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What's been going on.


I remember December and it was a day that I was happy to be home. My husband had just accepted a job with the same company that I worked for and I felt a load lift off of me. I t was the Christmas break and he felt weird giving a 2 week notice during the 2 weeks the school buses would be off because of the school observance of the holidays.

I was just thinking that we will be starting the year off right. Both of us full time employment with benefits. We were talking about the changes it would mean for us and the goals were just about to be put in place so that we do not lose sight of what we really need to accomplish.

Pay bills on time, on time is key! Save money, not for a rainy day but incase someone loses a job we will be able to live without sweat! Get in a position to buy a house.

My phone rings and it is my sister Brie, she was crying, she was just diagnose with breast Cancer. She was at home alone. I left home and went to her apartment. I held her in my arms while she cried and I kept saying all the things that I heard. The medicine is so much better now than 20 years ago, you can beat this! I told her about Wanda is a survivor and Brenda P is a survivor she will be a survivor as well. I truly believe those words! And in my heart I know she will survive this.

Triple negative refers to breast cancer that is estrogen receptor negative, progesterone receptor negative, and HER2/neu negative. In other words, triple negative breast cancer does not express receptors for estrogen or progesterone and does not overexpress HER2.

Most likely women with metabolic syndrome (which involves distorted hormonal interactions) are more likely to have triple negative breast cancer upon diagnosis than women without it. Generally speaking, drugs or foods that reduce the production of estrogen or block its effects in the body are not effective treatments for this type of breast cancer. Therefore, in addition to surgery and radiation treatment, chemotherapy represents the best opportunity to eradicate breast cancer cells and prevent metastasis.

Triple negative breast cancer is more often responsive to chemotherapy than hormone receptor positive breast cancer. Therefore, it is important for those with triple negative breast cancer to have surgery complete the chemotherapy that will be prescribed. The initial treatment period provides the best opportunity for a long or permanent remission.

My sister’s treatment plan is chemo treatment, surgery, then radiation therapy. The chemo treatment starts on Feb 3, 2011, 4 treatments 21 days apart. There has been a long list of pre testing for a baseline before chemo something that they can use to compare all testing after chemo.

When she first told me of the cancer I was scared because I did not want her to have the same experience that my mother had then after a while I came to realize that I was remember the end of my mother life as if it was the way she lived during her whole fight with breast cancer. There was lots of time when mom was doing quite well. She went to work everyday, took time with us and lived as if she had no problems at all. And By all appearances that was the case. I will not recount my mother journey at this time because this is about my sister and my ability to be there for here.

I thought about how I would feel if I was her. She is not married and the last boyfriend she had now lives in Chile and they have little or no contact and the boyfriend she had before that is now engaged to a girl who is 10 years younger that she is. Each of these friendships ended nicely enough but she has only family and friends to turn to and help her deal with this current fight. So it is very important to me that she knows she is not alone. I realize that I cannot completely get rid of this feeling but I am going to do my best to try.

Comments

Anonymous said…
Keep writing about this, and keep reaching out--while your sister needs you--YOU need to rely on others for support as well! This is a giant circle leading back to each other for help, love and support. DON'T forget that!

Hugs

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