman from Senegal) told me I had to have some "leave out" where I would naturally part my hair. Those short curls aren't blending so well with the long curls of the weave, so we tried a lot of gels and sprays which just made the hair look slick and flat. I came home and messed with it a bit. I think it will end up looking great, but there is a learning curve and I've got some learning to do. </div>
<div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj39vvVNYF4TzHkZRy_w0nSkTcCVhhYOPKpTq3RubwaTf7UKq2Ly7B8DmCZzvzFBMOrVLdG6eaP9eNCEgaBwYroO5fIjjKDjZUpuRrU3aGUSayuqzvsLEjtX7BYNL-IvN4zfT2rK4OqdYQi/s640/20150104_134214.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj39vvVNYF4TzHkZRy_w0nSkTcCVhhYOPKpTq3RubwaTf7UKq2Ly7B8DmCZzvzFBMOrVLdG6eaP9eNCEgaBwYroO5fIjjKDjZUpuRrU3aGUSayuqzvsLEjtX7BYNL-IvN4zfT2rK4OqdYQi/s640/20150104_134214.jpg" height="400" width="225" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-Z1w7GLCG-tY/VKnH7YD7sfI/AAAAAAAAAWI/s1600/20150104_120757.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-Z1w7GLCG-tY/VKnH7YD7sfI/AAAAAAAAAWI/s640/20150104_120757.jpg" /> </a> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2Flh5.ggpht.com%2F-zQ-bF3pNIKU%2FVKnH5WpCyKI%2FAAAAAAAAAV4%2FyPQukSRmoIk%2Fs640%2F20150104_103410.jpg&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" with "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQaqsXdSQfKrgeY1dGceliZxL1SNWtz1HNHfBoln4RzusHRC2MLPPp-jKiprCvngZ7a7ZIoOwgQqiZSzk_4OJnHjw_T3mJZ2wSjGIZ8-Z32BVFLTAQBU0omfh2W8OtRZBDG8avRURfzAO8/s640/20150104_103410.jpg" --><!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQaqsXdSQfKrgeY1dGceliZxL1SNWtz1HNHfBoln4RzusHRC2MLPPp-jKiprCvngZ7a7ZIoOwgQqiZSzk_4OJnHjw_T3mJZ2wSjGIZ8-Z32BVFLTAQBU0omfh2W8OtRZBDG8avRURfzAO8/s640/20150104_103410.jpg" with "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQaqsXdSQfKrgeY1dGceliZxL1SNWtz1HNHfBoln4RzusHRC2MLPPp-jKiprCvngZ7a7ZIoOwgQqiZSzk_4OJnHjw_T3mJZ2wSjGIZ8-Z32BVFLTAQBU0omfh2W8OtRZBDG8avRURfzAO8/s640/20150104_103410.jpg" --><!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0G9tw3wWPC3hYyBI3XcB-O0ex8-6KbN3UjWk_nJOHNu9gyTHg5Am1sHyN77mJNk4H5vvILCLmgtsgiSZB2eBVKBEDnHNWiKfZxNXvAUYm2W59PNG6U2rCzSb3Mv6Gs5WiS6Qs7Odj2DuP/s640/20150104_122811.jpg" with "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0G9tw3wWPC3hYyBI3XcB-O0ex8-6KbN3UjWk_nJOHNu9gyTHg5Am1sHyN77mJNk4H5vvILCLmgtsgiSZB2eBVKBEDnHNWiKfZxNXvAUYm2W59PNG6U2rCzSb3Mv6Gs5WiS6Qs7Odj2DuP/s640/20150104_122811.jpg" --><!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2Flh3.ggpht.com%2F-TkDXS20Zy58%2FVKnH9jSfZGI%2FAAAAAAAAAWY%2F2yp5QDKBQJA%2Fs640%2F20150104_134214.jpg&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" with "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj39vvVNYF4TzHkZRy_w0nSkTcCVhhYOPKpTq3RubwaTf7UKq2Ly7B8DmCZzvzFBMOrVLdG6eaP9eNCEgaBwYroO5fIjjKDjZUpuRrU3aGUSayuqzvsLEjtX7BYNL-IvN4zfT2rK4OqdYQi/s640/20150104_134214.jpg" --><!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOQSF6PZ7kQqC7NptAxb_Nugkg1miHRCJ6E-0TgjOcU0w8of6uVmViH3EMU5w1ytaUoCMxLct9zKpoqcnPHYiGJCc21RxV1rzTZ7YepER2aRDsg1ujvWcM48CR8k4ptcq-H5TRRdJnQTt0/s640/20150104_112053.jpg" with "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOQSF6PZ7kQqC7NptAxb_Nugkg1miHRCJ6E-0TgjOcU0w8of6uVmViH3EMU5w1ytaUoCMxLct9zKpoqcnPHYiGJCc21RxV1rzTZ7YepER2aRDsg1ujvWcM48CR8k4ptcq-H5TRRdJnQTt0/s640/20150104_112053.jpg" --><!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj39vvVNYF4TzHkZRy_w0nSkTcCVhhYOPKpTq3RubwaTf7UKq2Ly7B8DmCZzvzFBMOrVLdG6eaP9eNCEgaBwYroO5fIjjKDjZUpuRrU3aGUSayuqzvsLEjtX7BYNL-IvN4zfT2rK4OqdYQi/s640/20150104_134214.jpg" with "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj39vvVNYF4TzHkZRy_w0nSkTcCVhhYOPKpTq3RubwaTf7UKq2Ly7B8DmCZzvzFBMOrVLdG6eaP9eNCEgaBwYroO5fIjjKDjZUpuRrU3aGUSayuqzvsLEjtX7BYNL-IvN4zfT2rK4OqdYQi/s640/20150104_134214.jpg" --><!