Hi all,

Happy Charleston summer for those who live here! We have finally had a snippet of some moody thunderstorms recently and I am here for it. 

I wanted to check in since it has been a minute. First and foremost, Grady has been so busy and we love that he loves it. He just started back to seasonal summer swim team and is still on a separate year-round team. He’s a fish. He’s also still loving taekwondo and just moved up another belt and is also on their leadership team. Six of the seven days a week he is at 1 or 2 practices a day, and my heart feels full watching him. 

Recently Johnny has been doing atleast half of these drop offs, after work, as I having been feeling a bit run down. My mental energy is still there but my body seems to want more rest than previously. I find this annoying but still get out often for mental health, and just keep it shorter, then crash early. And I have lightened my calendar for more down-time. 

Treatment continues per previous posts - I take a daily chemo pill every morning, go to labs/oncology/infusions for chemo every 3 weeks, and go back again every 4 weeks for an injection. The side effects are as expected; however, the one that makes me chuckle the most is the morning bone and joint pain. When I first wake up I have to “walk off” the pain, which can best be described as looking like a one year old taking their first steps. ;)

We ran in to a hiccup recently, around the 10 month treatment mark, with healthcare. Against all of my being, we put a gofundme out there. Obviously the goal was to help with healthcare and options not covered under insurance that we felt could benefit us, and a side goal to help decrease stress related to said items. I’m doing everything to keep stress at bay, as it does not benefit me. And wow, did everyone rally! We are blown away by the support and blessings from friends and family. I cried many happy tears and I am still working through “thank you’s” to everyone, but please know that it means more to us than words can describe and we appreciate you so much! 

I just wrapped up chemo, an oncology visit, and blood work today. All looks good and we keep on trucking. I will have another brain MRI in June, a PET scan in July, and an ECHO in July. I am also scheduled to meet with Dr. Scott Jennings, a gynecologic oncologist, later this summer to discuss surgery. He must be realllllly good because his first appt was 6 months out. For those wondering why this is the next focus, it’s because my breast cancer is estrogen-driven. Removing the source is key. 

I hope everyone is doing great and enjoying spring/summer so far! Hugs from the Smiths!

Danielle