My breast cancer is now metastatic. I have tumors in my right lung and in my spine. My doctors are at Walter Reed National Medical Center in Bethesda, MD. Our goal is to slow progression for as long as possible.
Part II
This is round 2 (and hopefully, the final round) of my battle with breast cancer. It's in a lymph node below my right clavicle this time. I use this journal to keep friends and family up to date and also to keep me company. It was a tremendous ray of sunshine for me last time and I look forward to hearing from our loving friends and family again. Btw, this time our battle station is at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling in Washington, DC.
Please say a little prayer for me, my family, and my docs when you visit my page.
Part I
Wendy was officially diagnosed with breast cancer on Friday, 7 Dec 07. She had a mastectomy on 20 Dec 07 and her first chemotherapy session on 17 Jan 08. She was in Stage II and they think they got it all, so she is going to be OK and live a long life. Wendy's husband, Kendall is an active duty officer in the United States Air Force and was scheduled to deploy with his squadron on 1 Jan 08 for 6 months. They had scheduled a family vacation with their three boys (Kevin, Kenny, and Owen) on a cruise from 9-16 Dec 07 prior to his departure. When they found out about the cancer two days prior, they decided to continue on with the vacation. It was a good opportunity for them to rest and prepare themselves for the challenges ahead. Kendall's group commander made the tough decision to cancel his deployment. Wendy, the brave and selfless soul that the is, really wanted Kendall to deploy with his team. Kendall's boss and his wife were very compassionate and allowed Wendy and Kendall to come to their home to discuss all the options, pros, cons, etc. Kendall's boss considered everything and stood by his decision to keep Kendall home with Wendy while she battled this disease.The tumor was 4.3cm and was in her right breast. She found it through self examination and went to the doctor because she didn't think it looked right. After several tests the final confirmation came from the biopsy results she recieved on Friday, 7 Dec 07. She new the answer wasn't going to be good when her doctor asked Wendy to come to her home since she wasn't in the office that day. Kendall was TDY to Ohio preparing for his deployment.She had the surgery on 20 Dec 07 where they removed her entir right breast and 13 nodes. Only 1 of the 13 nodes was positive for cancer. She had a port installed on 4 Jan 08 and saw her Oncologist for the first time on 10 Jan 08. This is when Wendy finally found out the Stage and what her chemo treatment would be. She was in Stage II and is scheduled for 8 treatments (1 every 2 weeks) for a total of 4 months. Then she will be on a daily pill for the next five years. Her first session was on 17 Jan 08.She had a seizure the night of her first chemo session and had to spend a few nights in the hospital. They plan to adjust some of her medicine and hopefully she will do better from her on. Oh yeah, Wendy got her hair cut on 3 Jan 08 and donated it to Locks of Love.Kendall's dad is retired and came down to help with the kids on 17 Dec 07. He was here during the surgeries and plans to stay until she finishes her chemo. He has been a great help so far. Kendall and Wendy could not have made it without his help. Wendy's mom came down on 13 Jan 08 and will be here until 3 Feb 08 to be by Wendy's side for the first two chemo sessions. Kendall's mom plans to come down on 1 Feb 08 until the end of Mar 08 to help too. Families from Kendall's work have provided meals and child care and the parents of children from Owen's daycare have a plan to deliver food on Wendy's chemo session days. This is in addition to a multitude of family and friends praying for Wendy daily and the many flowers and gifts. So you can see, we are very blessed with help from family and friends and we thank everyone that has helped, prayed, or thought about us. We are doing great and will get through this because of all of this support.Thanks.-Kendall
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