Mary Hawk Mary Hunter Hawk

Thank you for visiting!  


This is Chris writing.  If you know Mary, you already know that she is strong and always looks for the best in any person or situation.  This situation is no different.  Mary and I both expect her to survive and be stronger as a result of her journey.


Mary has breast cancer -- an "invasive ductal carcinoma" -- in her left breast.  We discovered it during some follow-up from a problem she had in Illinois last year.  We found out a few days before Thanksgiving, but didn't tell anyone until after the holiday.  This is typical Mary:  She didn't want to worry our families during the holiday!


So...the plan is fairly simple and straightforward.  Mary will have a mastectomy performed on Thursday, December 29.  We don't know what time the surgery will be performed, but I will make sure to update this when we find out.


Mary will have about a month's recovery from surgery and will begin chemotherapy near the end of January, 2017.  She will have a "traditional" chemo regimen lasting approximately 18 weeks.  However, she will also be receiving another drug treatment regimen for one year.  Her particular type of cancer can be targeted by a drug called Herceptin, and the yearlong regimen greatly increases her chances of survival.


We are blown away by the love and support we have received from our family and friends!  As I've told some people already, this has shown us how many real angels are in our lives.  Thank you!