Ellen Eisen Ellen's Got This!

Welcome to our CaringBridge website. We are using it to keep family and friends updated in one place.  I would much rather not be creating this site, but here we are.  As most know, this odyssey began on September 2, 2010 (our 20th anniversary night) when Ellen found a lump in her left breast.   After a lumpectomy and radiation, followed by 7 years of hormone therapy, we were told she was now "a survivor", having beaten the cancer.  Not so much.

June 2018 began this latest chapter.  No, we had not beaten cancer - the sneaky little bastard was just hiding and waiting.  And metastasizing to her intestines, bone marrow, and other places you'd rather it not be.  But Ellen has a lot of fight in her - as you all know, she's no "shrinking flower".  She got on a terrific drug called Ibrance that kept the beast at bay for roughly a year and a half.  Then it mutated around Ibrance.  Since then, we've gone 0-for-5 with new treatments - drugs that either didn't work as needed, or whose side effects were so intense they put her in the hospital.  Or both.

So here we are.  Ellen started chemotherapy last Wednesday, and had her second treatment yesterday.  So many friends and family are in touch regularly asking how she's doing.  It's truly touching - the love and support from so many people is what keeps her going.  So thank you!  At the same time, it's becoming a challenge to keep everyone posted.  So we've created this site as a way to keep those who care about Ellen so much continually updated.  Some days there may be 4-5 posts a day.  Or, we may go 2 weeks without an update.  Whether it's good news or not-so-good news, 20 developments posted each day or none in a month, I hope this helps keep everyone up to date and informed. 

Candidly, I know it's a little impersonal to do it this way.  So everyone should feel free to text or call whenever they want.  Just understand if responses are delayed.

Please continue keeping a good thought for Ellen. Bad things do happen to good people, but Ellen can be a bit of a bad-ass herself, so cancer should be a little scared, too.  Let's Go!

Gratefully,
-H.B.