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  • At age 33, Andrea Torres deals with Breast Cancer

    Andrea Torres

    Who is Andrea Torres:

    Andrea Torres writes for the Miami Herald. I was talking with my best friend when she told me about Andrea, she is an old friend of her husbands and Andrea just found out that she has breast cancer. I tried to process this thought, and although I don’t know Andrea personally her story touched me. Cancer makes you think, it makes you wonder things you didn’t wonder about before. As I read stories on line and get to know people online, I see Cancer everywhere. It’s sad and it’s confusing to most. We wonder why such a horrible disease can reach such good people. I read Andrea’s story and I wanted to know more, I told my friend that I felt her story was incomplete, I felt like I wanted to get to know her better so I thought I would share her story with you.

    At age 33, I’m dealing with breast cancer:

    By Andrea Torres
    atorres@miamiherald.com

    The nightmare began when I found a lump in my left breast. I first felt it when I turned in bed. I woke up the next morning and rode four miles on my bicycle. I was in good health, and was convinced it would go away after my period.

    It didn’t.

    “It’s a thick fibrous mass with a cottage cheese texture. It seems to be expanding,” I said to an ultrasound technician at the Diagnosis Center for Women in South Miami. I was there for my first mammogram.

    The technician moved a roller connected to a sonogram back and forth over my breast. She was staring at black-and-gray deformed spheres on a screen. Her silence was painful.

    “I am so sorry. I will be right back,” she said.

    I thought about death. My maternal grandparents had just died at the end of last year. My poor mom, I thought: How was I going to tell her?

    The technician returned to the room with the center’s director of breast imaging, Dr. Carrie Horst. They both stared at the screen. This time, Horst was holding the roller.

    “I am not going to sugarcoat this. I think this is breast cancer,” Horst said. “We need to schedule a biopsy.”

    The ultrasound technician tried to comfort me when Horst left the room. “These are the days when I hate my job,” she said, while she hugged me goodbye. I didn’t tell my mom I knew it was cancer. I told her it was a possibility. She still cried.

    Horst called me a few days later after the biopsy confirmed her suspicion. I learned that at 33, I was not too young for breast cancer.

    Horst sent me to Mercy Hospital to meet Dr. Tihesha Wilson, a surgical oncologist. She explained that the pathology report revealed I had infiltrating ductal carcinoma. There were two tumors and “several smaller masses present in a satellite configuration” — about 3.5 inches in total.

    “It’s going to be a tough year,” Wilson said. “You have to stay positive, and know that you are going to survive this. Many women have.”

    She explained the course of treatment. It would feel like torture in a remote prison. She handed me a tissue box. I didn’t cry. I was numb. She gave me a hug.

    After a PET-CT scan and an MRI, I visited Baptist Hospital’s Dr. Robert DerHagopian for a second opinion. He said a lymph node, which tested positive for metastatic carcinoma, would place my case at a stage 3a. The highest stage (4) compromises other organs.

    “You’re going to be OK,’’ he said, as he hugged me goodbye.

    I knew what cancer patients looked like. My long black hair was going to fall out, so I decided to get it cut. It was nearly down to my waist. It was the prettiest it had ever been — thick, beautiful and shiny. The thought that it would make a good wig for a little girl or a teen after I donated it to Locks of Love gave me strength, even though I knew that the organization sells some of the donated hair to cover costs.

    A friend cut off my ponytail, before Carolyn Duffy, of Nue Studios in Wynwood, sculpted a cut that made me feel like I had been made for short hair.

    “I can’t hide behind my hair anymore,” I said, as I left the hair salon looking like Tinkerbell.

    “There is no reason for you to hide,” said Duffy, who gave me a hug.

    It wasn’t until I was seated in the passenger seat of my brother’s car at a South Beach stoplight that reality hit. It had usually been shoes that caught my eye, but now I was staring at an aqua-and-black fedora. The woman wearing it waved and smiled. I didn’t want to be rude, so I waved back thinking she had mistaken me for somebody else.

    What followed was painful. I heard her say, as she crossed the dark street, “I thought it was a guy.” Her friends laughed at her.

    No one had ever questioned my femininity. Women had stared at me, because they liked my shoes, or my clothes caught their attention. Never because they thought I was a man. I got out of the car and speed-walked toward the beach.

