Dear friends,
Please forgive the impersonal nature of sharing this news. Nine days ago, I met with an oncologist who confirmed the sobering results of several biopsies from my right breast and armpit -- breast cancer. The days are starting to run together -- so much is happening so quickly -- I'm overwhelmed by the enormity of my diagnosis and the impending treatment.
Today I will have a small surgical procedure to implant a port to administer chemotherapy, which begins August 1st.
The treatment plan will start with 5 - 6 months of chemotherapy, followed by a mastectomy, lymphadenectomy of the nodes in my armpit, 6 weeks of radiation, then a drug called Herceptin for one year during which time, presumably, they will perform reconstructive surgery on my breast. My breast cancer is HER2 positive, which means that it's unreasonably aggressive.
Please remember me in your prayers as I begin this arduous journey.
Much love,
Sarah
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
15 comments:
Dearest Sarah, I am so sorry about this difficult news. Lou and I are thinking of you and your beautiful family with much love. You have a life-filled spirit. May it nurture you on your journey.
Oh Sarah. You will be in our prayers. The Jonssons are with you and Reese. May you defeat this unreasonably aggressive enemy with an unreasonably large faith and exceptionally brilliant medical team.
Dear Sarah. That is shocking news. I Am sorry to hear it . I will pray for you and reese. Love, Els
Thank you Robin for the life affirming words. I'll take them with me in my heart.
Oh, Sarah. Supportive thoughts and prayers are with you as you begin this journey. Thank you for sharing!
Dear Sarah, When I got my diagnosis in 2011 one of the overwhelming feelings was of loneliness because illness is one journey that is ours alone. BUT, you are not alone!!! You have an army of caring friends and family who have walked this walked before you so please remember God and all of us are here for you :) xoxoxoxo
My dear Sarah, we are having you in our prayers. Rest in His loving arms and be sure there is no better place to be. We love you deeply.
Dear Sarah, I am so sorry to read your news. You have a road ahead of you and the first weeks are the bumpiest because of all the unknowns. I was diagnosed with breast cancer 11 years ago and it was a steep learning curve. With each answer came 5 more questions. It's one step at a time, one day at a time. When you get overwhelmed stop and pray. God knows all the answers. You will get through this and I am here to do anything I can to help. You and your family will be in my nightly prayers. xoxo
Well that sucks great big donkey balls, doesn't it? Man. Sarah, that's some really big news you've got there. And you're right - the journey begins. I'm not the praying sort, I have more faith in you than in anyone else. Your strength and resilience and tremendous support from your family is a formidable force for cancer to fight against. Plus medicine - it's pretty advanced and always developing especially with breast cancer. Plus Tilly the Wonder Dog, right? Not many things can crash through that wall of love and care.
Hi Sarah,
Friend of a friend here. I saw your post on FB and wanted to comment. My wife was diagnosed with HER2+ breast cancer back in September. She went thorough very much the same steps as you are facing and is now almost done wtih her treatment (the last of her once-every-three-week Herceptin treatments will be in September).
Our oncologist is amazing with a long track record and had nothing but great things to say about Herceptin. How it’s really changed the game for HER2+ patients. She even said that, given the track record of Herceptin, if she herself had to have breast cancer, she’d want it to be HER2+. The results that she’s seen have been that good for her patients, regardless of their staging at discovery. It’s a game-changing medication.
My heart goes out to you and your family as you start this journey. We understand that it’s all-consuming and the very last thing that you want to be doing right now. But as someone who is quickly approaching the finish of the treatment regime, we can say that it’s possible to make it through. My wife feels good, smiles a lot, and only occasionally thinks about when she was sick. Ten months ago it felt like the end of the world. Today we laugh. We can’t yet laugh _about_ it, but we laugh about other stuff. A lot.
I hope this is communicating well. I’m just saying: now sucks, and it will for a while, but there is hope and much life after treatment. Surround yourself with people who can support you when you need it. Exercise when you can and try to eat well, and just tackle each challenge as it comes. There is a positive end date to the experience and there _will_ be a sense of normality again.
Nothing wiser than that. I just wanted to say that we know exactly what you’re feeling right now. I just wanted to encourage you. We’d give you a hug if we could.
We’ll add you to our prayer list. You are being loved by people you’ve never met.
Sarah, This c/p from your blog...."he treatment plan will start with 5 - 6 months of chemotherapy, followed by a mastectomy, lymphadenectomy of the nodes in my armpit, 6 weeks of radiation, then a drug called Herceptin for one year during which time, presumably, they will perform reconstructive surgery on my breast. My breast cancer is HER2 positive, which means that it's unreasonably aggressive"
I could have written the very same thing in my blog. I want you to know I will be a 7 years survivor in November 2017. I'm not going to kid you, it wasn't easy, you become stronger and a warrior in a short time. Herceptin is a GREAT drug, developed especially for the HER2 estrogen positive cancers. Herceptin has little or no side effects for many women and I was one of the lucky ones, I pray you will be too. My lymphadenectomy of the nodes in my left arm pit was the first thing I went through...then everything else followed. Hang in there Girl...I wanted you to know I'm still walking and talking and raising hell any chance I get. I know you are afraid, you wouldn't be human if you weren't...BUT the good new is, you WILL SURVIVE THIS....I DID... You get to join the a HUGE Survivors Club,and there are a LOT OF US!!! ! i wrote a blog, "Life is short, dance fast" during my entire treatment...it helped me through the rough and trying times. Keep writing and don't be shy...it helped me deal with every day life. Write or Message me on FB if you just need to talk...I understand.
Godspeed in your recovery Sarah. I will pray for you and your family.
Gonzo
Hi Sara..... Long time, anyway sad to hear this news. I'm sure u noticed a significant rise in cancer diagnosis nowadays which unfortunately you got diagnosed with also. I fortunately have been studying natural pathic studies in for past 15yrs due to my own problems which the MD industry in this country is limited towards treatments. I'd like u to ask yourself this question- what is the difference in now and before in terms of food? The answer is nowadays food is less nutients, processed and stored in containers which have toxins to create disease. An example is the plastic bottle which water is stored in. Do u know that plastic mimics estrogen and can create cancer. Most things are stored in plastic and other toxic containers nowadays. So first plz stop using plastic containers and detox. Learn about what cancer really is in a natural pathic perspective . Good start is the Bible diet. May God B w/u.
Aloha....
Hi Sarah. We love you. We are praying with you. We support you. We are here for you. Hugs and Kisses.
Dear Sarah,
I was so sorry to hear of the difficult
times you are going through. I can’t
imagine what you are feeling, but I'm
glad that you have such a loving family
and faith to support through this
“arduous journey”.
Of course, everyone deals with feelings
on their own way. Years ago I was feeling
very mad and frustrated, so my nephew,
Shawn, took me out to the barn to take my
feelings out on a punching bag. As I was
screaming and swearing, I hit the bag as
hard as I could. The bag barely moved and
Shawn laughed his head off, but it felt
so good.
I hope you can scream, laugh, pray, cry,
cuddle, have a bottle of wine, or do
anything you darn well want to do to feel
better.
My thoughts and prayers are with you
and your family.
Sincerely,
Nancy Brown
Post a Comment