A fall in early 2016 resulted in a broken wrist that never seemed to fully heal. After many tests and x-rays Catherine was diagnosed multiple times with pneumonia and a very slow healing wrist. The pnuenomia too never seemed to clear up so more tests, scans and x-rays were done. In May of 2016 we received the cancer diagnosis, specifically Grade 3, Stage IV of Invasive Ductal Carcenoma (aka Breast Cancer). Grade 3 meaning it is the fastest growing and Stage IV meaning it was in multiple locations. Treatment started immediately. She started with two different types of chemotherapy which were injected through a port that was placed in her upper left chest every 3 weeks. After around 6 treatments more scans were down and the treatment seemed to be working and the cancer was shrinking. Stage IV is not considered curable. Maintenance drugs were used during breaks with the chemo drugs. After an additional 12 weeks she had another round of scans to track the cancer and watch for any new growth. After a couple of months off the chemo she needed to go back on as it started to grow again in one lymph node. The next regular scheduled scan showed that it was continuing to grow even after she was back on the original chemo, so a different chemo was introduced, staying on the every 3 week schedule. This one worked for a while too, but then one lymph node started growing again and was rejecting the chemo. Because it appeared to be the same lymph node that continued to cause issues, radiation was scheduled. Catherine was also having some balance issues though so she was sent to St Luke's for additional testing. Here they discovered that the cancer had spread to her brain in multiple spots. So in addition to the radiation on her the single lymph node in her armpit, they planned on full brain radiation. She had 10 days of radiation in December 2017 right before Christmas. In early 2018 she started on a pill form of chemo that she could take at home. Her balance seemed to improve for a while, but in May of 2018 Cyber Knife therapy was done on her brain because her balance once again declined and her dizziness increased as the spots in her brain continued to grow. In early June 2018 her pain levels were increasing and walking was becoming more of a challenge. Her doctors ordered more tests and found the cancer was now in her spinal fluid. They suggested she check into the ER the morning of Thursday, June 14th so they could start treatment right away. Once checked in at St. Lukes she was moved to the main hospital on the 12th floor, the oncology unit.
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