    I crossed streets recklessly, tears rolling down my face. On Collins Avenue, I stopped a woman with a shaved head. I explained my situation and asked her about hers.

    “I shave it for fun. It’s my look,” said Muriel Amisodar, 40, who hails from Canada. “Without hair, my face is always glowing.”

    She exuded confidence.

    “You be proud of your beauty when the hair falls,” Amisodar said, before hugging me goodbye.

    I promised I would try.

    Read more: MiamiHerald.com

    My Thoughts:

    A person who can write about her disease is a strong person, I have faith that Andrea will get through this. In life we sometimes don’t understand why things happen to us, we can only surpass it and keep living and moving forward.

    My prayers are with you Andrea, stay strong and keep writing.

    xo,
    kristin nicole

    You can see Andrea’s story HERE

  • Screw You Cancer! – A story about a little girl

    SCREW YOU CANCER!

    Do you remember Madison Schafer I wrote about her and I still keep up with her progress with Cancer. Madison is only 2 years old and is still fighting Cancer each and every day.

    A new Story:

    I follow Madison’s recovery and with that I found Sierra’s story. A story that has been told by her parents. A story that many of us don’t want to see or hear but a story I believe that many need to know. Cancer is a word we don’t like to hear a word we think will never happen, but when you least expect it, there it is, facing you with the most difficult battles you will ever have to endure.

    Read Sierra’s story and help those other children in the world find a cure:

    SCREW YOU CANCER
    Written by: Gen Chamblee

    I used to see St. Jude’s commercials on TV and thought “I can’t imagine what those parents are going through.” All the kids had the same look to them. They were bald and had something in their eyes that said, “help me.” I never dreamed that my child would end up looking like one of those kids. I am guilty of being one of those people who says, “cancer won’t touch us, it won’t happen to my child.”

    The cemetery where my husband’s father is buried has a section called “The Garden of Angels” and when ever we went to visit his father, I never wanted to drive past that area because of how sad it made me feel that all of those children were gone. Again, I couldn’t imagine. Now my precious daughter is buried there.

    How surreal it is. It’s mind boggling how life happens.

    I still can not believe Sierra is gone. Some days I wake up and expect to hear her sweet, little voice in her bedroom. But then reality hits me that I will never see her face again. Never hear her voice, never see her smile, never give her kisses again. Cancer ripped her away from me. At night all I can do is lay there and replay the moment she passed over and over in my head. It’s in every way possible, complete torture.

    Every time I walk by her empty room, it feels like someone is stabbing me in the heart. I read about her and choke up. It is truly the worst thing that anyone can go through. She will forever be 2 1/2 yrs old. Her pictures on the wall will never change, and all I have are the memories in my mind.

    So many have asked me how I can start up a foundation so soon after Sierra passed? How could I go through pictures of her and sit down to write out her story? That I must be so strong to be able to do such a thing. You want to know how I did it? I’m not strong, I’m angry. Furious. I have never been so mad in my life at anything as I am at cancer. It messed with the wrong family this time.

    I want the world to know who my beautiful Sierra was. I don’t want another parent to feel the pain I feel. The agonizing, ruthless pain of losing a child.

    I have become a different person since January of 2010. I was introduced to the world of childhood cancer in the worst possible way. And now it’s my turn to do as much as possible to open the eyes of everyone who thinks it can’t happen to their child. Because guess what? IT CAN.

    Pumping pure poison into children’s’ growing bodies is appalling. But you know what? It’s one of the only choices you have when the Dr. says, “your child has cancer.”

    It’s so hard to fathom that only 3% of Federal cancer research money goes to childhood cancer. Neuroblastoma gets even less than that. Every single day 46 kids are diagnosed with cancer and 7 of them die each day. Neuroblastoma kills 1 child every 16 hours. And all we can get is 3%? Are you freakin’ kidding me?

    Why are people so hesitant to give? I donated to St Jude’s numerous times before Sierra was ever diagnosed.

    Cancer has no rhyme or reason. It doesn’t discriminate. Not one single person in this world is safe from it. It destroys everything good in this world, and it doesn’t care how old you are or how much money you have.

