Gratitude & Change

This fall has been busy and not in great ways. Most of you know my dad died on October 31st. 

We miss him; I miss him. 

But one thing he was adamant about was gratitude for what we have. I have wonderful memories with him, of him, and a wonderful family still here. We especially missed him at my cousin Jonathan's wedding, and it was still a joyful time. Holding grief in one hand and joy in another or one moment to the next is not something entirely new, but I am feeling it more. 

A quick trip to the river walk in San Antonio to see the lights!

 

I am so grateful that I get to spend the holidays with family, including Will's mom who is coming in today!

I am thankful for my time at SABCS and then at Baylor - all this amazing research gives me hope. Plus seeing people I collaborate and am friends with was the best!

But also, my stupid cancer decided to rear its ugly head. My September CT scan showed a small liver lesion and the return of my right pleural effusion (but gratefully small and causing very few symptoms). Oncologists recommended a short interval scan, which showed growth of the lesion in November, but no biopsy was possible due to its location. Fast forward to an MRI this past Monday, and, as I said to the nurse navigator when she called, merry christmas to me, there are now two lesions. On the plus side, the new one is in a location amenable to biopsy. So, I have a liver biopsy set up for December 28th (happy early birthday to me?). Hopefully we can get some more information on any changes (mutations and/or receptor status) and make treatment decisions from there. 

I am also looking at clinical trials. Often people think of them as last ditch efforts, but they are most assuredly not. There are trials out there for almost everyone, and from an MBC standpoint at many steps along the way. Yay, science! 

Will update this as we go along but wanted to let you all know what is going on with me cancer wise. I appreciate all your support and love! 

Wishing you all happy holidays- may they bring you joy and light ♡