March 15, 2015

Hello Everyone,

I spent the weekend with friends and family back home watching softball.  Because 90 degrees in March is just normal.

I was lucky enough to have a conversation with another cancer survivor who is my age.  While her type of cancer and subsequent treatment was different, being able to have the conversation is a reminder of the struggle to survive.  Many people will offer welcome and support, however, the people who have gone through treatment, like chemotherapy and radiation, are the only ones who went through treatment itself.  Survivors share a common, painful, and real understanding of what it requires of someone to live through what we live through.

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Just a few things for people to have a better understanding of breast cancer and breast cancer treatment options:

I have been approached by many who may not understand why my breast cancer diagnosis did not require a mastectomy or breast removal.

When breast cancer is caught early, through mammograms or additional testing, minimal surgery can be recommended to remove the cancer and margins surrounding the area.  Chemo, along with radiation is a common treatment for women, to ensure the best chances for cancer not to recur.

When breast cancer has been discovered, and it has metastisized or progressed out of the breast and into the lymph nodes, surgery is also sometimes recommended to keep the spreading of cancer throughout the body.  Chemo and radiation also usually follow, as the best way to treat cancer in the body.

And then there is me.  My breast cancer started with a large tumor that metastisized to my lymph nodes, and progressed throughout my body, to my bones.  Women with Metastatic Breast Cancer are also sometimes referred to as Stage IV or V.

Unlike patients who have been diagnosed early, surgery is not an option to treat my cancer.  What that means is the cancer cannot be cut out of my body without cutting all the other places where the cancer has spread.  I will live with cancer and be treated for the rest of my life.  I have accepted my disease and I continue to live because I can.  At some point, I will try different medicines and face chemotherapy again. 

But, I am not dying. I feel pretty much normal with my medicines. I'm sore a few more days than I used to be, like after a night of dancing.  As long as research continues to develop, I should have many more years to do what I have always wanted to do, travel wherever, and live and love, as if I did not have a shorter life.  I appreciate everyone who joins me in this understanding of my cancer. 

Patients who have their breast cancer found early, can eliminate the cancer with minor or major surgery, and very likely prevent it from recurring elsewhere.  The development of newer drugs and better chemotherapies has resulted in survivors on a greater scale then ever before.  Continue to get the early screenings, especially if you have a family member with a breast or ovarian cancer diagnosis.  Consider genetic testing and understand your chances of developing cancer in your lifetime.

If there is someone with cancer that may benefit from this blog, please share it with them.  I am available for support for the loved one or for the ones who love.

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If you are participating in cancer awareness walks, please let me know because I would like to join your team.