Hi! My name is Jenn & I am a stage 4 metastatic breast cancer patient. My diagnosis is considered terminal. I was diagnosed with stage 2b in the Summer of 2014, at the age of 35. After almost a year of chemotherapy, radical mastectomy & reconstruction, I was declared “cancer free” & was started on Tamoxifen with the hopes that it would prevent the cancer from returning. Sadly, I only made it 2 1/2 years before the cancer returned. I found out on June 21, 2017 when my hip fractured & I wound up in the ER. I was now stage 4 & my whole world was turned upside down. This cancer will kill me. I was devastated. I was not yet 38 years old & my life was ending. I was told by my oncologist that I had 3-5 years to live. The fear that brought… I still can’t describe the feeling, as I still experience it to this day when things go wrong & I’m scared. Anyway, I was put on Ibrance, Xgeva & an injection to put me into menopause & tried to keep moving. Just 2 years later, a CT showed something suspicious on my ovaries. This led to a radical hysterectomy @ 40 years old. When I woke from the surgery, I was told I was lucky. The surgeon had found cancer in my ovaries but also cancer cells in my uterus that were a very aggressive type & extremely difficult to treat. They were able to remove it all with a total hysterectomy. At this point, I could no longer work. I loved my job but there was too much going on with me medically & my brain just couldn’t handle it anymore. About a year after this, I was also found to have thyroid cancer & had to have half of my thyroid removed.
So- fast forward to year 5. I had made it! I lived through the 3-5 years I was given! I was amazed I had made it to that point on the same treatment plan & I was feeling pretty good. My 1st scans after that 5 year mark started what has been the worst year of my life & something I am still dealing with. The bone scan showed massive progression throughout my skeleton. Just 3 months prior, I had 2 little tumors that were stable. I had had no symptoms & was shocked & devastated once again. This was the beginning of the whirlwind of the past year…Failed treatments, constant Dr appointments, biopsies, scans, & ultimately more progression. At the start of 2023, physically & mentally I hit a new low. I had 2 broken ribs, a shoulder with a tumor so big it looked like a black ball where that bone had been. I had to have radiation on numerous occasions. I was in extreme pain & wound up with a radiation flare in the shoulder. I could barely move & have never felt pain like that before. Around this same time, my immune system decided it had had enough & totally crashed. My stomach became severely inflamed as well & I was hospitalized, again. We moved on to a new treatment- an oral chemo called Xeloda. I very recently found out that it did not touch the cancer. It has spread & grown even more. I was told that the tumors throughout my body were innumerable. Most concerning of all, I now have tumors growing on my skull. Oncologists are watching them very carefully as this could become a very deadly issue if they decide to grow down into brain tissue. I am devastated. My dr’s are looking into clinical trials in various research hospitals. There is one more treatment that is very iffy of any success & 2 chemotherapies left (both are extremely harsh). Time is beginning to run out for me.
I reached my 6 year “cancerversary” on 6/21/23. It was a hard day. I wasn’t supposed to be alive. There were also huge issues brewing at home. My “husband” has basically checked out. We have worked out an arrangement where we live in the same house, but separate parts. It’s a bi-level so it was easy to do. He’s downstairs, I’m upstairs & have the living space. We share the kitchen. He has said terrible things to me like I have “passed my expiration date” & is constantly making comments about what he will be doing when I’m gone. He has stopped helping me financially the way he used to. I have had to beg & fight for money that I need for necessary things. He has not once gone with me to a dr’s appt or scan. When I had to be rushed to HUP in excruciating pain, he called my best friend to come take me. My mom stayed with me to take care of me while he was in the same house. I’ve lost many friends because they could not handle it. The few that have stuck around, I am grateful for every single day. I also have a beautiful 22-year-old daughter that has struggled with my diagnosis. I blame myself because she has dealt with my cancer since she was 12 years old. The thought of leaving my only child in this crazy world brings me to tears daily.
Year 6 has started & I’m hoping I can celebrate making it to year 7. Please help me create lasting memories, that both myself & the friends/family I will soon leave behind, can cherish the rest of our days. Anything is greatly appreciated to help me catch & keep up with all my medical bills (& the regular ones).
Thank you for your time & support.