After a routine mammogram in 2022 I was diagnosed with Ductal Carcinoma In Situ. After many doctor appointments, I decided to get a double mastectomy so that I wouldn't have to worry about the cancer coming back. Well, somehow I got breast cancer again which is hard to believe because I do not have any breast tissue, but it is my reality. A few months ago one of my mastectomy scars started looking weird. Then in November it opened up and continued to grow and would not close. After a biopsy, they verified that it is Stage 3 Invasive Ductal Carcinoma and has spread to a few lymph nodes. While this was devastating and shocking to hear, I have a great team of doctors who assure me that this is very treatable. Unfortunately, the treatment is going to suck and will take about a year or so to complete. I will be starting chemotherapy on February 12th along with HER2 therapy. After 6 rounds of chemo, I will have surgery to remove any cancerous tissue that they can take out and then I will be having radiation therapy. On top of all of that I will also be going to hormone therapy to push me through menopause because my cancer apparently feeds off hormones. Everyone is asking me how they can help so I am setting up this page to offer ways to help if you feel so inclined. I have included a list below and my Venmo and Amazon wishlist are linked on the right side of this page.
The following is a list of items that would help me during my recovery. You can also donate directly to my Venmo or get something off my Amazon wishlist which are both linked to this page. 1. Donations - I will be using these donations for a variety of things. Some examples are: medical costs, food that sounds good, gas money, hospital parking fees, comfortable clothing, wigs (yes I will lose my hair) and lost wages. I am going to run out of PTO and will get help from the state with some leave but they only pay 2/3 or so of my wages. 2. Massage gift cards - there are many side effects to chemotherapy and I was told by my oncologist that massage can be a helpful tool to combat this. This is the link to the person I found who feels comfortable working with cancer patients. https://www.staceylschultz.com/massage-therapy-gift-certificates 3. Puzzles - I LOVE puzzles. I got a new puzzle table and it is 40x28 inches so it just needs to smaller than that. I typically like more landscape type puzzles that have irregular pieces but am open. 4. Plants - I will be doing a lot my recovery in my basement TV room. While it is very cozy already, I would love some more plants. They plants have to be able to only get indirect sunlight and it can be pretty chilly (60ish degrees) so they have to be able to survive these conditions.