Blake and I have been married for 18yrs this November 28. We have 2 amazing children. Michael who is a senior this year and Kaitlyn who is just starting 6th grade, Blake is a local firefighter while I work in our local Labor & Delivery.
A few years ago I started having mammograms because I had cysts in my left breast. They’ve been watched to see if they should be drained. One started to get really painful and so I talked to my OB/gyn. My mammogram and ultrasound was scheduled for the next Monday. I was told they found some calcifications and needed to do biopsies. They were scheduled for Wednesday. My doctor called me at home on Thursday with my diagnosis. It was agreed on that I should go to MD Anderson in Houston. Referral paperwork started that day.
I was diagnosed in June of this year (2015). Today is my first day of chemo (7/14/2015). I will have chemo every 3 weeks for the next year. In October we will schedule my surgery which will be a bilateral mastectomy and lymph node dissection. The cancer has metastasized to my right axillary node.
The first biopsies, I wasn’t scared, however Blake was. He knew from the beginning that they would be positive. After that, I became very nervous and depressed. I couldn’t even listen to Christian music at all. It all made me cry. I’m now nervous about the testing for other cancers.
My doctor called me at home on Thursday with my diagnosis; my genetic testing came back positive for a gene called BRCA2 which now makes me high risk. My dr suggested I go out of town for treatment, we all agreed on that I should go to MD Anderson in Houston.
Referral paperwork started that day.
I’ve had 5 biopsies. All have been positive. My cancer covers a 12 cm area of my body. The tumor is estrogen positive, progesterone positive and HER2 positive. Which means it’s fast growing. I will have to have my ovaries and Fallopian tubes removed a double hysterectomy, lymph node dissection, and reconstruction. This will be several surgeries.
Thanks to Photos by V for providing this family with these images.
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