Julia Unger

Welcome to my CaringBridge website. I am using this site to keep family and friends updated in one place. I appreciate your support and words of hope and encouragement.  Thank you for visiting.

Hi there everyone!  I was introduced to this site by one of my friends that found it to be a great tool for her family to update everyone and stay in touch during her family member's battle with cancer.  Initially I thought, "why would I need this"?  However, I found it to be necessary after wondering who I told what to and after several updates and date changes to my treatment plan.  So, here I am writing my initial story about my battle with cancer...  I would use the word journey, but it just pisses me off as a journey seems like a fun thing to do or place to go...and this is certainly not fun.  I am blessed with so many friends and family in so many places and I want to be able to update you all daily via text message or a phone call, but that just gets too difficult at times and I don't want to forget anyone.

I was initially diagnosed with breast cancer on February 12th after finding a lump that required a biopsy. After further tests were completed the cancer was also found in my lymph nodes...stage 2 breast cancer.  As you can imagine, this came as quite a shock. I am, of course, taking the necessary steps to treat this and get on with life.  I am confident in my doctors and the treatment plan that they have put in place for me. They have gotten my diagnosis and treatment up and running quickly and have scheduled me for a partial mastectomy (lumpectomy) and an axillary lymph node dissection of the right breast on Thursday, March 5th.  This is a day surgery and I will be home that night with my parents who are flying in to care for me while I get back on my feet.

About 2 weeks after my surgery I will meet with my surgeon, medical oncologist and radiation oncologist to review the pathology of the lump section and nodes and determine next steps.  I have been told that chemotherapy will be required for 3-5 months and after that I will have radiation for 4-6 weeks.  Not sure how these next steps in my treatment plan will affect me along the way, but I am learning to take life one day at a time.  

These last 3 weeks have been a blur of all kinds of emotions, biopsies, genetics testing, scans and lab draws.  If it weren't for my friends and family being there for me (near and far), I am not sure what I would have done.  They say God doesn't give you any more than He thinks you can handle.  I'm both flattered and pissed off at His perception of my strength.  I'm doing my best; taking it one day at a time.