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2Flh3.ggpht.com%2F-CVSffo_iugI%2FVKnH8b-ExcI%2FAAAAAAAAAWQ%2Fc7tt52qRgcI%2Fs640%2F20150104_122811.jpg&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" with "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0G9tw3wWPC3hYyBI3XcB-O0ex8-6KbN3UjWk_nJOHNu9gyTHg5Am1sHyN77mJNk4H5vvILCLmgtsgiSZB2eBVKBEDnHNWiKfZxNXvAUYm2W59PNG6U2rCzSb3Mv6Gs5WiS6Qs7Odj2DuP/s640/20150104_122811.jpg" --><!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2Flh5.ggpht.com%2F-9RSA-BZjU1Y%2FVKnH6dCCidI%2FAAAAAAAAAWA%2F-yG9hoe1CFk%2Fs640%2F20150104_112053.jpg&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" with "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOQSF6PZ7kQqC7NptAxb_Nugkg1miHRCJ6E-0TgjOcU0w8of6uVmViH3EMU5w1ytaUoCMxLct9zKpoqcnPHYiGJCc21RxV1rzTZ7YepER2aRDsg1ujvWcM48CR8k4ptcq-H5TRRdJnQTt0/s640/20150104_112053.jpg" -->Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7197593925008484302.post-61122426517935599432014-12-19T02:47:00.003-08:002014-12-19T04:09:40.422-08:00In ExchangeIt's the morning of my exchange! I'm a mixed up mess of excitement and anxiety. This is already such a busy time of year filled with holiday celebrations, the final grading push for the semester, planning for the next semester, etc., and I've gone and added another surgery to the mix.<br />
<br />
Here's the plan: I'll arrive early, but maybe not so bright (and they want me to go out in public with no makeup on and nothing in my hair). Today's surgery is happening at a surgical center that allows my surgeon more leeway with the types and storage of implants he can use. I'll check in, get set up for anesthesia, and likely be shipped off by 7:30am. My surgeon will remove the expanders that have been the bane of my existence for the last year (ok - to be fair and accurate, they have only been one of the banes of my existence this year, assuming a person can claim more than one bane at a time...), and place implants. As far as I know the implants are Naturel High Profile Teardrop Silicon. I may or may not have the fat grafting after all. If I wake up with bruising from liposuction, then I'll know he decided to do it. I'm also pretty sure he'll be going in from under the foobs instead of through the original scars. This will leave me with 2 more significant scars, but they should be hidden under the foob, and hopefully give me a better chance of healing well on the radiated side. I'll be home by lunch, and have to wear another one of those terribly sexy surgical bras for the next two weeks. They'll be giving me an injection of a muscle relaxer called Exparil, which lasts 72 hours and should be all the pain management I'll need for recovery (fingers crossed!).<br />
<br />
I've been told again and again how easy this surgery and recovery are. I hope that holds true. I can use easy right now. I'll post a follow-up soon and let you know if that's true! Til then...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaNGZzJhHOTBZC2ahEWBYyqrtKXzCVkyG6z2qSRN5WEukq57MTbjdu-9zP2KaHyJrhCW99DSfv1frVSqGaabuUywrvTpi27DGkAmB9NLFYP0SMf2R6Q4CzhPpXf4uYyrMFj80lwexUvhBT/s1600/20141219_070717.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaNGZzJhHOTBZC2ahEWBYyqrtKXzCVkyG6z2qSRN5WEukq57MTbjdu-9zP2KaHyJrhCW99DSfv1frVSqGaabuUywrvTpi27DGkAmB9NLFYP0SMf2R6Q4CzhPpXf4uYyrMFj80lwexUvhBT/s640/20141219_070717.jpg"> </a> </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7197593925008484302.post-53805468868697713082014-11-20T16:21:00.003-08:002014-11-20T16:21:45.295-08:00It's my "Cancer"versary!A year ago, today (right at noon), I was home, alone, sitting at my desk desperately trying to distract myself from the "what-ifs" when the call came. "It's cancer," she said. "Wow," I said. And, wow! What a year it's been.<br />
<br />
When the diagnosis first came, it seemed simple. Stage 2, Grade 2. Remove the breasts, heal, move on. And then everything changed.<br />
<br />
