Welcome to our CaringBridge site. We've created it to keep friends and family updated. We appreciate your support and words of hope and encouragement during this time when it matters most
What a strange year this has been for all of us. COVID, BLM, protests, politics, upcoming election. As an extroverted, sensory, feeling individual, not being able to touch, hug, visit, etc. these past few months have been incredibly hard. Not so long ago, I found myself wanting to just go through my phone contacts and start calling people one at a time just to hear their voice. I feel so incredibly blessed to have YOU in my life and appreciate that you are stopping by to get caught up on what's going on.
During this strange year, our family adds breast cancer to the mix. Only now do I understand how utterly immediate the impact is when you get the news. The shock and emotion. The alternating feelings of disbelief, hope, despair, grief, fear and even gratitude are like a roller coaster. Not just for the patient, but also for family and friends. Things have started happening Very fast and I am just not capable of contacting everyone I love and care about to bring you up to speed. Needless to say, it's been a bit overwhelming and I am grateful to CaringBridge for developing a platform that allows me to share information and answer questions :)
On the morning of August 4, 2020 I noticed a lump in my left breast. After the standard tests and biopsies, on Monday, August 24, I was diagnosed with Triple Negative Invasive Duct Carcinoma. A big long technical term for a type of breast cancer that shows up about 10-15% of the time. The prognosis is good, with the surgeon telling me as of 9/2/2020 that I am "around" a stage 1 -2. I am still looking at 4 months of chemotherapy and surgical removal, but we are grateful for the hope of an optimistic outcome.
I have had a very short time to process this before creating this page (6 days) and not enough time to contact everyone. Some have asked - what can I do? I don't have the foggiest idea. As things come to me - I will update this site. If you or someone you know has been through this before, please feel free to comment, share ideas, etc. Most of all - Share the Love! Pray the Prayers! Think GREAT thoughts and keep my loving husband Joe and other immediate family in your hearts. This is always harder on the ones we love.
This might slow me down a bit, but I will be back to normal speed before you know it.
CaringBridge is a nonprofit social network dedicated to helping family and friends communicate with and support loved ones during a health journey. Learn more about CaringBridge.
