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09-05-2012, 07:37 PM
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#1
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Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: western ma
Posts: 280
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walking in memory of courtney - 9/9/12
the other night i used magic marker to write the names of everyone i am 'walking for' on sunday, 9/9, in the Boston Marathon Jimmy Fund Walk. it came to WAY too many names. i had to start writing smaller. i thought i'd share it with you guys because one of those i walk in memory and honor of is Courtney L, who meant so much to many here and who was so inspiring and kind to me. i wanted to show you my t-shirt, which is in the album in the link below. if you click on it, you can see it big enough to read all the names. another person on it is vicky, VLCARR, whom i met here and who became a good friend. as you can see by the stars and the RIP's beside names, too many are gone.
my friend stacy's name has 2 stars because a month after she joined my team BRAVE, she was diagnosed with breast cancer too. she's in chemo now and can't do the 13.1 half-marathon, but a friend is coming to do it for her. BRAVE is not because i think i'm brave, but is made up of initials (and now it's become BRAVES to include Stacy). B is for my mom, barbara (ovarian cancer '10), R is for my husband robert (esophageal cancer '07), A is for his niece aimee (stage 4 breast cancer diagnosed in april), V is for me, E is for Everyone touched in any way by cancer.
the Walk raises millions for the Jimmy Fund which funds research and patient care at Dana Farber Cancer Institute. so often in dealing with cancer we are left feeling so helpless. you can say "let me know what i can do" and all that - but this way i get to also DO something concrete without being asked. instead i asked a bunch of people to support me and my team, and they came through.  we're up to more than $7700 and our goal was $7500.
apparently our story is so unusual that the Jimmy Fund media people emailed today because the Boston Globe wants to interview me at the Finish Line and a Boston TV station wants to film Team BRAVE. i will have to pack a compact and lip gloss in my fanny pack. ha! and kleenex, because i am sure to be in tears.
so i hope courtney will smile upon me that day and use any influence to bring us sunshine and cool weather to keep my hot flashes at bay. and know that by doing this, i'm also walking for all of you because their research (and DF is a great hospital) helps us all.
valerie
http://her2support.org/vbulletin/album.php?albumid=63
__________________
8/09 - IDC 1.8 cm triple positive, lumpectomy left breast
10/09 began chemo (taxotere & carboplatin) and weekly herceptin.
1/21/10 finished chemo, continued on herceptin every 3 weeks until 10/2010.
2/10 began 7 wks of radiation
6/10 mom dies of primary peritoneal ovarian cancer
8/10 got my last remaining ovary out
10/10 mammogram all clear
3/11 MRI shows 5 'spots' in right breast, largest 1 cm unidentifiable on US
needle biopsy proved the largest to be old inflamed cyst -phew!
7/10 switched to Arimidex
8/9 switched to Femara - allergic to arimidex
Femara made me lose hair quickly so switched to Aromasin
Aromasin made my hair fall out too and the bone pain was too much.
back on Tamoxifen 1/2013.
blood clot from trains and planes 5/2014 so on coumadin per onco for as long as i am on tamoxifen
tamoxifen was supposed to be up with my 5 yrs in may but my boyfriend was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer so i am staying on tamoxifen indefinitely because i want some ammo against BC, given the stress. lost my husband in only 10 wks in 2007 to stage 4 esophageal cancer.
cancer's screwing with another man i love
2/2016 - 6yrs in remission, off tamoxifen and off coumadin - yay!
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09-05-2012, 08:01 PM
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#2
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2008
Posts: 88
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Re: walking in memory of courtney - 9/9/12
Spectacular Valerie!
Kim
__________________
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Dx Stage 3C 2005, triple +, tons of lymph nodes as well. FEC, surgery, TCH, rads, herceptin 1 year. And, Aromasin.
2007 - recurrence to medistinal lymph node, Abraxene and Herceptin - took it down 50%
2008 - on Arimidex/Herceptin - stable lymph node.
2009 - stable on Arimidex/Herceptin
2010 - lymph node progression and liver mets.
2010 - went on Gemzar, Navelbine, Herceptin - Navelbine and Herceptin took liver mets down. lymph node slightly progressed.
2010 - did Xeloda & Tykerb - MAJOR progression in liver in only 6 weeks.
Dec 2010 - present - Ixempra/Avastin/Herceptin/Fasoldex - regressing
June 2012 - chemo break
Sept 19, 2012 - start t-dm1. Chose this over going back on Ixempra.
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09-05-2012, 09:12 PM
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#3
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Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Michigan
Posts: 1,173
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Re: walking in memory of courtney - 9/9/12
Great job Valerie! I think you will feel like its a beautiful sunny day even if its not! Let me be the first to thank you for doing this for such a great cause! Thank you! Gods blessings to team brave!