Every step of the way there were surprises and changes. The tumor was bigger (a lime instead of a golf ball). It had a moderate-high chance of coming back. Nodes were involved. I was now stage 3a! Chemo, which had been a maybe, became a definite. In fact, I'd need one of the most aggressive chemo regiments for this kind of cancer. Radiation, which was not part of the original plan, was now a necessity. And that pesky genetic marker, BRCA2 came back positive, which meant I'd be looking at a hysterectomy, too. Pile on the cording, lymphedema, weight gain, and pain, pain, pain. I don't think anyone I knew imagined it would be like this. When I promised my little girl I would be "brave like a tree," I had no clue what I would be facing.<br />
<br />
In hindsight, I see that it's been a truly frustrating year, laced with so much emotion, angst, fear, but also this year has brought new bonds, friendships, communities, and a whole lotta knowledge into my life.<br />
<br />
I want to take this moment to tell you "thanks." To all the known and unknowns who've followed this blog, who've cared, who've prayed, who've wondered... To all the people who suffered with me, and because of me.. THANK YOU.<br />
<br />
I haven't posted in a while. There have been some ups and downs. I had a few good months after treatment ended, and then more pain and exhaustion set in, seemingly out of nowhere. Had CT and bone scans, which revealed nothing cancer related. Great news! I was so afraid it had come back already! There was a scary hour or so in there. The bone scan lit up on the screen that I could see and I freaked out. Turns out the screen I could see and the actual images show things differently. In the end, there is still no evidence of disease, but it turns out I have an old infection in my spleen, a kidney stone, and a post-chemo syndrome (which is how they say "we know you don't feel well but we can't pinpoint why"). I've been seeing a rheumatologist who is determined to help me find relief for the pain. I've got a bunch of new meds to take, which is par for the course by now. I still have pain but the meds have helped relieve much of it. We've discovered that I have a significant vitamin D deficiency, which could explain some of the tired and some of the bone pain. Guess I need a beach vacation to get that sunshine. I'm thinking Caribbean.....<br />
<br />
Back in the real world, my exchange surgery is scheduled for December 19th. That's exactly one year and one day after my breasts were removed. Really, I find the timing humorous. Guess I'll be getting new foobs for Christmas! He'll do some fat-grafting at the same time. I hear the fat-grafting is actually a worse recovery than the implant exchange. Regardless, recovery shouldn't be too bad, and there isn't even a hospital stay involved. I'll be home that afternoon and free of these rocks on my chest. I can't wait to say farewell to these expanders!<br />
<br />
I'd mentioned going out to dinner to celebrate my cancerversary, but the hubs reminded me we shouldn't celebrate the bad news. He's so right (don't tell him I said that, wink wink). But since I can't go out to eat the night before surgery, we'll have to find some other way to celebrate the cancer-free-aversery, which is December 18. It's a little weird to celebrate these things, but in the end, I'm full of joy and gratitude because I'm still here. I've got a lot of work ahead of me this year. I have pounds to lose, strength to gain, hair to grow, and those are only the superficial things. For me, this battle may never be <i>really</i> over. Cancer will always be somewhere on my mind, but there are plenty of other things to do and think about, so I'll try to focus on them instead.<br />
<br />
It's funny how this blog has become such a part of me. Through it all, I always enjoyed seeing how many people would visit this site to check in on me (more than 13,000 hits this year!). Your comments and posts have given me something to look forward to. I want to thank you for reading and for caring enough to check in on my progress. I hope you will continue to share my story with your loved ones if they are ever unfortunate enough to get this same kind of bad news. If my journey can help one person deal with this disease, somehow help them understand or feel more at ease, then it's been worth it.<br />