    I get so angry when I think about it. People don’t realize how prevalent cancer is among children. It’s a world that people don’t want to think about. But it’s time everyone wakes the hell up and opens their eyes. Kids do get cancer and kids do die from it.

    No one knows what Sierra went through on a daily basis.

    Imagine a little girl no heavier than 20 lbs, on a ventilator for 3 ½ months, receiving enough sedation to kill an adult, blood transfusions two times a day, endless x-rays, scans, and IV pokes. Close your eyes and imagine huge amounts of poison being pumped through her veins, and adult poison at that. We have children’s Tylenol and children’s Benedryl, but after all these years, there is no such thing as a children’s chemo drug. Then she went through 9 ½ hours of surgery to extract this horrible thing. She battled pneumonia, and terrifying blood infections. And let’s also mention that she coded on two different occasions. To think though, Sierra never made it to stem cell transplant or radiation. There were SIX pages of side effects for ONE chemo drug.

    These kids fight for their lives, and then have to worry that the cancer doesn’t relapse. If it doesn’t – they truly survived. But, it’s not over. Now every day for the rest of their lives, they have to counter act all of the side effects from treatment. And then on top of that, they still have to worry about secondary cancer. But you want to know what was truly amazing about Sierra and all of these children? They smile every step of the way.

    Childhood cancer is real people. You don’t want to have to learn about it the hard way like I did. You don’t want wait & be holding your child in your arms as they draw their last breath to wake up and fight back.

    It’s totally unacceptable.

    My child was not one of the lucky ones. And unfortunately, many of them aren’t.

    But are you ready to open your eyes? Are you ready to join me and say, “SCREW YOU CANCER?”

    You can see Sierra’s story Here and you can also visit her website Sierrayn.org to donate for a Cure for Cancer.

    You can also Donate to the following Organizations:

    Children’s Cancer

    St. Jude – Cancer

    Children’s Cancer Association

    These are just a few, help find a cure for these children. This story touched my heart, and although I normally try to donate once a year, it made me donate right then and there to St. Judes on the spot. A little goes a long way.

    My prayers go out to Sierra’s family and friends and to all those families who have to suffer every day through cancer. God bless

    xo,
    kristin nicole

    Please send this message out to others. It is so important for our world to be educated and help such a deathly disease. You don’t have to donate only to help, you can help in many other ways. Spreading the word is a start….

  • 31 Years old and Finding you have Cancer…

    I was on Facebook following Dolphin Player Sean Smith when I read I saw a link that he placed on his wall of a friend, 31 Year old Maurya.

    This is her story:

    magine finding out at 31 that you have a rare brain tumor

    In May 2010, after Maurya insisted on a CT Scan for another medical condition, to everyone’s surprise including the doctors, the scan showed a mass. Since then, a couple of MRI’s have been done to better understand what type of mass we are talking about. She’s seen a couple of Neurosurgeon’s and the cyst (tumor) is located behind the left eye positioned near the carotid artery, numerous nerves and not to mention pressing on the brain membrane, which causes a great deal of pain and is being managed by medication.

    Currently she is only 1 of a handful of reported cases with this type of cyst in the brain but the only documented case with the positioning/placement of this type of cyst. The surgeons are confident it is not cancerous but are unable to do a biopsy. Due to the location of the cyst, the biopsy procedure is the same as the surgical removal procedure so they are unable to confirm that until they remove the mass.

    There are many risks with any surgery and in Maurya’s case it could be as minimal as facial numbness, double vision or as severe as facial paralysis or disfigurement, lose of eye muscle control, possible blindness and other possible paralyses or loss of motor function.

    The upside right now is that Maurya is young, healthy and active but as you can imagine scared (as her loved ones are also).

    In June 2010, Maurya met with one of the Neurosurgeon’s, who left her honestly frightened by the predicted outcome and the surgery itself (disfigurement, paralysis, blindness etc.) Their approach was to wait and see on her other medical condition but this was why this mass was not detected sooner; Had this cyst been found 3 years ago when the other medical condition presented itself, who is to say the prognosis would be the same.

