And So It Begins. . . Again

Hello Everyone.  Thanks for checking in on Brooke.  The fact that you're here is appreciated.  We're planning to use this blog to communicate what's happening with Brooke to family and friends.   As much as we would love to communicate directly with everyone, it seems a bit overwhelming so we hope this blog will do the trick.  

Having said that, we don't want this blog to send the message that we are isolating ourselves and don't welcome people emailing, calling, or stopping by.  Although there will probably be times during her treatment when visits will be difficult, Brooke and I would love to hear from you.

Many people have asked what they can do to help. Right now the main thing we are asking for is for prayers on her behalf (Brooke typing now – My family needs prayers, too!). Despite the news, Brooke feels fine right now, and until the treatments start we're really doing okay.

I'll share the details of what we know below, but we firmly believe that everything is going to be okay. We're concerned, of course, and not looking forward to what we know will be a rough road ahead with the treatments, but like the early Saints, know that ultimately “All is well.”

Having been through this 14 years ago, we know that times like this can be the best of times, but also the worst of times. As hard as it was in 1998, it was also a time when we drew closer together and closer to God than we ever had before. Again, we're not looking forward to fighting cancer, but we know that there will be blessings along the way.

Brooke's nephew, Devin, said it well when he posted a message to her on Facebook. He said: “We have faith that it will all work out. You are a fighter and this cancer should have learned its lesson the first time. We know you can beat it again.” That is exactly the plan!

So, here's the basic story, at least as much as we know now.  Brooke had her annual mammogram on August 30th.  After 14 years of being cancer free, neither of us were worried about it or gave it a second thought.  The next week though, she got a call saying there was an area where they needed to take another look.  

So on Wednesday, September 5th, Brooke had some additional mammograms.  They were still concerned so she then had an ultrasound, which ultimately lead the doctor to do a biopsy that same day.  As we asked questions, the doctor was very straightforward with us in telling us that it didn't look good.

On Friday, September 7th, we got the call confirming that it was cancer.  The next step was to see the surgeon. That appointment happened Thursday, September 13th. Although some things won't be confirmed until the surgery and other test results come back, the surgeon did tell us a lot about what is happening. Here is a quick rundown of what the surgeon told us:

• It looks like the cancer has been caught at a fairly early stage. This is obviously great news, and what we're trying to focus on.
  

• It is a fairly aggressive type of cancer and will need aggressive treatment, meaning surgery (the exact surgery to be determined -- more about that later), chemo, and possibly radiation are all coming.
  
• This is a different cancer than Brooke had in 1998. It is on a different side, and other markers and receptors are different based on the pathology report.
  
• The surgeon is ordering additional tests before the surgery to have as much information as possible.
  
• Surgery is tentatively scheduled for September 28^th. They will do three things during the surgery: 1. put in a port for chemo and blood draws; 2. remove lymph nodes to see if the cancer has spread; and 3. Brooke will have either a lumpectomy or mastectomy. The two tests below will help her decide which surgery she'll have. If she has a lumpectomy, she will need radiation. If she has a mastectomy, there's no need for radiation.
  
• One of these tests is a genetic test that we've known about for years, but haven't wanted to do before. We haven't done it for a couple of reasons: It's expensive and the results would simply give us one more thing to worry about and wouldn't change anything. At this point though, the results of this test will actually help Brooke decide what surgery to have. If she tests positive for this genetic defect, the likelihood of her getting breast cancer again (after this time) is significantly higher.  This would suggest a more aggressive surgery might make sense. If it's negative, then perhaps a lumpectomy is the way to go.
  
• Brooke will also undergo a thorough MRI to check for any other cancer spots before the surgery.
  
• She will need to have a few different types of chemotherapy. She will likely have two types of chemo by IV. The first type of chemo is very aggressive and has all the typical bad side effects and will last 3 – 6 months. The second type of chemo is not as bad and will last a year.
  
• She will also need another type of chemo that is simply a pill that will likely last for 5 years.
  
• Because the chemo she'll be on for a year can be hard on her heart, she will also have a baseline echo cardiogram before surgery.
  

So that was the news from the surgeon. Brooke has already had the genetic test (we're waiting for results), and is scheduled to have the MRI and echo cardiogram on Wednesday, September 19^th. Then we'll need to make a decision about the type of surgery she'll have on the 28^th.

If you've actually read this far, my apologies for being so long winded.  Thanks again for your care and concern for Brooke. We'll post more news as we have it.

- John