<br />
Please know, as the holidays approach and always, I am deeply grateful for all of you.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7197593925008484302.post-85439994878726312792014-10-31T06:26:00.003-07:002014-10-31T06:26:49.220-07:00Pinktober Profiles: Tina Marie Vucci<b style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">Pinktober Profiles: </b><b style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">As part of the breast cancer community, I’ve been blessed to hear so many stories of strength, perseverance, hope, struggle, survival, and courage. To me, those stories bring real awareness about this disease. The people I profile this month honor me in allowing me to write their story. Please join me in celebrating them and share their stories widely!</b><br />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;"><br /></b>
<b style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. For my part in raising awareness, I’m going to profile survivors throughout the month. Originally, I'd hoped to have a new profile everyday, but let's be real: survivors keep busy (me included). On this last day of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I have a final profile to share with you. </b><br />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;"><br /></b><b style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;"> </b><br style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;" /><b style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;"><br /></b><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbeZKSm1cdbUq_WDAiywH5OoijeS86eCCIgUbqEftNHBb51i6ILc1IsANkb0PJcJabaN4RPgoLLRwmwdVxTIQvELedLlnEod1gIiobV_aPIc14yWN8FkE6vXn2YUrUwtDVqVhYZXFZVljc/s1600/Pink+Tree.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="color: #4d469c; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration: none;"><img border="0" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbeZKSm1cdbUq_WDAiywH5OoijeS86eCCIgUbqEftNHBb51i6ILc1IsANkb0PJcJabaN4RPgoLLRwmwdVxTIQvELedLlnEod1gIiobV_aPIc14yWN8FkE6vXn2YUrUwtDVqVhYZXFZVljc/s320/Pink+Tree.jpg" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2) 0px 0px 0px; background: transparent; border-bottom-left-radius: 0px; border-bottom-right-radius: 0px; border-top-left-radius: 0px; border-top-right-radius: 0px; border: 1px solid transparent; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2) 0px 0px 0px; padding: 8px; position: relative;" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; text-align: left;">
Tina Marie Vucci describes her past as negative and self-destructive, though you'd hardly guess that if you met her now. I came to meet Tina this year at the Pretty In Pink Foundation's Pink Fashion Walk fundraiser. Backstage, Tina was lively, funny, the embodiment of joy. Her laughter contagious, like her pzazz! </div>
<div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU8pSTi36ApOCjPnlIff8ndoE3yBc-vU_F88lE6Nn5Ckpys9WjUKSWyl5ZL-dbEM61wXMif73tdiptEO89EpgiZTC5agozARJ3LaeLQvw70Sw-5a7EGNIUDV9T5PA4EWXsQ0NIwb_2Oqf7/s1600/Tina+Marie+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU8pSTi36ApOCjPnlIff8ndoE3yBc-vU_F88lE6Nn5Ckpys9WjUKSWyl5ZL-dbEM61wXMif73tdiptEO89EpgiZTC5agozARJ3LaeLQvw70Sw-5a7EGNIUDV9T5PA4EWXsQ0NIwb_2Oqf7/s1600/Tina+Marie+3.jpg" height="133" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHoDdW4zlWJ_keD9GqL1y3nNU6G2VYFQub09VYE0ymPL0DlrPHplLyojTnZZCOyuYQ3qbZ-mLDBHHGkdWHfldPDSUhDwSEIKyceYMSQ1suJkMWZhGrfWypK4ulpvBQ71w7mIN31qw2rvdT/s1600/Tina+Marie+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHoDdW4zlWJ_keD9GqL1y3nNU6G2VYFQub09VYE0ymPL0DlrPHplLyojTnZZCOyuYQ3qbZ-mLDBHHGkdWHfldPDSUhDwSEIKyceYMSQ1suJkMWZhGrfWypK4ulpvBQ71w7mIN31qw2rvdT/s1600/Tina+Marie+2.jpg" height="200" width="175" /></a>I was surprised when Tina shared that she hadn't always been that way. She told me that she'd found a pea-sized lump in her breast years ago and ignored it. At the time, she was on a destructive path. She ignored the lump for two years and it grew tremendously in that time. When she finally went to see a doctor, she was met with an incredibly negative experience.