    When asking various physicians and other industry related colleagues across the nation, there was only one surgeon’s name continually recommended for this rare case, Dr. Mitchel Berger at UC San Francisco. UC San Francisco’s Neurosurgery department is ranked #3 in the nation. When Maurya met with Dr. Berger in October he took time to review and discuss her case with her. He discussed in detail the removal procedure (which was nowhere near what was described by the Neurosurgeon she saw in June), what areas are or are not affected by the tumor and the prognosis (3% – 7% probability of facial numbness & short term double vision). This, of course, is the best case scenario which Maurya is hopeful for.

    Most people can relate to the emotional trauma for someone so young trying to make sense of the information given during the initial neurosurgery consult and the lack of data/research available for this rare cyst (tumor). After meeting with the various surgeons and taking all of the above into consideration, weighing the options provided, understanding that with any surgery there are risks (even loss of life), Maurya and her family/loved ones feel her only decision should be to go with Dr. Berger at UC San Francisco.

    With this decision comes a huge financial cost. The surgery at UC San Francisco is the best option but will not be covered so Maurya has been in search of a new insurance plan. The struggle is that this is now a pre-existing condition and could be denied but Maurya stays hopeful that she will find a plan to cover the $500K+ surgery, understanding it comes with a high deductible. For now, Maurya is paying for her visits on her own. If the pain can continue to be managed with medication and no additional symptoms arise she is looking at surgery in late February 2011.

    You can read more and where to donate on the link below.

    (Story linked HERE).

    Stories like this happen every day, we just don’t always here about it. It is sad to hear someone with such a rare cancer, someone who can’t afford it due to insurance yet, who can put a price on LIFE? I wrote about Madison a baby girl with a rare cancer tumor, and she has overcome the odds and is beating it, I believe in Miracles, I believe in Fate, and Hope, and with a little encouragement from others, anything can happen.

    xo,
    kristin nicole

  • Follow up on Madison Schafer (Brain Tumor)

    Follow up 11/12/10:

    Today we rejoice, if you are the family of Madison Schafer, if you are a friend, or even if you are a stranger who came to know her story, yesterday the Schafer family found out that the Cancer has finally left Madison’s body. With a few months of not knowing what will happen the family can finally rest in peace knowing that Madison will survive. Miracles do happen, they happen everyday, we just have to have a little faith, a little positiveness in our lives, a little prayer and Miracles do happen. The survival rate for CNS tumors is around 60%, Madison beat those odds and we are so grateful and happy for Madison and her family. Today the Schafer family celebrates that Madison is now Cancer Free! It will still be a year of chemo and radiation, to be sure all or any lingering cancerous cells are wiped out, but the 9% brain tumor IS GONE… and the year 2016 is still the date.. because they say she has to be 5 years after her last chemo without any signs of cancer to be claimed “cancer free”…
    (Schafer). You will pull through Madison you are a strong, beautiful little girl. We will keep you in our thoughts and in our prayers.

    xo
    kristin nicole

    GOD BLESS

    Following up 10/19/10:

    Madison has had a very long day and has been so good. She had 2 of the chemo’s injected into her spine and a spinal tap this morning and is now having 2 of the chemo’s through her port, one of which will be 72 hours long. The Doctor has lessened the strength of the chemo by 45% so her body will be able to handle the dosage better. Her white blood count has dropped rapidly as she started out the day at a count of 12 and is now down to 2.2. Pray for her body to be able to fight any infections.

    Due to the nature of her immune system, Chris and Susie ask that she receive no visitors in the hospital at this time. Hopefully, by the end of this week, she will be back home building back her strength and recuperating.

    Madison did continue to eat solid foods while she was having chemo, which is an excellent sign. And she made her daddy’s day when she ate one of his birthday cupcakes!!! So far, she seems to be handling the chemotherapy, but she still has 3 more days to go.

    PRAY! MAD LOVE! ~Written By: Madisonsstory.com~

    Madison’s Story-

    Update: 09/22/10 – Written By: Diane Schafer:

    “Celebration time.. come on!” Yes, Madison is home and we are so so very happy to have her home with her family. And we can tell, just by her face and body language that she is so happy too!!! What a difference it makes to be in her familiar surroundings and see her bah-bah Colin and mommy and daddy and Nona and Angel and Grammy all together. Popop had to deliver their dog, Charlie to our dear friends house who will take care of their dog until Maddie is better, so Popop will get to see Maddie at home soon.

