Hilary’s Story

Site created on May 17, 2021

This month I was diagnosed with triple negative invasive ductal breast cancer. I start a long journey of treatments including chemotherapy, surgery and radiation - these are expected to continue into the New Year. Welcome to our CaringBridge website. We are using it to keep family and friends updated in one place. We appreciate your support and words of hope and encouragement. Thank you for visiting. 

Newest Update

Journal entry by Hilary Ware

And then just like that…while I have two more weeks of treatment for burns,  and a month of physio, I rang the bell today completing the core cancer treatment and am now cancer free. All of a sudden the journey from diagnosis through chemo, surgery and radiation - 10 months - is over. Only the scars and side effects of burns, neuropathy, cording and fatigue remain. Talk about separation anxiety!

But cancer is now a permanent part of my consciousness on so many levels. Normal will never be what it used to be. I have stared mortality in the face. Treatment was a second full time occupation and I was carried through treatment with so much love and support from friends, my children, family and the amazing medical teams.

It was a scheduled and self centered routine of attending to my illness. Now I move to survivor stage and 3 month follow ups with the ongoing trepidation that TNBC which is aggressive with a high rate of reoccurrence could return. I am going to try my hardest to not let this become my focus. My hope is strong and there will be a degree of uncertainty always in the future. But, as Bob’s passing taught me nothing really is certain in life. I will, however, be very content to live an uneventful life for awhile.

And so I embark on this next phase of my life with every intention to live every day to its very fullest on all levels and return so much back to support others on very many levels. I am returning to my lung transplant caregiver mentoring, my Komen fund raising and volunteering and have put in place endowments for lung transplants at Methodist and triple negative breast cancer at MD Anderson. I was asked today to join Methodist’s transplant advisory council and I am waiting to hear about my acceptance in to the patient support volunteer services at MD Anderson. I am in motion ensuring that I pay each piece of this forward to better the future for others - so many are in need. I am changed forever and humbled with extreme gratitude for all I have in my life. I am beyond fortunate for this and do not take it for granted.

I was very transparent about the journey I have been on as I felt it was part of my responsibility to others - to share my disease, to educate, to fund raise for a cure and for deeper research. So much needs to be done and I hope for those of you that have followed my story you will join me going forward in volunteering, educating and raising funds.

This will be my last post as I start my new journey. Once again, from the bottom of my heart, words cannot express the love and gratitude I feel to all of you who supported me through this. I am forever humbled. Thank you.

With much love. Hilary
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