When you first hear the words that you have cancer, you are flooded with so many emotions and questions.
Why me?
What did I do to cause this?
What does the future hold?
Fighting cancer is as much as a mental conquest as it is a physical one. I knew from the beginning the only way to approach this fight was to lay my burden at the feet of my God. I turned this battle over to him and he responded loud and clear.
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His first love note to me I received in the mail. This became the solid
reminderthat He was in control. |
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Throughout this journey He also reminded me of the great friends
he has positioned around my family to support us.
Kristee Kelley Jones, who at the time lived in Colorado,
visited me just 3 days after my diagnosis. Kristee and I met in college.
We lived across the hall in Neeley Hall and then shared an apartment.
Kristee was also my Maid of Honor at our wedding. |
Let's recap a few dates. All of which took place in 2014.
June 24-Dr. Imtiaz confirmed what I feared and I left her office with paper stating lump/mass diagnosis.
June 27-Diagnostic mammogram (and my first mammogram since I had just turned 40 in May) and ultrasound. Four lesions were found and I was scheduled for a biopsy.
July 10-Biopsy
July 17-Dr. Imtiaz gave me the results of the biopsy and it was found to be cancer that was invasive.
July 18-Dr. Naqvi reviewed the biology of the cancer and we were told it was Triple Negative.
July 21-I saw a cardiologist to clear me for chemo and had a full body scan to see if the cancer had spread any where else in my body. Main area of concern lymph nodes, lung, liver, brain, and bones.
July 22-Dr. Naqvi told us the great news that the cancer had not spread. Based on that news we knew now that I had stage 2. I also met with Dr. Pollock who would be my breast surgeon.
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July 23 I had a port-a-catheter placed by Dr. Pollock.
It would be used during the 16 rounds of chemo. |
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July 24 we accessed my port for the first chemo, and somewhere
in this crazy schedule I found time for a haircut. I cut several
inches off thinking this would help prepare me for hair loss. |
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| All smiles for chemo round 1. |
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This was the treatment plan for the first 4 rounds of chemo.
It is known as the red devil. I went once every 3 weeks. |
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Chemo started at 9:00 and I usually finished around 3:00.
I mostly slept and Mark tried to work. |
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Dee Dee (another college roommate who now lives in Dallas) and
Kristee came to support me for my first chemo.
Notice how my face is swollen in this picture compared
to the first picture of me. This was taken after chemo, on our way home. |
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| Mark, Lori, Dee Dee, and Bill |
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Me and Dee and all our crazy kids.
Ben, Katie, Luke
Keaton, Cort, Gage |
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They said my hair would start falling out around 2 weeks
after my first chemo, so I decided I needed one more haircut. |
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| I loved this cute inverted bob......for about a week. |
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Ready for chemo round 2 and as you can see my hair is very thin.
I thought at this point I would shave my head, but I couldn't
bring myself to do it. So I wore hats with my thin sprigs
sticking out the back of my hat. |
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| Red devil round 2 was a little tougher. |
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But before I got sick I had some awesome visitors.
Sarah Domino came to sit with me and let me ask a million questions.
She is a breast cancer survivor and was in our church small group
before she moved to Sugarland. |
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| Dr. Naqvi and me |
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We thought round 1 went pretty well, so Mark went to a
work meeting and Rey, a close co-worker friend, came to sit
with me during the afternoon. I started feeling really sick at the end.
I can only describe it as almost blacking out.
I couldn't walk or communicate much.
They decided to take me to the ER. |
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And oh how I love this picture, but it documents cancer.
All of cancer.
The hair loss, the chemo, and how sick it makes you all while it is trying to make you better.
So ironic.
I was admitted over night because they couldn't get my nausea
under control and I was becoming dehydrated.
I was released the next day and felt a lot better. Red devil kicked my butt! |
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Good thing I have great friends to cheer me up.
Mark, Norman, Jenni, Me, Kate and Steve |
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Ready for round 3.
My parents joined me and yes,
I am still holding on to my little hair sprigs under that hat! |
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People love to give you things when you have cancer and
socks are one of the things I got a lot of!
Yeah for cool socks! |
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Nurse Lily took care of me every chemo.
I don't think I could do her job, but she is awesome! |
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Jenni came to visit with me after my parents left to
pick up Gage from preschool. |
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Laura Kalokowski also sat with me. She is also a breast cancer survivor.