    Madison came home to balloons and roses and a HUGE “Welcome Home Madison” sign on the front lawn which was printed by Vivian and her husband… what a special surprise for us all. I think I have heard Susie and Chris repeatedly say “It is so good to be home” … probably at least 20 times so far. Everyone will sleep good tonight. Nothing like a fresh shower at your own home. Madison had a nice warm bubble bath when she got home and everyone took a turn holding her. She hasn’t fallen asleep yet, because I don’t think she wants to miss a thing. Her Aunt (Titi) Claudia arrives tonight, so she will have plenty to keep her busy.

    She gets one whole day off from treatments and chemo. Friday she will be back to the hospital for a spinal injection of chemo and some other tests, so it might be another long day as an out patient. Physical and speech therapy will begin and daily shots at home will start and then a regular routine of out-patient chemo therapy. It is still a long road.. but it will be a ROAD TO RECOVERY. We have faith that God has a plan and Madison will be healed. The power of prayer is awesome and we can’t thank you enough for continuing to keep Madison in your prayers, as we know this is only the beginning of Madison’s Miracles.

    All our love, the Schafers and Navas.

    My thoughts:

    I am so happy that Madison is finally home with her loving family. This family is extremely strong and I think they will pull through this just fine. My prayers will continue for Madison and her family & I hope that you will do the same.

    Remember you can help donate to help pay the medical bills or help send gift cards for food etc. to Madison Scahfer.

    xo,
    kristin nicole

    Below were earlier updates and what is going on with Madison

    Update: 09/21/10 – This is the condition that Madison has:


    General Information About Atypical Teratoid/Rhabdoid Tumor

    Central nervous system atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumor is a disease in which malignant (cancer) cells form in the tissues of the brain.

    Central nervous system (CNS) atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumor (AT/RT) is a very rare, fast-growing tumor of the brain and spinal cord. It usually occurs in children younger than three years of age, although it can occur in older children and adults.

    About half of these tumors form in the cerebellum or brain stem. The cerebellum is the part of the brain that controls movement, balance, and posture. The brain stem controls breathing, heart rate, and the nerves and muscles used in seeing, hearing, walking, talking, and eating. AT/RT may also be found in other parts of the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord).


    Update: September 18th – DAY ONE CHEMO:     Written by Diane Schafer

    Today has been a long and difficult day for Maddie. She had about 4 procedures done this morning, including cat scan, all kinds of base line tests, blood, eyes, hearing, vital signs etc. Then she had a spinal tap and then 30 minutes of chemo. She was brought back up to the room and actually looked great. She was wide awake and smiling and responding. But then after awhile she threw up twice, but then she was ok. She hasn’t napped but looked pretty tired… duh… who wouldn’t be. Now she is getting a ultra sound on both legs because the morning cat scan showed a spot on one leg, which might be a clot. She is such a trooper and only cries when a nurse comes in the room to do more tests… she is smart too, cause she knows they are up to something. They are going to do 8 hours of chemo next and then tomorrow they will do 24 hours of chemo, then a day of rest (ummmm it’s about time) and then 72 hours of chemo. The adage,” life is not fair” comes to mind when I see all that little Maddie is going through… no parent should have to watch their little child suffer. But I know there is hope in her future and many more daily victories in store for the Schafers. I am so appreciative of the many messages I am receiving from other parents who had a child with cancer and are now celebrating 5 years of cancer free life. I even heard from a mom whose child had the exact same rare cancer as Madison and had the proton treatment and had such encouraging words of hope as her child has fought and won the battle and is cancer free. Please continue to spread the word of Madison’s Story, and in 2016 we will pop the champagne cork and throw a huge party… because that is when the Doctor said Madison will be cancer free!

    (The story)
    Madison’s Grandmother Diane, sent me a beautiful thank you note on Face-Book for posting about Madison on my website.

    Her strength that she portrays in her writing is remarkable. It amazes me how people can be so strong and have such faith in God to pull us through, it is not only an inspiration but an eye opener to people who think their world is falling apart around them. In times of hardship we sometimes close ourselves off and we forget that there are people out there that care, there are people out there with compassion and understanding. Today I wanted to post the update on Madison that her grandmother Diane posted from her facebook.

