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Thanks Al. Joy checking in. Dxed 2000 (32 yrs nursing mama) stage 1 er+/pr+ Her 2 neg per IHC, but very angry cells. Had bad "incompletely excised" biopsy. Lumpectomey clean margins, no nodes, no vascular involvement. Redxed in 2002 and given a few months as had a 7x9cm tumor in liver and too many more to count plus some spots in lungs and medistinal nodes. Almost a year of xeloda/ taxotere. Added Herceptin after a couple of months after consulting a specialist who suggested we run FISH on tissue-strongly Her +++. Responded well began Femara with herceptin went off taxotere/xeloda. Continued improvement with hormonals (zolodex/Femara/Aromasin) and herceptin. Now trying to out smart the cancer with my own estrogen as I had a surprise in progression recently(Nov '04-VLED and Feb'05 some liver spots up to cms).
I love this site and all of you.
My ex and I divorced right before stage IV dx and our girls are now almost 9 (WOW) and 6. My prayer is to be an OLD grandma. I am the Complementary Care Program Coordinator for the Lydia Dody Breast Cancer Foundation in Ft. Collins CO. We pay for women in medical tx in Larimer County to receive complementary care treatments e.g. massage, acupuncture, reiki, exercise, yoga, housecleaning, music therapy, counseling etc. We do this during treament and for 6 months after. I also do Cancer Patient Navigation in our county. This is one on one connecting with patients and their families to help guide them to the resources they need most as individuals (financial, complementary care, medical education, research). It is a free service and quite rewarding. We just received a big Komen grant to help the underinsured and underserved population.
I volunteer at my kid's Waldorf school and have a lot of fun.
It's so good to know all of your stories and thank you for being here for me and my family!
With love and gratitude,
Joy
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