bad news & good news

Wow .. what a whirlwind week. I've had 8 doctors appointments in the past 10 days. We've received a lot of news, mostly good, but some bad. Here's the huge update everyone's been waiting for:


Let's just get the bad news out of the way first, because I want to get it out and not dwell on it. When I was diagnosed, my breast doctor gave me the genetic tests for the BRCA1&2 mutations. These are the highly genetic mutations that are linked to breast and ovarian cancers. Unfortunately I am positive for the BRCA2 gene. What does this mean? First & foremost it solidifies my decision to have a bilateral mastectomy. That ensures that my possible reoccurrence will be as low as possible. I feel even better about making that decision now. In addition, I am now also at a higher risk for ovarian cancer and can choose to have a surgery to have my ovaries removed in a few years.  Unfortunately now my daughter has a 50% chance of having this gene as well; she will need to be closely monitored & checked when she is of childbearing age. As much of a downer as it is, I'm glad that we know about this and she will be monitored. 


Ok, so on to the good news!

• My MRI was clear -- they did not see any other masses in either breast. Whew.
• I met with my plastic surgeon and I really like HER. I'm glad she is a woman and will be handling my reconstruction. Don't get me wrong - I love my male doctors but I'm glad someone who understands a woman's body will be handling such a delicate task!
• I finally got my surgery scheduled; it will be Dec 28. It is later than we originally thought, but it is because my plastic surgeon and breast surgeon are having to work out their separate schedules to accomdate me and operate at the same time. I'll have the mastectomy & reconstruction done all in 1 surgery.

And the best news of all comes in the form of an amazing fertility clinic in Dallas. This clinic offers a program called Fertility Rescue. It is free egg harvesting for young cancer patients wanting to preserve their fertility. Due to the chemo I will be receiving, it will most likely damage my eggs. By harvesting my eggs before I start chemo, it will allow us a way to have children in the future. The process is much like IVF and the costs are very expensive. The Sher Clinic offers the entire process for FREE, yes I said free. It's almost too good to be true! We're now in a race against time to get this process done before I start chemo. Unfortunately after chemo, I will have to take an estrogen blocking drug for 5 years, during which I cannot get pregnant. So our options will be to wait those 5 years, thaw our eggs and do IVF, or use a surrogate before the 5 years is up. Whatever we end up doing, I am just so incredibly thankful for this opportunity. I had my first consult with them today and it went very well. I was so happy sitting in that Dr's office that I had tears in my eyes; what an amazing gift they offer someone in such a dire situation.
*The best news out of all of this is that they will be able to test my eggs for the BRCA2 gene and they will NOT use any eggs that have it! Praise the Lord!


"Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." James 1:2-4
*This verse will forever remind me of Eric Schmidt, who I know is cheering me on from Heaven.