Hello friends and family, 

It's been way too long since I've posted an update. After my mastectomy/ reconstruction in 08/2020 I started chemotherapy in September. I am on a drug called Kadcyla (TDM-1) that was originally designed to treat women who have become metastatic, meaning that cancer has spread outside of the breast, making them Stage 4. They recently approved it for people like me who have aggressive HER2+ breast cancer and are at high risk of recurrence. Basically, I have no active disease that we are treating, and no way to tell if the chemotherapy is working, which makes it very difficult to sustain. This is a “preventative” regimen, and hopefully taking this aggressive approach will keep me from having a recurrence or metastasis, putting me in the "no evidence of disease” category (NED)- what we all hope for. 

Last summer I scheduled multiple consults in Boston  and received 3 different recommendations for the length of my regimen. My oncologist and I decided to aim for 6 months (9 rounds), and keep going if I felt okay and was tolerating it. I made that milestone in April, and even though it’s been challenging, I want to keep going and do everything I can to give myself the best chance. I am very fortunate to have access to this targeted chemo. I  just received my 11th round on Wednesday, and my onc and I discussed whether or not it should be my last. 

I thought I’d seek ONE more opinion from an onc I watched online, so Thursday I had a consult with Dr. Tolaney at Dana Farber who works closely with HER2+ breast cancers and clinical trials, and I was curious to see what she would recommend. She concurred that I have a unique situation having residual disease after my treatment in 2018/2019 and that there is no data or standard for me. She thought I should keep going as long as I can, aiming for 14 or even 17 rounds (a full year), possibly with a dose reduction to lessen the side effects. So I am in this for the long haul!

It has been an exceptionally difficult and stressful year, for all of us, I know. I am so so tired of being in treatment for a disease that never made me feel sick in the first place, requiring treatment that makes me feel sick all the time. August will be 3 years of treatment. If I make it out of this alive I will be in dire need of some adventure and some FUN.

I recovered relatively well from my surgery, though my wounds didn't close for almost 4 months, so my return to fitness has been slow and humbling. The Dragonheart VT club was amazing and helped me so much, hosting a Burrito Bash fundraiser for me in August, and a meal train through the fall. Thank you to all who have supported me in this ordeal, in so many ways. I look forward to paddling again this summer, now that we’re all vaccinated!

As many of you know, I had signed up for an epic hike up Mt. Shasta in June with Climb Against the Odds, to raise money for BCPP, an amazing breast cancer prevention advocacy organization. Many of you donated, and I can't thank you enough! I have quite a list of prayer flags to inscribe. After finding out about the dire drought situation in CA and that climbing conditions are not safe and extremely variable (they mentioned high consequence slips and falls, and deadly rockfalls), I have decided to postpone my hike until 2022, when hopefully they'll get more snow. This will allow me more time to train adequately, too, as I was feeling a lot of pressure to attempt the hike while undergoing chemotherapy. My fundraising funds will roll over to next year, and perhaps some of you might even be interested in joining me! Stay tuned for 2022 information.
https://donate.bcpp.org/fundraiser/3146523
https://www.bcpp.org/get-involved/events/climb/?gclid=Cj0KCQjwytOEBhD5ARIsANnRjVgEtuvO9aCphXz8fQcFteT3JrXHuAE0R4Steti8PhWgBeqHa0iWokQaAp12EALw_wcB

My birthday is Sunday, and I realize I need to celebrate LIFE. Love to you all xoxox abby