Sue’s Story

Site created on September 8, 2019

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.

At the end of August, I was diagnosed with invasive ductal carcinoma, breast cancer.  It was found through a routine mammogram and quickly followed up with a biopsy.  The whole diagnosis process took less than three days.  As you can imagine this has thrown our household into a whirlwind of uncertainty.  Most folks want to know these things; how are the girls and Mike? How am I? What is the treatment plan?  What can we do to help?

The girls and Mike are responding as you might expect and according to their personalities.  We’ve committed to being completely honest with them and to telling them as much detail as they want to hear.  As much as possible we are letting them control the information flow so they can take in what they can.  Thankfully, Mike works at our local hospital and has relationships with most everyone who involved with my care.  I think this has helped speed the process along and certainly has given us inside information on how these doctors practice.  

My emotions are up and down.  For the past two weeks, my life has mostly been about figuring out how to move through this diagnosis.  While I’m learning as fast as I can, I feel pretty out of control.  I can see God’s hand at work in many of the details.  I’m thankful for my Flagstaff friends that are coming around me and our family.  

My treatment consists of chemotherapy, surgery, and then possibly radiation therapy.  I’ll start chemotherapy on 9/16 and continue with that until the end of December.  Sometime in the fall, I’ll be tested for the BRCA genes which will help determine what type of surgery I have.  I’ll likely have surgery in January or February.  That might be followed up with radiation therapy.

I’m thankful for all of you who make up my larger network of friends and family.  I’ll update you using this page and would love to read your encouraging words.  But mostly I cherish your prayers.  I know that God is for me through this.  I also believe that your prayers matter for my healing.  So, if you pray would you pray for skillful care from my healthcare team.  Pray for peace for Mike and the girls.  Would you also pray for me as I prepare for my first chemotherapy treatment?  This includes the placement of a port-a-catheter, an echocardiogram, and MRI.  Also, pray that I would be smart as I organize my work schedule for the fall.   

You are dear to me, and I am thankful for your support as I go through this.  

Newest Update

The End

Journal entry by Sue Mills —

On Monday I had my port-a-cath removed.  I remember the day it was placed, when so many of you prayed for me.  To me having the catheter placed felt like the final straw...no one was going to call and tell me they had made a mistake and I didn’t actually have cancer.  It was a done deal and I was moving forward.  Having it removed feels like the opposite moment.  My medical team is sure there is no cancer in my body and I have no need for a port-a-cath anymore.  It really is the end of this season.  You all have so faithfully prayed me to this point.  Seventeen months ago I couldn’t even imagine this day, much less the twists and turns it took to get here.  But, here I am.  Thank you for being a part of this journey.

Since my last infusion on December 7th I’ve been recovering strength, sleeping better, and generally gaining health.  I continue to work on the neuropathy in my feet in several ways, but I’m told that just takes time.  My CAT scan and MRI came back normal, as well as all of my bloodwork.  In January I began to have migraine like headaches, but I have narrowed this down to jaw clenching - which I probably have been doing since cancer started.  So, I am working on resolving that as well.  As I’ve ended the physical part of my treatments I’ve started to work on the emotional toll that having cancer has taken.  I appreciate your prayers as I work through the internalized stress and trauma.  I still have a few more tests and appointments to go - mostly with other providers that I see who want to make sure I am well on my way to recovery.  

Hopefully I won’t have much to post on CaringBridge from now on.  I’ll miss seeing your encouragement, but am thankful that I won’t have much to report.  I’m headed towards a full recovery and I know that it is because you have been in my corner.  You’ve cheered me on, prayed for me, and been exceedingly generous to me and my family.  Everyone should be a blessed as I’ve been by your love and concern.  Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!
Read More of the journal titled "The End"
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