__________________
dx 11/12/09 IDCI
Stage 3a
ER 98% PR 80%
Her2 +3
4/12 nodes
6 rounds TCH
Herceptin 12 months 3weeks
Rad. 30 tx
Tamoxifin 6 months stopped
Arimedex stopped 9/12 (side effects)
Aromasin 10/12
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09-06-2012, 04:02 AM
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#4
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2011
Posts: 954
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Re: walking in memory of courtney - 9/9/12
Thank you for sharing!
You go, girl!
Paula
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09-06-2012, 11:34 AM
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#5
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Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 437
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Re: walking in memory of courtney - 9/9/12
Thank you valerie!! Wonderful tribute.
__________________
Linda
Dxed Stage IIIC May 05, 12 pos nodes
er/pr -neg,Her -pos
LVI
Right partial mast & partial axillary dissection-June14,2005
Right modified mast-no clear margins- June 30, 2005
DD AC x4
Taxotere X4 with Herceptin
Rads x 35( 5 fields )
Left prophylactive mast( atypia & hyperplasia found ),
put on Tamoxifen x 1 yr; D/ced due to endometrial thickening
bilateral recon (saline implants)May 06
Nipple recon July 06
metformin 2010
removal of implants due to severe encapsulation, insertion of gummies 2013
Reclast Q yr
NED!!!
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09-06-2012, 11:47 AM
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#6
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2009
Posts: 46
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Re: walking in memory of courtney - 9/9/12
The link doesn't work for me, and I would like to send it and your post to Courtney's husband.
JB
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09-06-2012, 07:31 PM
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#7
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Naples FL
Posts: 1,744
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Re: walking in memory of courtney - 9/9/12
What a wonderful tribute
__________________
 Suzan W.
age 54 at diagnosis
5/05 suspicious mammogram-left breast
5/05 biopsy-invasive lobular carcinoma with LCIS,8mm tumor,stage 1 grade 2, ER+ PR+ Her2+++
6/14/05 bilateral mastectomy, node neg. all scans neg.
Oncotype DX-high risk
8/05-10/05 4 rounds A/C
10/05 -10/06 1 yr. herceptin
arimidex-5 years
2/14/08 started daily self administered injections..FORTEO for severe osteoporosis
7/28/09 BRCA 1 negative BRCA2 POSITIVE
8/17/09 prophylactic salpingo-oophorectomy
10/15/10 last FORTEOinjection
RECLAST infusion(ostoeporosis)
6/14/10 5 year cancerversary!
8/2010-18%increase in bone density!
no further treatments
Oncologist says, "Go do the Happy Dance"
I say,"What a long strange trip its been"
'One day at a time'
6-14-2015. 10 YEAR CANCERVERSARY!
7-16 to 9-16. Extensive (and expensive) dental work done to save teeth. Damage from osteoporosis and chemo and long term bisphosphonate use
6-14-16. 11 YEAR CANCERVERSARY!!
7-20-16 Prolia injection for severe osteoporosis
2 days later, massive hive outbreak. This led to an eventual dx of Chronic Ideopathic Urticaria, an auto-immune disease from HELL.
6-14-17 12 YEAR CANCERVERSARY!!
still suffering from CIU. 4 hospitilizations in the past year
as of today, 10-31-17 in remission from CIU and still, CANCER FREE!!!
6-14-18 13 YEAR CANCERVERSARY!! NED!!
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09-06-2012, 07:43 PM
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#8
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Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: western ma
Posts: 280
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Re: walking in memory of courtney - 9/9/12
hmm.... how odd. let me try again.
http://www.jimmyfundwalk.org/faf/don...upId=361455122
that is the link to my personal Jimmy Fund page where courtney's name is listed at the bottom. could you all see my photo album with the t-shirt demo all right? what better way to celebrate such an active soul than to put miles and miles beneath my feet.
there was an article on the local web news today about western mass people taking part (43 of us) and i'll share that link here too.
http://www.masslive.com/news/index.s...tts_resid.html
i feel like i have risen from the ashes, in a way. i see my husband and i lying in his hospital bed the night before he died and how gaunt he was and how bloated and horrible i looked from stress. i saw the scale crawl up too high for me to tolerate during chemo. and then now it's like being given my life back. with a dose of Motrin. i added a pic of bob and i on his last night. his smile genuine, even though he knew what was coming. the best thing that ever happened to me, that man. i am sure jay feels the same about courtney.
valerie
__________________
8/09 - IDC 1.8 cm triple positive, lumpectomy left breast
10/09 began chemo (taxotere & carboplatin) and weekly herceptin.
1/21/10 finished chemo, continued on herceptin every 3 weeks until 10/2010.
2/10 began 7 wks of radiation
6/10 mom dies of primary peritoneal ovarian cancer
8/10 got my last remaining ovary out
10/10 mammogram all clear
3/11 MRI shows 5 'spots' in right breast, largest 1 cm unidentifiable on US
needle biopsy proved the largest to be old inflamed cyst -phew!
