You never know when your life will change. I can think of several momentous changes in my life . . . when my family moved from Oklahoma to Mississippi; my personally choosing to follow Jesus at age 9 (and subsequently realizing that I shouldn't lie or exaggerate anymore!); my first date; my first move to China in 1989; my mother's death in 1989; my first date with my now-husband; having children; our move to China in 2005, etc. These are big changes that in many ways could have been anticipated, but in many ways could not have been anticipated.
I am now 48 years old, soon-to-be 49. (Note: I turned 49 in mid-February.) I live and teach in China. I got married at age 34; had my daughter at age 37 and my son at age 38. My mother died of breast cancer at age 52.
I have a history of breast lumps. They come and go. I've had needle aspirations and I've seen surgeons for exams pretty much throughout my adult life. I've had mammograms and ultrasounds since I was about 30. I had three lumps last January and saw a general surgeon in Hong Kong. Everything was okay. I saw a doctor in the States this past summer and while she didn't do a mammogram or an ultrasound, her manual exam didn't discover anything of any alarm. In mid-to-late October, a new (and painful) lump developed. I made the appointment for follow-up in January in Hong Kong. (It's normal to wait a couple of months to see if these things are cyclical). The pain worsened and in December, redness developed. Initial diagnosis was non-lactational mastitis (breast infection). However, the mammogram showed some indeterminate suspicious areas. I had a core needle biopsy done on Friday, Jan 20, 2012. The initial pathology report (provided in 24 hours) gave a diagnosis of the presence of cancer cells, but that the full pathology report needed more time. I received this call while meeting with friends in a McDonalds.
The full pathology report revealed invasive cancer. I immediately saw a breast cancer specialist and had a PET scan to determine the extent of the cancer. The scan revealed locally advanced breast cancer (LABC) with few axillary nodes affected. I am classified as Stage IIIB with a moderately aggressive cancer.
Recommended treatment for this type of cancer is chemotherapy first (search and destroy), followed by surgery (total evacuation). This blog will be my story about my (rather, our . . . as my family is very much involved) battle with cancer. This blog will reflect many things, but it is my desire that it shows God's glory throughout this war. May HE be the focus of the victory we are claiming!!
EDIT: I relocated back to the United States in July 2012, six months after my initial diagnosis. I had my two remaining chemo sessions at UCSF in San Francisco and had a lumpectomy on September 5, 2012. I was declared "cancer free" on September 14. I had radiation to the breast from October 18 - November 29. During that time, I started experiencing severe neck pain and on January 2, 2013, it was discovered that I had cancer in my entire spine, in my pelvic bones and in one rib. My oncologist said that there was no way this was a recurrence, but existing disease that was was dormant and unseen. She revised my initial diagnosis to Stage IV.
I have undergone radiation to the broken vertebrae in the neck, had hormonal treatments, participated in a clinical trial, had oral chemo and as of June 2015, I'm back on a hormonal treatment. I've had three "episodes" of cancer progression in the past three-and-a-half years.
I've started an advocacy page, http://www.iwantmorethanapinkribbon.com and you can find me under the same name on Facebook.
I am now 48 years old, soon-to-be 49. (Note: I turned 49 in mid-February.) I live and teach in China. I got married at age 34; had my daughter at age 37 and my son at age 38. My mother died of breast cancer at age 52.
I have a history of breast lumps. They come and go. I've had needle aspirations and I've seen surgeons for exams pretty much throughout my adult life. I've had mammograms and ultrasounds since I was about 30. I had three lumps last January and saw a general surgeon in Hong Kong. Everything was okay. I saw a doctor in the States this past summer and while she didn't do a mammogram or an ultrasound, her manual exam didn't discover anything of any alarm. In mid-to-late October, a new (and painful) lump developed. I made the appointment for follow-up in January in Hong Kong. (It's normal to wait a couple of months to see if these things are cyclical). The pain worsened and in December, redness developed. Initial diagnosis was non-lactational mastitis (breast infection). However, the mammogram showed some indeterminate suspicious areas. I had a core needle biopsy done on Friday, Jan 20, 2012. The initial pathology report (provided in 24 hours) gave a diagnosis of the presence of cancer cells, but that the full pathology report needed more time. I received this call while meeting with friends in a McDonalds.
The full pathology report revealed invasive cancer. I immediately saw a breast cancer specialist and had a PET scan to determine the extent of the cancer. The scan revealed locally advanced breast cancer (LABC) with few axillary nodes affected. I am classified as Stage IIIB with a moderately aggressive cancer.
Recommended treatment for this type of cancer is chemotherapy first (search and destroy), followed by surgery (total evacuation). This blog will be my story about my (rather, our . . . as my family is very much involved) battle with cancer. This blog will reflect many things, but it is my desire that it shows God's glory throughout this war. May HE be the focus of the victory we are claiming!!
EDIT: I relocated back to the United States in July 2012, six months after my initial diagnosis. I had my two remaining chemo sessions at UCSF in San Francisco and had a lumpectomy on September 5, 2012. I was declared "cancer free" on September 14. I had radiation to the breast from October 18 - November 29. During that time, I started experiencing severe neck pain and on January 2, 2013, it was discovered that I had cancer in my entire spine, in my pelvic bones and in one rib. My oncologist said that there was no way this was a recurrence, but existing disease that was was dormant and unseen. She revised my initial diagnosis to Stage IV.
I have undergone radiation to the broken vertebrae in the neck, had hormonal treatments, participated in a clinical trial, had oral chemo and as of June 2015, I'm back on a hormonal treatment. I've had three "episodes" of cancer progression in the past three-and-a-half years.
I've started an advocacy page, http://www.iwantmorethanapinkribbon.com and you can find me under the same name on Facebook.
