Thread: Who We Are
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Old 04-11-2012, 09:03 PM   #13
alicem
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Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Colorado Springs, CO
Posts: 430
Re: Who We Are

What a great idea!! We ARE more than a disease, it should not identify us.

My name is Alice, I am 55 and have been married to Mark - the love of my life - for 32 years. I was born in Montana, but moved to Texas when I was 6 and have been here ever since.

I worked for 2 years as a Pricing Analyst, and left that for my favorite job - a MOM! I have always loved being artistic and creative and was a partner in a Faux Finishing business for about 2 years.

I credit being in my current job ONLY because of my breast cancer. I am the interim Executive Director of the Texas Mamma Jamma Bike Ride. I learned about the inaugural ride while getting my last chemo infusion in 2009. It became the light at the end of my tunnel and gave me a way to pay it forward. Five months later I had raised over $10,000 and I rode my bike 100 miles for my first ever "century" ride. I've ridden every year, and have served on the Board of Directors. The ride has raised $1.4 million in the last 3 years and rather than funding research, the proceeds go to 10 local non-profit agencies who provide practically every service a breast cancer patient and their family would need. I am humbled daily by the people I meet and the stories I hear. I am blessed.

Last summer I got the urge to start my own Blog, This Home Plate: Biking and Baking Beyond Breast Cancer. It's been fun, but has had to take a back seat recently because of my new job and the upcoming wedding. I hope to start posting again real soon.

I have 3 grown daughters that we are very proud of - the oldest is 29 soon to be married in May, the middle daughter will be 27 in June and the youngest is 25 1/2 - the bride in my photo, her husband is presently serving in the Army. We also have two cats named ... Benjamin and what else but Franklin!

I tried out for the Wheel of Fortune 25 years ago, and made it all the way to the final call back, but unfortunately never got a letter telling me I was chosen as a contestant.

Twenty years ago, our family lived in Milan Italy for two years and we were fortunate enough to do a bit of traveling and expose our family to many cultural experiences.

I have never met a craft that I didn't like. Pinterest is my new best virtual friend! I love gardening, cycling, running, and baking.
__________________
9/15/08 (age 52) - Mammo: calcifications
9/22/08 - Biopsy: DCIS, grade 3. ER,PR status: Pos. in 75-90% of tumor cells.
10/01/08 - Ob/Gyn appt.: found complex, mostly cystic mass on right ovary - 11cmx12cmx 8cm
10/15/08 - Hysterectomy & Oophorectomy, Lumpectomy: Cyst on uterus, not ovary - all was benign. Breast - 5 of 6 bad margins. 2 Sentinel Lymph nodes removed, both negative. Stage 0, Tis, N0
12/11/08 - Mastectomy & DIEP reconstruction: Surprise! 2 cm Invasive DC, grade 2 found. One benign internal mammary lymph node. Stage 1, T1c, N0, all clean margins. ER+ (Proportion Score = 2/5, Intensity Score = 2/3) and PR+(Proportion Score = 3/5, Intensity Score = 2/3)
HER2 score = 3+
1/09/09 - Oncotype DX: Recurrence S/core of 60 !?!?! ER status is NEG!! PR staus is NEG! HER2 score = 12.2 (still positive, greater than 11.5 is positive).
1/20/09 - Started chemo: TCH
5/26/09 - FINISHED CHEMO!
1/05/10 - FINISHED HERCEPTIN!
1/22/10 - Port-a-catheter removed!
3/07/18 - Still NED
9/10/23 - Still NED
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