Welcome to our CaringBridge website. We are using it to keep family and friends updated in one place. hope and encouragement. Thank you for visiting. I had a routine mammogram on June 19th and left for vacation with my family on June 25th. While away, I felt a small lump that I had not noticed before. I was not too worried, but I did monitor it. I called my Drs. office while away to check on the results of my mammogram. The nurse report that my mammogram was clear and showed nothing suspicious and that I should follow up in a year. I returned home and again noticed the lump was still there. I called the doctors office a requested to be seen. My doctor thought it was a cyst, but said she would send me for a diagnostic mammogram and ultrasound to ease my mind and hers. I went for the mammogram a day later. After the mammogram, the tech said, "good news, there is nothing there, but your dr ordered an ultrasound and the radiologist said we should do it because you feel something. She turned on the ultrasound machine and she did not hide her surprise at the image she was viewing. I knew at that moment it did not look good. I waited for what seemed like an eternity before the radiologist requested to go over the report with me. I will never forget his compassion and honesty. He informed me that I needed a biopsy right away and that he believed it was early. I had a core biopsy on July 20th. My doctor called me on July 25th with the results that my biopsy was positive for invasive mammary carcinoma. I was not surprised and felt peace-the kind that only Jesus can give. Brit and I hugged silently and then began to pray. We shared the news with a couple of very close friends who we know would immediately begin to pray for us. I then called MD Anderson in Texas. The soonest appointment they had was August 15 and I took it. My second call was to the surgeon in Naples that my Dr. recommended. I had an appointment with Dr. Patterson and July 27th. It was at that appointment that we learned that my tumor was HER2 positive in addition to being ER and PR positive. This meant that chemotherapy would be a must to treat my cancer. With the news, the tears began to fall. I knew that the journey ahead would be long and the cancer would also leave its mark on my outward appearance. We then decided it was time to share with our family. Sharing this news with my children was one of the most difficult things that I have ever had to do. Because God is so good and because of his great love and mercy, as difficult as it was, it was a very sweet time for our family. We prayed together and committed as a family to allow God to use this trail for His glory. We agreed that our desire was to honor Him, no matter the outcome.
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