    UPDATE on Madison:

    As most of you know either from us directly or through facebook, our grand-daughter, Madison, 20 months old, was diagnosed with a cancerous brain tumor. She is the daughter of our son, Chris and wife Susie and has a 5 yr. old brother Colin. One of the questions we are asked most often, is how or why did we know to check for a tumor? Or what were the signs?

    Briefly, Madison was just fine until about a week ago when she started showing signs of a cold, cranky, slept a lot and cried a lot, which definitely was not her personality. Susie had taken her to the pediatrician and he said it was a small ear infection and 4 new teeth were coming in…. take antibiotics and it will be fine. But after a few days it was getting worse, so they took her to an Urgent Care emergency and they said the same thing. Thursday morning, Ethel (Susie’s mom) had Madison and she looked worse and lethargic and her eyes were “rolling around” in their sockets, and she looked dazed. Ethel said this isn’t right and took her to Baptist Hospital ER. Fortunately the ER doctor saw the signs of the eyes rolling around and said she should have a CAT scan and that is when the very large tumor was seen in her brain. Almost 2 1/2 inches in her tiny little brain. Everything from that point on was fast and she was rushed to an MRI for a 3-D image of the tumor and by 10:00pm that same night she was undergoing 7 hours of brain surgery. They were able to remove 90% of the tumor, but the final 10% could not be removed and is cancerous. Tomorrow, Wednesday, they hope to get back the results as to what kind of cancer it is and how aggressive, so they will know what type of chemo treatment she needs. Tomorrow they will do a 3rd MRI to be sure there is no other cancer in her spine or other parts of her body, and they will also do surgery to implant a port for the chemo.

    Needless to say, our world has been turned upside down, but by the Grace of God, she has shown remarkable progress in her recovery. We truly believe God has been with us every step of the way, as there have been so many “Godinstances” of things just falling into place to make things happen; like the ER Doctor being on that shift when he wasn’t suppose to be there because his daughter had died of a tumor one week earlier and knew to request a CAT scan because of what had just happened to his daughter, and the newly hired neuro-surgeon who had already done 3 brain surgeries that day and was suppose to go home, but was still there for Madison at 10:00pm. There are so many more stories, but God knows each and everyone of them and we just praise him.

    FINALLY, I would like everyone to share this link with everyone else they know and spread the word. Madison’s pre-school, “Kids for Kids Academy”, has set up a link on their website for support and updates about Madison. Please click the following link and leave a comment for Chris and Susie.

    (Story above written by: Diane Schafer)

    You can help donate HERE.

    My thoughts:

    When I read about Madison all the small problems like worrying about school, or a little neck ache don’t compare, it reminds me to stop complaining and to just deal with life, because there are worse things that can happen. Like poor Madison who is only 20 months old, diagnosed with a brain tumor that is cancerous. There are always worse things out there, we just have to remember to take the bad with the good, have faith, remember that god is there for us and that he will pull us through. I truly believe everything happens for a reason, I don’t think that a child or family should have to suffer this way, and I don’t know why the reasons are what they are, but you have to be grateful for the small things, like Diane said the ER doctor wasn’t even supposed to be there because his own daughter just passed away from a brain tumor a week prior, yet he was there, and he noticed the signs that his daughter had, and if it hadn’t been for him, maybe another doctor would have diagnosed Madison with the same thing the other two doctors had diagnosed her with (teething and an ear infection). If he didn’t order that CAT scan… (well we don’t even want to go there), and the Surgeon who was already there, ready to go home after 3 surgeries, how he pulled through and continue to do what he does (save lives). These are the kind of the doctors we have to be thankful for, thankful to god for putting them in our world to make it better. God bless you Madison and my prayers are with you and your family.

    xo,
    kristin nicole

    Update: 09/17/10 – Madison’s Grandmother wrote on her Face-book wall: I’m aware now!!! Madison was diagnosed with a very rare cancer that affects only 1% of cancer patients, called AT/RT. she begins Chemo tomorrow. (Written 09/16/10)

    More Updates as I hear or see them …. God bless