<span style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">Tina was told she had cancer and that she would die. The doctor actually said he'd hoped her negative choices were worth it. Thankfully, Tina moved forward with another doctor, a surgeon who was wonderful and encouraged Tina to fight for her life. Her surgeon informed her she had stage 3 breast cancer. There was a golf ball sized tumor in her breast and 3 more, the same size, in her lymph nodes. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaS2H0fitVL_EZ5VHr5aHZ5q8gXtDWB8j29Wieq9ObJKv7mMIPW_jLVDllg4P3tZ6080xHiDsnKQIExHZ4_z9A2OSarGCMjYNiW6Zg2YxtH9XyFCeuwSjOxYsrou3FVlam5f4DwM_-joOx/s1600/Tina+Marie+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaS2H0fitVL_EZ5VHr5aHZ5q8gXtDWB8j29Wieq9ObJKv7mMIPW_jLVDllg4P3tZ6080xHiDsnKQIExHZ4_z9A2OSarGCMjYNiW6Zg2YxtH9XyFCeuwSjOxYsrou3FVlam5f4DwM_-joOx/s1600/Tina+Marie+1.jpg" height="200" width="113" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZLi4J0D5p7H8N_InefpFxCziXl6_AmzOU3p5n6EVhUJAHmddXnLQsu8P1TBhMWDY8M3d9pUG9ES2YgjLd83htxnw7usvdnFSfp-zoaLpyWZbK7y7HmajP9CAHSfKsAT7QWWY3I7jU152y/s1600/tina,+angie+me.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZLi4J0D5p7H8N_InefpFxCziXl6_AmzOU3p5n6EVhUJAHmddXnLQsu8P1TBhMWDY8M3d9pUG9ES2YgjLd83htxnw7usvdnFSfp-zoaLpyWZbK7y7HmajP9CAHSfKsAT7QWWY3I7jU152y/s1600/tina,+angie+me.jpg" height="178" width="200" /></a>Tina endured a modified radical mastectomy and removal of all her lymph nodes, followed by chemotherapy. At her doctor's urging, she participated in a study that would dose her with triple the amount of chemo (as compared to what he would have treated her with based on standard protocol). Chemo was followed by 19 blasts of radiation. She was unable to have reconstructive surgery at the time.</div>
<div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; text-align: left;">
Tina said that the cancer and subsequent treatment wasn't enough to jolt her off that negative, self-destructive path. It was years before she made strides to change her life around. Today, Tina is 13 years cancer free and on a positive journey. She has strong faith, and spends much of her time volunteering with local organizations that help other women diagnosed with breast cancer. Tina says, "I'm showing up for life today, and I love it!<span style="font-size: 13px;">"</span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7197593925008484302.post-83872668034430829752014-10-07T12:10:00.001-07:002014-10-07T12:28:44.703-07:00Pinktober Profiles: LaDonna Coates<b style="color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">Pinktober Profiles: October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. For my part in raising awareness, I’m going to profile survivors, previvors and caretakers throughout the month. Originally, I'd hoped to have a new profile everyday, but let's be real: survivors keep busy. I'll continue to write and post profiles of amazing men and women as I get their stories, but it may not be every single day.</b><br />
<b style="color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;"><br /></b>
<b style="color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">As part of the breast cancer community, I’ve been blessed to hear so many stories of strength, perseverance, hope, struggle, survival, and courage. To me, those stories bring real awareness about this disease. The people I profile this month honor me in allowing me to write their story. Please join me in celebrating them and share their stories widely! </b><br />
