Second Decade - Still NED - Gabrielle

[Gabrielle]

Hi Friends,

Thank you for the messages. As a reminder, I was diagnosed Dec 1999, Stage III, infiltrating ductal, 9 positive nodes out of 21, Her2Nue, estrogen negative, 5.2 cm tumor. I was 44 years old. My maternal grandmother died of bc but I tested negative for BRCA 1 & 2 (which I got for my kids).

I had a mastectomy on the cancerous breast, 4 rounds of adriamycin/cytoxin, 4 rounds of taxotere, 25 hits of radiation, 52 weekly herceptins. I was an aggressive “SOB” in guiding my own treatment but not out of any intelligent design; just a primal need to survive for my young kids.

9 months later, I opted for a prophylactic mastectomy on the other breast and a year later, a prophylactic hysterectomy.

I do nothing special. I eat anything I want; I haven't cut out anything. I generally follow a good diet that I think of as a modified Atkins; lots of meat and vegetables, but also, a lot of fruit. I drink coffee and alcohol; I eat chocolate and other sweets. I have a desk job; I only walk for exercise. I stay ferociously busy - 4 courses away from completing my doctorate which I started 2 years ago.

I don’t think I have anything to “teach” anyone; I think it’s all a crap shoot. I have no idea why I survived and other worthy women did not. In my opinion, the ones who have passed are the real warriors. Somehow, I scraped through.

I remember the terror and despair. Block it out, minimize it, compartmentalize it…whatever. It’s all in God’s hands.

Pulling and praying for all of you.

-Gabrielle

[chrislmelb]

Great to read your report once a year. Keep it up.