Journal entry by Stephanie Wasson —
Family and friends,
We wanted to give an update on Natalie's current treatment plan and how things are going. Her current treatment cycle on the drug Trodelvy is two weeks on and one week off with the hope being that the cancer disappears and she moves into remission. A common question is when this treatment will end. At this time the reality is that even if the cancer goes into remission, Natalie will continue to require ongoing treatment to keep the cancer from reoccurring. The interval of treatment and dosage will be something that her care team will have to determine over time.
Natalie has completed two cycles of treatment to date and it seems that the treatment is showing positive results. A few weeks ago Natalie had a CAT scan, which revealed that the cancer had also spread to her spine prior to treatment. The good news is that after one cycle of treatment, the CAT scan showed that the bone is healing and the cancer on her chest is also showing signs of healing. She is able to raise her arm, and the pain she was experiencing prior to treatment continues to be gone. As a result, she is slowly gaining back her range of motion, which is a blessing. We are encouraged that the treatment seems to be working and hopeful that it will allow healing of these cancer sites. Current challenges include struggling with extreme fatigue for several days on treatment weeks and a low white blood cell count, which has resulted in illness both of her off weeks of treatment.
Would you pray for the following:
- that Natalie can adjust to this new normal of learning to manage the extreme fatigue and other treatment related side effects while working and managing a home and the busyness of life with three teenagers.
- that Natalie's white blood-cell count would go up and level out to a range that will protect her from illness.
We thank you for all the love and support you continue to show to Natalie's family.
Blessings,
Stephanie Wasson
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