Teri Coakley

Welcome to our CaringBridge website, created to keep friends and family updated about Teri’s current health situation. She is beyond blessed to be surrounded by such an incredible, loving “village” that will give her the much needed support to get through this journey. Please keep Teri in your prayers and feel free to leave her words of encouragement and support on this CaringBridge site. 

Below is an email from Teri which gives some background on her situation: 


First of all, thank you all for your love and support over the past few weeks.  John & I appreciate it more than you know.  It has definitely been a whirlwind for sure with a lot of uncertainty, but gradually we are gaining more knowledge and devising a plan to move forward with.

I was diagnosed with Invasive Ductal Carcinoma in my left breast on Oct. 26 from a biopsy done by Hoag Breast Center in Irvine.  Since then, I have had an additional ultrasound and MRI. John & I met for the first time with the breast surgeon on November 10.  We both really liked her which I know is important.  She spent over an hour with us discussing all the imaging tests and MRI and was extremely patient and thorough in her explanation. The cancer I have is Stage 1-she believes it’s been caught early.  Per the imaging tests and MRI, there does not appear to be anything in the lymph nodes which is good.  Unfortunately, the cancer is aggressive, fast growing, and “triple negative” which means it will not respond to hormonal-based treatments.  Chemotherapy is the only treatment that will be effective in fighting this.  Per the breast surgeon, the oncologist will determine whether I have chemo treatment first and then a lumpectomy or vice versa.  After surgery, I may need additional radiation treatments as well.  The surgeon felt that the lumpectomy with chemo was a less invasive treatment, an easier recovery, and most importantly, the quickest and most efficient way to get rid of the cancer.

Please know that John & I feel incredibly blessed to have the love & support of such an amazing family & friends.  We appreciate the outpouring of support via text message, cards, phone calls, flowers, and meal deliveries over these past few weeks.  Please keep the prayers and positive thoughts coming. I know I will get through this- I'm just trying to put one foot in front of the other and take it day by day.  I know the good Lord above will give me the strength & courage to fight this and I will come out the other side stronger, wiser and more appreciative of the good health I’ve always been blessed with.

Love you all more than you know!  And truly- thank you from the bottom of my heart for all your love and support.  It means more than you know!
 

 11/16/20 update:  Teri met with the oncologist today. Again, she & John both loved the doctor who was reassuring and thorough in her explanation of the cancer type and treatment options. The doctor confirmed it’s only the one small area in the left breast, is confident they’ve caught it early, and stated “the cancer is very treatable, stage 1 breast cancer”. The doctor stated she has no reason to believe it has spread since Teri feels good and the lymph nodes look clear. The oncologist and the breast cancer surgeon agreed she should do chemo first, then surgery, because 1) the chemo will kill any potential random cancer cells in her body & lymph nodes and 2) will shrink the tumor making surgery easier. She could start chemo as early as next week.  Teri has the utmost confidence in this doctor as does John.  She is truly thankful to God that He saw to it that she landed in these two women’s care!