[Gerri]

Hi Michelle,

First off, I hope you are feeling better. You seem to have been hit really hard by your treatment. I hope you can hang in there and finish what your onc has recommended. Have you found something to help with your nausea and vomitting? There are a lot of drugs out there, hopefully you will find the one that is right for you.

I'm sure your friend meant well, but sometimes I get a little crazy with all the bogus claims floating around. When I was first dx'd I got emails, and suggestions from family and co-workers of what I should or should not do to get rid of my cancer. I thanked them, but let them know that for me an aggressive, scientifically based treatment plan was what I chose to follow - poison, if you will. I feel that I did everything possible to get rid of my cancer, and if God forbid, it comes back I won't ask 'what if'. I did what I had to do and just hope and pray it was enough.

Why are more young women getting bc? Great question, but I don't think there is a simple answer. Environmental? Probably. Pestisides, hormones fed to animals that we use for food - they probably all play a part. But why do some women get bc and others don't? That is the question. Why do women who are vegetarians and lead active lifestyles still get bc? How do women considered to be in the high risk group manage to avoid it? I don't know, but I wonder if it is a combination of lifestyle, environment and our genetic makeup. Hopefully someday (in my daughter's time) there will be answers. For now, we just do the best we can, try to eat 'right' and hope for the best.

I know this is scary stuff but I truly believe that we are 'lucky' to have gotten bc today (as opposed to five years ago) because of the treatment options we have now. So many new drugs coming out every day, and many of them targeting HER2+.

Hang in there, and get the help you need to get through this. It does get better.

All my best,