From the Beginning

   I was struggling with figuring out the best way to start this for my mom so I kept putting it off. I'm not sure if it was denial that she was going through this, wanting her to be the one writing this blog, or just not knowing how to start it. The conclusion I came to was a pretty obvious one. Start at the beginning.
   As an explanation of this blog, it will be from the perspective of Kathy and all of her kids as she fights this battle of stage 4 Inflammatory Breast Cancer. She will write on here when she is feeling well enough to and able. That way you get the honest perspective and not just what she tells us. The perspective and writing style may change, but the constant will be about our amazing mom, Kathy.
   The fact that we even need to do a blog is so wonderful to feel and know how much she is loved by all of those around her. A huge Thank You to all of you that have prayed for her, served her, made her feel loved, and have touched her life in some way. She has felt all of that and is so extremely grateful!
   Inflammatory breast cancer. Who knew that three words can change a life forever?! There are only a few moments in ones life that we remember so distinctly. Being told that you have breast cancer or being told by your mom that she has it is one of those times that none of us will ever forget. Each of our thoughts were a little different but the main feeling we all felt was "no, this can't be happening to our mom!" She has always been so strong in every way imaginable, how could a vicious thing such a cancer happen to her? She told all of us girls face to face and had dad tell the boys. It was a special moment to be able to hold on and comfort one another the best that we could.
   How is it that since that moment time has seemed to speed up yet be so slow at the same time? We realized that we can't take advantage of time and spending it with her and those we love. The onset of it was so quick and we all wanted to get going as soon as possible but it takes time. That is a tricky word right now. She wanted to get going on chemo right away but also didn't want to be weak and sick either. She kept telling us how hard it was to plan to be sick but not knowing just how sick. You can plan and prepare all you want but the reality is always different than any expectations.
    One little miracle that we have had is when we all fasted while waiting for the results to come back. We decided to start and do our own individual fasts and once we were done and talking about things, we found out that we had fasted and prayed that she could feel comfort, peace and love. We all obviously wanted to pray that she can be healed and healthy, but we felt and followed the prompting to fast for those things. Heavenly Father knew she needed that most at that time and she received that huge blessing.
   Here is a simplified version of everything up to this point:
        March 20th- She wasn't able to sleep because of intense pain in her breast so she went to an after hours clinic. They ran x-rays' and a mammogram and everything came back clear.
        March 26th- She went and had another mammogram and they suspected inflammatory breast cancer, they took a quick biopsy and had an ultrasound with Dr. Garvey.
        April 1st- biopsy results came back with a positive for inflammatory breast cancer.
                 2nd- consultation with Dr. Garvey to plan things going forward.
                 7th- Surgery to put the port in for chemo.
                 8th- met with the oncologist, Dr. Vincent Hansen, to plan and learn the schedule.
                 9th- met with the radiologist, Dr. Rodger Hansen, PET scan, and echocardiogram.
                 14th- results of PET scan, first chemo appointment.
                 15th- shot to build up white blood count.


   The PET scan results came back and we found that the cancer hasn't spread to any major organs and just to the lymph nodes that they already suspected. Yay!!! That was one bright spot in all of this. The oncologist is optimistic and feels that they caught it early enough. The bad thing is that this cancer is very aggressive so they need to be just as aggressive in the treatments. She has shared with us that she wouldn't be doing chemo if it weren't for her kids and grandkids. None of us want to see her go through this but we all still want and need her here with us! The love and care she gives to others is amazing and inspiring.
   The day of her first chemo appointment she was feeling really good and optimistic. Which was much better than the night before that she was seriously scared. She has felt so many prayers and knows that they have helped her feel that way. She was relieved to get started and ready for this new adventure. While she was there, she was keeping us updated and told us things were going good and that in a room full of cancer patients being treated, there was a "generally happy atmosphere". That really helped her a lot! She has had a great attitude so far and today she is still feeling well and "doing great"! Happy that the effects of chemo haven't hit her yet.
   Thank you all so much for your prayers and support! It means so much to her and all of us!


  If you haven't learned about what inflammatory breast cancer is yet, here is a link to the National Cancer Institute to tell you more. Inflammatory Breast Cancer.