Heather Sands A Circle forHeather Sands

Welcome to our CaringBridge website. We are using it to keep family and friends updated in one place. We appreciate your support and words of hope and encouragement. Thank you for visiting.


In 2011, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. It was Ductal Carcinoma in Situ or DCIS. It was considered phase 0 and after many many lumpectomies (4 exactly), I had a bilateral mastectomy and was deemed cancer free. Never had chemo, never had radiation. I always felt I didn’t really belong in the Sorority because I got thru it fairly unscathed. 


That ended today (October 16, 2019)...


This chapter began with some abdominal pain I attributed to the new Pilates gym I joined and the hard work I’d been putting into my core.  I thought I’d strained a rib muscle and I may have. So Sunday night (10/13/19) I started having a fever and just felt really run down. Stayed home Monday and Tuesday. Tuesday around noon, I started having pain in my side, right under the ribs (not the side that had been bothering me). When it didn’t get better with Aleve, and because I had the fever, I was worried I might be having appendicitis or a gall bladder attack. So off to the urgent care I went. 


They tested my urine and didn’t find anything but wanted me to get more tests so I went to the ER at Rex Hospital. Based on what they saw on the ultrasound and the CAT scan, they determined I have cancer that has likely spread to the liver (hence the pain in my side) and my spine and pelvis. They have not identified the cause or the type of cancer it is as I’m writing this. I had a liver biopsy this morning and am waiting to be taken to get an MRI on my brain and my spine. 


Jed is here with me at the hospital while we try to get our heads wrapped around all this. We haven’t told the boys yet. I want to have more information before I burden them with this. 


 We will update this journal as often as we can to keep you up to date. Thanks for being a part of our circle. ❤️💫