Done with Chemo.... What's Next?
Hi Friends!
Sorry it's been so long since I have updated everyone. Some bigs things have happened since my last update. For starters, I finished chemo on July 2nd! I know that was so long ago at this point, but it honestly doesn't even seem real some days. I feel myself waiting for the other shoe to drop and for them to tell me that I have to go through more chemo. But for the time being, I am done with chemo! After my final chemo treatment, I got surprised by my family and boyfriend and was able to spend an amazing Fourth of July weekend celebrating our country and the end of my chemo infusions.
Although I am done with chemo, I do still have to go in every three weeks to receive my HER2 blockers infusion. My treatment plan is that I will have to complete a full year of receiving these infusions which means that I will have my port in until these treatments are over. I honestly forget about my port 95% of the time so that doesn't really bother me. As for the side effects of the HER2 blocker medicines, they should be pretty minimal if I even have any at all.
Another major update is that we finally got my genetic testing results in! Turns out that I am #veryrare and have a gene mutation within my DNA. Specifically, I have a CHEK2 gene mutation, which is associated with higher risks for breast cancer and colon cancer. The discovery of this gene mutation definitely brings me a little bit of peace since I can now point my finger at the likely cause of my cancer. Now that we finally have this information back, we were able to start making decisions when it comes to next steps.
So, here is what is up next in my treatment plan. I will be having surgery on August 12th. With the information I received regarding the gene mutation I have, I made the decision to have a bilateral mastectomy. The way I see it is that my boobs decided to go rogue and not be a part of the team anymore so they've got to go. They definitely can't be trusted! LOL. In all seriousness, it is a very heavy decision to have to make and I'm not sure if I have fully grasped the gravity of it all, but at the end of the day I just want to move past the cancer portion of my life and never have to deal with this s*** again. And if cutting off both my boobs means there is a slightly less chance of this reoccurring then lets get to it. It's just cosmetic right?
While the August 12th surgery is major because of the removal of both my breasts, but there is a second part to the surgery which is breast reconstruction. So it will essentially be two surgeries at the same time. Once my oncology surgeon removes my breasts, the plastic surgeon will step in and place tissue expanders in preparation for implants down the road. The full breast reconstruction process won't really take place until late Spring or early Summer of 2022. Until that time I will have the tissue expanders in place. Long road ahead, but I am excited to keep moving forward.
I want to thank everyone who reaches out or who have me in their prayers. It means a lot to me and I know there are a ton of you out there who are always rooting me on and wishing me well. I am admittedly not the best at responding to comments or messages and I am certainly not the best at keeping everyone updated on social media, but know that I am seeing all the love. My focus right now is healing both mentally and physically before my surgery this month.
I also have to give Cameron the biggest shoutout. He took me on a last minute trip to Seattle (I am literally typing this on a plane back to KC) and it was the first time since my diagnosis where I actually didn't feel like I had cancer and for the most part I didn't even think about the fact that I had cancer. It was the perfect trip to blow off some steam and just relax together without the stresses of my cancer we usually have to deal with every day. I couldn't have asked for a better partner to be by my side throughout this journey.
Lastly, I wanted to say thank you to everyone who has donated to my gofundme. The money that has been donated has significantly eased some of the financial strain that my diagnosis has lead to. With that being said, donations still make a huge difference and help me out more than you could imagine. As you can probably guess, cancer treatment is not the most affordable thing in the world. I know a lot of friends and family and even strangers have already donated and for that I am SO grateful. If you want to support my journey you can do so by donating to my GoFundMe or by sharing my story to help raise additional donations and spread awareness of the risk of breast cancer in young adults - https://gofund.me/615fa3c1. I certainly don't expect donations from anyone, but any and all support is appreciated.
I think that's all I've got for now. I love you all and I am looking forward to continuing this fight against chad!
Fiercely,
Jesse