<b style="color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbeZKSm1cdbUq_WDAiywH5OoijeS86eCCIgUbqEftNHBb51i6ILc1IsANkb0PJcJabaN4RPgoLLRwmwdVxTIQvELedLlnEod1gIiobV_aPIc14yWN8FkE6vXn2YUrUwtDVqVhYZXFZVljc/s1600/Pink+Tree.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: white; color: #4d469c; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center; text-decoration: none;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbeZKSm1cdbUq_WDAiywH5OoijeS86eCCIgUbqEftNHBb51i6ILc1IsANkb0PJcJabaN4RPgoLLRwmwdVxTIQvELedLlnEod1gIiobV_aPIc14yWN8FkE6vXn2YUrUwtDVqVhYZXFZVljc/s320/Pink+Tree.jpg" height="280" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2) 0px 0px 0px; background: transparent; border-bottom-left-radius: 0px; border-bottom-right-radius: 0px; border-top-left-radius: 0px; border-top-right-radius: 0px; border: 1px solid transparent; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2) 0px 0px 0px; padding: 8px; position: relative;" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
October 7, 2014 </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
In the late 90s, <b>LaDonna Coates</b> lost her best friend, Brenda, to cervical cancer. Watching her friend suffer through the pain and trials of her disease reinforced an idea in LaDonna's mind; people don't survive cancer. They may go into remission, or feel better for awhile, but eventually the cancer wins. It took battling the disease herself before she realized just how wrong she'd been.</div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9Mzcpthu7Cnlwuab-krESL50DxGGKYPFyLSwzfHf1h27g8f1rLw8cPF2ZuCZ-95bNfl_w-bRSFMAkJi0uR6HReltHCaJdUgorpHi1_JMmw6Vsb-_HtSUlBq6tptZ4EPqE7CPUi0sWeonp/s1600/LaDonna+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9Mzcpthu7Cnlwuab-krESL50DxGGKYPFyLSwzfHf1h27g8f1rLw8cPF2ZuCZ-95bNfl_w-bRSFMAkJi0uR6HReltHCaJdUgorpHi1_JMmw6Vsb-_HtSUlBq6tptZ4EPqE7CPUi0sWeonp/s1600/LaDonna+1.jpg" height="200" width="133" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHDC9gCtkTqHv5fasQ7JoDzTPNC9gyF5gYe9nnEI0rjW_xIwSsPJ4TjVD-jB7dU_F3KOTTR3DYn2qZ3VOnvais3Vc8rfMOHxfNKot_r4aOBz8BivotVb9GRyVmpuDDzUmaOKBVirgO8Ai3/s1600/LaDonna+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHDC9gCtkTqHv5fasQ7JoDzTPNC9gyF5gYe9nnEI0rjW_xIwSsPJ4TjVD-jB7dU_F3KOTTR3DYn2qZ3VOnvais3Vc8rfMOHxfNKot_r4aOBz8BivotVb9GRyVmpuDDzUmaOKBVirgO8Ai3/s1600/LaDonna+2.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a>In the Spring of 2007, with a newborn son at home, LaDonna's husband, Todd, deployed to Iraq. During this deployment, LaDonna started feeling tired all the time, but her concerns were dismissed by doctors. Surely she was depressed, having been left to care for an infant while her husband was deployed overseas. But even after his return in the summer of 2008, she still felt tired. They moved to another army base early the next year, but the exhaustion never let up. Then, one Thursday evening in early May 2009, while watching TV, LaDonna went to scratch the skin on her breast and found a "huge lump." By the following Monday, she was meeting with her doctor, who scheduled a mammogram and ultrasound right away. The whirlwind of diagnosis followed. By the first of June, she'd received her diagnosis. It was Invasive Ductal Carcinoma and she had a 4.5cm tumor (about the size of an egg).</div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGUIVLCE1I4CzqK-SzmJ2Xq1Tq7aWzEUYwp5pYIbLuLhF4Qe8ylvMFtBJ76uPOv6Tcy6A3NtFsAKoaATIu4mEfgo0KAgU1YyRsYoJooEt75NypE8xvE9IP85D7PSMT2rLGsw52HV9ghIxa/s1600/LaDonna+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGUIVLCE1I4CzqK-SzmJ2Xq1Tq7aWzEUYwp5pYIbLuLhF4Qe8ylvMFtBJ76uPOv6Tcy6A3NtFsAKoaATIu4mEfgo0KAgU1YyRsYoJooEt75NypE8xvE9IP85D7PSMT2rLGsw52HV9ghIxa/s1600/LaDonna+4.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a>Knowing a mastectomy would be her only option if she chose to stay within the Army Hospital system, LaDonna sought other opinions at Emory University Cancer Center in Atlanta. In her mind, she was dying, but she sought treatment anyway because that is what her family wanted, and she knew from experience how hard cancer was on the caretakers, friends and families. Typically, a tumor of that size would indicate a mastectomy (removal of the breast) instead of a lumpectomy (removal of the tumor and affected tissue from the breast). But new research, data, and the right medical team led LaDonna down a different path. Along with her team of doctors, LaDonna decided they would do FEC chemo to try and shrink the tumor, and then remove the smaller tumor by lumpectomy, since the data suggested the recurrence rates for that approach were no higher than any other approach.<br />
