A Medical Update

Hi friends and family!  Since I've been very open with you over the past few weeks in sharing about my little medical situation and last week's surgery, I wanted to give you an update on my post surgery appointment yesterday and subsequent diagnosis.

During last week's surgery, additional tissue was excised and sent to pathology for analysis.  After several long days of waiting, we learned yesterday that I have been diagnosed with Ductal Carcinoma in Situ (DCIS), the most common form of non-invasive breast cancer.

I remember hearing about DCIS last year for the first time when the amazing Cheryl Crow received her diagnosis with this type of cancer.  The good news is that DCIS is highly treatable and has a nearly 100% survival rate.  Mine was caught very early, so that is indeed a blessing.

I will be going next week to meet with an oncologist and will likely be going through radiation, which is the most common form of treatment for this type of non-invasive breast cancer.  That will likely mean six weeks of five day per week radiation treatments, which shouldn't leave me feeling sick in any way.   Adam was happy that my hair won't be impacted - he doesn't want Mom stealing his hats!

I'll know more after my oncology appointment on Wednesday, but wanted to share this with you now since so many of you have been praying for me.  I want you to know that I'm confident that this will be fully treatable and am not feeling any pain (other than the normal post-surgical kind) or, more importantly, anxiety.  I'm surrounded by people who love and care for me so much and who've offered to help in every way imaginable.  I'm hoping that I'll feel so great during the treatment phase that I won't have to take anyone up on those offers, but it's good to know I have so much support and love!

I would ask you for two favors today:

1. Please keep all of our friends facing health and well-being difficulties during these unsettling times in your prayers.  Please especially pray for the families of our church friends Russell and Craig, who both died this past week.
2. Regardless of if you're a man or a woman, please take time today to schedule your annual (or for most of us "once per decade") physical.  Having lost our friend Craig to a sudden heart attack this week is a good reminder that we Catholic moms need our husbands to be taking care of themselves too.

I'm sharing all of this (and will likely continue to write about this phase of my journey) in the hopes that it will inspire all of us that we are temples of God's creation - as such precious treasures we need to do all we can to care for ourselves as much as we care for those around us.