7/10 switched to Arimidex
8/9 switched to Femara - allergic to arimidex
Femara made me lose hair quickly so switched to Aromasin
Aromasin made my hair fall out too and the bone pain was too much.
back on Tamoxifen 1/2013.
blood clot from trains and planes 5/2014 so on coumadin per onco for as long as i am on tamoxifen
tamoxifen was supposed to be up with my 5 yrs in may but my boyfriend was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer so i am staying on tamoxifen indefinitely because i want some ammo against BC, given the stress. lost my husband in only 10 wks in 2007 to stage 4 esophageal cancer.
cancer's screwing with another man i love
2/2016 - 6yrs in remission, off tamoxifen and off coumadin - yay!
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09-06-2012, 08:00 PM
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#9
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Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: western ma
Posts: 280
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Re: walking in memory of courtney - 9/9/12
could someone PM me jay's email address? he made a donation in memory of courtney, but the blasted software only tells me who and how much and i want to write him a thank you. i had his address at one time in my own email on my mac, but it crashed once and i seemed to have lost all my folders where i kept my cancer emails in a group. thanks, valerie
__________________
8/09 - IDC 1.8 cm triple positive, lumpectomy left breast
10/09 began chemo (taxotere & carboplatin) and weekly herceptin.
1/21/10 finished chemo, continued on herceptin every 3 weeks until 10/2010.
2/10 began 7 wks of radiation
6/10 mom dies of primary peritoneal ovarian cancer
8/10 got my last remaining ovary out
10/10 mammogram all clear
3/11 MRI shows 5 'spots' in right breast, largest 1 cm unidentifiable on US
needle biopsy proved the largest to be old inflamed cyst -phew!
7/10 switched to Arimidex
8/9 switched to Femara - allergic to arimidex
Femara made me lose hair quickly so switched to Aromasin
Aromasin made my hair fall out too and the bone pain was too much.
back on Tamoxifen 1/2013.
blood clot from trains and planes 5/2014 so on coumadin per onco for as long as i am on tamoxifen
tamoxifen was supposed to be up with my 5 yrs in may but my boyfriend was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer so i am staying on tamoxifen indefinitely because i want some ammo against BC, given the stress. lost my husband in only 10 wks in 2007 to stage 4 esophageal cancer.
cancer's screwing with another man i love
2/2016 - 6yrs in remission, off tamoxifen and off coumadin - yay!
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09-07-2012, 02:45 PM
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#10
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: San Antonio, TX
Posts: 2,357
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Re: walking in memory of courtney - 9/9/12
You Rock, Valerie Girl!
__________________
MA in TX.
Grateful for each and every day....
Diag. 12/05 at age 60
Stage II, Grade 3, 4.5 cm primary tumor
ER/PR- Her2 +3 strongly positive
Her2 by FISH 7.7 amplified
vascular invasion
Ki67 20% borderline
Jan - March '06 Taxotere/Adriamycin X 3 to try to shrink tumor - it grew
April '06 Rt Modified Radical Mas, 7 of 9 nodes positive
April - Aug. '06 Herceptin/Taxol/Carboplatin X 8 (dose dense)
Sept - Dec. '06 Navelbine/Herceptin x 8 (dose dense)
Radiation & Herceptin Jan. 22 - March 1, 2007
Finished Herceptin Dec. 10 '08! One extra year.
Port removed August, 2012.
8 1/2 years since diagnosis! 5 1/2 Years NED!
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09-10-2012, 09:32 PM
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#11
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: New Jersey
Posts: 3,154
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Re: walking in memory of courtney - 9/9/12
Valerie,
Beautiful post....
Thank you.
Jean
__________________
Stage 1, Grade 1, 3/30/05
Lumpectomy 4/15/05 - 6MM IDC
Node Neg. (Sentinel node)
ER+ 90% / PR-, Her2+++ by FISH
Ki-67 40%
Arimidex 5/05
Radiation 32 trt, 5/30/05
Oncotype DX test 4/17/06, 31% high risk
TOPO 11 neg. 4/06
Stopped Arimidex 5/06
TCH 5/06, 6 treatments
Herceptin 5/06 - for 1 yr.
9/06 Completed chemo
Started Femara Sept. 2006
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09-10-2012, 10:32 PM
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#12
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2009
Posts: 46
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Re: walking in memory of courtney - 9/9/12
I sent you a PM with Jay's e-mail address.
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09-11-2012, 07:13 AM
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#13
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Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2009
Posts: 1,526
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Re: walking in memory of courtney - 9/9/12
Hi Valerie
Thank you so much for doing this tribute. I always joked with Courtney about being her surrogate mum and was heartbroken when she died. Even though I'm in England I always feel a really strong connection with my sisters in the States and other parts of the world and remain grateful for help at times when I've needed it so much.
Hope you have a great day
Ellie
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