She referred me to Dr. Naqvi which is how we were able to
find an oncologist so quickly. God placed Laura in my life to be a
strong support for me during this journey. |
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| Well it was finally time to shave my head. This is all that was left. |
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With my new wig on, we met Genelle (another college roommate who lives in Dallas)
and Dee Dee for a tailgate party in College Station. |
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| Gig'EM! |
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Speaking of wigs.... A couple of weeks earlier I went wig
shopping with Jenni and Kate. |
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| I tried on several wigs all colors and lengths to find the right one. |
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Even Jenni and Kate tried on a few wigs.
I think Jenni looks great as a brunette. |
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| Kate, this look suits you well. |
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Well, this is the one I chose......the first time.
Once I got home, I really hated it and so did the kids. |
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| It looked better on Gage! |
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| So I went back to the store and traded it in for a new one. |
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| This one seemed to be more my style. |
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| I had fun with my wigs by adding accessories. |
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And I had 4 wigs. This one was the free wig Visible Changes
gives to cancer patients. It looks good in the picture, but it really wasn't a quality wig.
I mostly wore it under hats for a cute bob look. |
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Channeling my inner brunette.
Sarah Domino let me borrow her 2 brunette wigs. |
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| The shorter brunette wig with my little Gage monster. |
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Some days you just don't feel like wearing a wig
so I had fun with scarves. |
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| And bandannas! |
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| Gage modeling my red sassy wig I bought for Halloween. |
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| Chemo #4--The last of the Red Devil! |
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| Lizzie Bender sat with me that morning. |
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| And Kate brought me lunch and pulled the afternoon shift. |
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| Chemo #5 was the first of 12 weekly treatments of Paclitaxel. |
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Our kids have played sports with the same coach and kids for many years.
This season they had socks made to support Team Robo. |
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| I wore my pink socks to chemo. |
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I wasn't sure Rey would want to come back to chemo with me
after the red devil #2, but he braved it again for me. |
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Chemo #6
Only 10 more to go! |
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| Chemo #7 I went all by myself like a big girl! |
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For the most part they were able to manage the chemo side effects.
I had three different nausea meds, I took Ritalin for fatigue,
Clonazepam for anxiety, Hydrocodone for pain (which I had very little)
and I had a migraine med too.
(They feel that was the cause of all the trouble I had with #2.) |
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| Mark came with me for #8. |
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This became my Thursday ritual and was my guilty pleasure.
It may look like I am listening to music,
but I am Keeping up with the Kardashians. |
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From here on out I fly solo. Paclitaxel only takes 3 hours
so I was done by noon. I usually just watched my show
until the Benadryl took over and then I would nap
until I heard that all too familiar beep. |
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| #10 |
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I really started to hate these selfies,
but I had started something and had to finish it. |
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For #12 I wore a bandanna that I braided in
the back instead of tying. You have
to find ways to mix it up and make it fun. |
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| Getting closer! |
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| Almost done! |
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I finally wore my good wig!
I had to look good for the last pic! |
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| Dee Dee was there for the first and the last! |
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| Time to ring the bell! |
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| Last Chemo was the day after Christmas! |
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| Nurse Jane and Dr. Naqvi |
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| Together through it all. |
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One of the side effects of Paclitaxel was damage
to my fingernails. I didn't lose any, but they all started to lift.
My fingers really hurt and there was a couple of weeks I
couldn't even use my hands much. |
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One thing I could never do was brave the world 'naked'.
Even at home I usually wore a knit hat.
I could tell it bothered the kids to see me bald, and I didn't like it either. |
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| But I was still mommy. |
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January 12, 2015
First of two surgeries. This surgery was to prep my body for the
skin-sparing mastectomy performed by Dr. Pollock using
Dr. Boutros', my plastic surgeon, method. It was called a NAP technique. |
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The big day, January 28, 2015
Both of my previous surgeries were at Methodist, but this surgery
was at Westside Surgical Hospital. I had a double mastectomy
with a DIEP flap reconstruction. |
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I was in the hospital five day and these guys
were ready for me to come home.
This was my view for the next 5 weeks.
I slept in a recliner next to our bed. |
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My first outing after surgery was to Dr. Boutros
for a follow up appointment. |
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Kerrie, Lori, Bonnie
My mom stayed with us for three and a half weeks after my surgery.
Before she went home we celebrated with pedicures. |
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| My aunt made this beautiful quilt for me. |