<br />
<b style="background-color: magenta; color: #141823; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">Awareness Tidbit: The <a href="http://www.breastcancer.org/treatment/surgery/mast_vs_lump" target="_blank">decision between having a mastectomy or a lumpectomy</a> requires the consideration of many factors, and more often than not, the choice must be made quickly. It's important that every patient understands their options and makes an informed choice that's right for them!</b></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
After 6 rounds of FEC chemotherapy every 3 weeks, beginning in June 2009 and ending shortly after her 40th birthday in October, the only thing left for anyone to see in the scans was the marker from her biopsy. The chemo had more than shrunk the tumor. LaDonna's breast showed no evidence of disease! Comically, it puzzled the doctors and radiologists, who all crowded in her room at the teaching hospital to try and figure out where her tumor had gone (I'm picturing Where's Waldo?! Lol!) </div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRSN7TMqVI92zLYNt1FpYTLNRR3T__x5bXSXWqRMP_J9QHBFvUCkQOKl2PKgXDmEUZ44ufCyJCV5mQaIcDR3Ezh3vi5TW97pzsBT_lQvIFUXFEHg3o8dV9l9UrqXAQC6NwtnyceNaoOJMO/s1600/LaDonna+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRSN7TMqVI92zLYNt1FpYTLNRR3T__x5bXSXWqRMP_J9QHBFvUCkQOKl2PKgXDmEUZ44ufCyJCV5mQaIcDR3Ezh3vi5TW97pzsBT_lQvIFUXFEHg3o8dV9l9UrqXAQC6NwtnyceNaoOJMO/s1600/LaDonna+3.jpg" height="215" width="320" /></a>LaDonna still had the lumpectomy in November, to remove the tissue around the marker. She chose to have a Plastic Surgeon close the wound and perform a breast reduction on the other breast with the same amount of tissue removed. The scars are hardly visible, she says. And, even though there were differing opinions on the course of treatment post-surgery, LaDonna chose to have radiation, just to make sure that they'd destroyed every last cancer cell there was. </div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
LaDonna remembers the moment her doctor told her and Todd that the pathology (from the lumpectomy) was clear. She remembers thinking she should have been happy. Everyone else in the room was happy. LaDonna just felt lost and confused. It had finally dawned on her that surviving WAS an option. She told me, "I didn't know people actually did that." She'd let herself gain weight throughout her treatment. In her mind, she was dying anyway, so why should she care about her weight? It wasn't until her doctor at UNC, where she goes for her follow up care, told her she was cured, not in remission, but CURED, that it really sank in.</div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDw5gu8hx-_ooZNb0XyCrGVLjvZeBBXp_DR1Rj4uL68cfzyiqIiOdUf70MgHf-CoSEAxKRqfvkq67B1lOuwCyM4Z-p2S4f0JLAgz99Al-Wl3AAMkut3wsIdFhCJk2i_fY4s5soYct8ZF27/s1600/LaDonna+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDw5gu8hx-_ooZNb0XyCrGVLjvZeBBXp_DR1Rj4uL68cfzyiqIiOdUf70MgHf-CoSEAxKRqfvkq67B1lOuwCyM4Z-p2S4f0JLAgz99Al-Wl3AAMkut3wsIdFhCJk2i_fY4s5soYct8ZF27/s1600/LaDonna+5.jpg" height="133" width="200" /></a>And while, yes, there are trials and tribulations as a result of medications and surgeries, LaDonna has lost the weight and the idea that cancer always wins. She wants others to understand that, like her and so many of the amazing men and women she's met along the way, people do REALLY survive!</div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0