Hi friends,

I hope you’re all well, fully boosted, and avoiding the virus. And (at least here in Chicagoland) enjoying this spectacular weather! Today’s update is brought to you by the number 4: this morning I got my second Pfizer booster, bringing the total number of COVID jabs to 4. 

I don’t really have anything of note to share about my recovery - still experiencing steady and constant discomfort. The nausea is suddenly creeping back up today but that could be the vaccine. I’m keeping an eye on it.

The big news in the world of breast cancer is a study published yesterday (Sunday) in the New England Journal of Medicine about a “treatment with a drug that targeted cancer cells with laserlike precision was stunningly successful, slowing tumor growth and extending life to an extent rarely seen with advanced cancers.

“The trial focused on a particular mutant protein, HER2, which is a common villain in breast and other cancers. Drugs that block HER2 have been stunningly effective in treating breast cancers that are almost entirely populated with the protein, turning HER2-positive breast cancers from those with some of the worst prognoses into ones where patients fare very well.” (“Breast Cancer Drug Trial Results in ‘Unheard-Of’ Survival Rates”, NYTimes 06/07/22)

I had HER2. Of course it was caught very very early and I don’t have it anymore. But all of this is so deeply personal and emotional that I still cried when I read that today.

Early detection is what counts. Get your mammograms, friends.

xo

Laura