Dee Ann’s Story

Site created on July 19, 2020

Welcome to our CaringBridge website. We are using this site to keep family and friends updated in one place. We appreciate your support and words of hope and encouragement. Thank you for visiting.

Dee Ann was diagnosed with Stage I or II DCIS breast cancer in her right breast on May 19, 2020. The type of cancer she has is aggressive and is what's called "Triple Positive" (HER-2/NEU +, KI-67 >10%, ER +80% with a tumor grade of 3/3) which means it is hormone and estrogen reactive.  In the past a triple positive diagnosis was concerning, but the good news is that because it was caught early in Stage I/II and there are many anti-hormonal treatments today such as Herceptin that are known to dramatically reduce risk. Her surgeon described her breast cancer as "highly treatable" even "highly curable."

After several biopsies and discussions with her surgeon, Dr. Curcio recommended a mastectomy rather than a lumpectomy. Dee Ann and I researched and discussed this at length and ultimately decided on a double mastectomy. Surgery is taking place on Wednesday, July 22. This is a rather long surgery (up to 6.5 hours) and Dee Ann will be in the hospital over night. I will be bringing her home at some point on Thursday, July 23. Over the next 3 weeks she will be in recovery and mostly resting in bed. She is not allowed to raise her arms above chest level during that time nor operate a vehicle. While recovery may take some time and the first few days maybe challenging, overall we are very optimistic and look forward to the future.

Once Dee Ann has recovered from surgery, the next recommended steps are chemotherapy (Taxol - 12 weeks long, once per week) and hormone treatment (Herceptin - 1 year, once per three weeks). We are still researching whether the Taxol is absolutely necessary as it has the extreme side effects including hair loss, weakened immune system, etc. Currently the oncologist is recommending taking it so that is the current plan. Herceptin will happen no matter what since the cancer found is HER-2 positive. We will update everyone here once we know what treatment Dee Ann will undergo and when it will start and end.

Thanks for all the well wishes and positive thinking. We really appreciate all the offers of help!

Newest Update

August 03, 2020

Journal entry by Chris Sigaty —

Dee Ann is doing great! She’s been recovering on schedule from the surgery and this morning we were able to get the last two of the four drains removed. This is a huge relief since she’s had to pin them to her shirts and constantly worry about knocking them into things. On top of that the healing has been going really well. She’s still sore and won’t be able to do any real physical therapy for another three weeks, but she’s getting around and can start taking walks, etc.

The only bummer news is that we met with her Oncologist today and he insisted that she really needs to get chemotherapy in the form of Taxol for 12 weeks in conjunction with Herceptin. This was disappointing because I was hopeful her Stage 1 diagnosis and clear lymph node might mean she was clear to just have Herceptin. However, the doctor explained that her HER2/NEU positive cancer can still be in the body and is best treated with a round of chemotherapy. So, as we understand currently, Dee Ann will be starting chemo and Herceptin treatment the third week of August.

Thanks so much for everyone’s well wishes and support. We will definitely let you know if there’s anything you can help with as we begin chemotherapy. God bless!
Read More of the journal titled "August 03, 2020"
Patients and caregivers love hearing from you; add a comment to show your support.
Help Dee Ann Stay Connected to Family and Friends

A $25 donation to CaringBridge powers a site like Dee Ann's for two weeks. Will you make a gift to help ensure that this site stays online for them and for you?

Leave a comment of support for Dee Ann

Did you know? A quick comment, no matter the situation (positive or negative), can boost morale by 28.2%.

Comments Hide comments

Load more comments
Read More Journal Entries

Show Your Support

See the Ways to Help page to get even more involved.

Personal Fundraiser
Support Links
Helpful Requests
Go to Ways to Help
SVG_Icons_Back_To_Top
Top