One Year Ago.......

On January 27, 2009, I received my 2nd cancer diagnosis. I remember everything about that day. What a punch in the gut! We were definitely not ready to hear those words again. We were shocked. That wasn't the way things were supposed to happen. The breast cancer I had two years prior was the non-invasive kind. No lymph nodes were involved. I had the radical mastectomy to just make sure it was gone. I remember thinking, "How on earth did this happen?".

I was most worried about breaking the news to Rachel. She was at Hoover playing in her first 5th grade basketball game. Rob had to go to the game and act like everything was fine. He avoided eye contact with my dad because he didn't want to tell him the news. My mom and grandma stayed home with Kendal and me. What a terrible night!!!!

My first oncologist painted a grim picture for us. He said I could try chemotherapy, but with Stage IV Breast Cancer in the Liver, it was very advanced and aggressive. He predicted that I could be dead in 3 months.

We wouldn't accept that. Dr. Williams suggested another oncologist that he thought we would like, Dr. Gupta. He gave us hope. I'll never forget his words, "Your cancer is not curable, but it is treatable." He confirmed that the cancer was advanced and aggressive, but he said we would treat it aggressively. He also stressed quality of life. He wanted me to be able to be a mom to my girls. That was so important to us.

With a lot of hope, faith, and prayers, I am still around. My tumors continue to shrink. I have not had chemo since the first week of July. My liver function is normal. Overall, I feel really good.

Please continue praying for us as we are on this journey. Thank you so much for praying for us and keeping us in your thoughts. I think it is fitting to end the post with this: Nothing ahead of you is bigger or stronger than the power of God behind you.

Great News!

I just returned from my appointment with Dr. Gupta. My tumor markers were down to 157 compared to 185 in November. What a relief!!! It feels so good to know that my tumors continue to shrink. My last chemo treatment was in July, so my body is getting a really nice break.

My bone density scan showed that I have experienced some bone loss, so I am starting on Boniva for that and also increasing my dosage of Calcium and Vitamin D. I will continue taking Femara on a daily basis. I don't have to see Dr. Gupta again until March 17th.

I bet we all sleep better tonight. Thank you so much for all of your prayers. Lets keep praying for a miracle!

Tumor Marker Test

I just wanted to remind everyone that I get the results of my tumor marker test tomorrow. The CAT scan that I had done the week of Christmas showed that the tumors were getting smaller and had not spread to other areas. We are praying that the blood test will show that my tumors are still shrinking (or at least not growing at this point).

I did not feel well last week; I did not have a single ounce of energy. Of course, our minds started wandering.... what if the cancer is growing again, what if the calcium levels have spiked, etc. Thankfully, I started feeling better yesterday. I'm still tired, but do feel better than I did last week.

My doctor's appointment is at 3:00 tomorrow. Please pray for continued good news and the strength to deal with whatever comes our way.

Happy & Hopeful New Year!

I've had several people tell me they have checked my blog and noticed I hadn't posted anything recently. I thought I better give a brief update. We had a wonderful Christmas Break!! We were able to spend a lot of quality time with family and friends. That is really all we wanted to do; none of us wanted it to end. We love just hanging out together.

After you have been faced with a life-threatening illness, you really learn to appreciate what you have. Things do not matter, but people do. We would not have been able to make it through last year without the love and support from our family and friends.

I have been feeling really good. I will get my tumor marker test on January 18th. I have an appointment with Dr. Gupta on Wednesday, January 20th.

We are still praying for a miracle. My hope is to be healthy. I want to be able to celebrate Christmas with my family again. I don't want to miss out on anything!

Please continue to pray for us. We want a happy and healthy 2010!!!

CAT Scan Results

Just received great news regarding Teresa's CAT Scan on her chest, abdomen, and pelvic areas that was done yesterday. The report said that the lesions on the liver continue to shrink and nothing new showed up. This is in relation to her last scan in August. Dr. Gupta thought this is what the scan would show since the tumor markers had been decreasing but we wanted to know for sure. It will help us sleep better at night.

In regards to Bob, Teresa's dad. He got his Bone Scan results back today. A light spot showed up on his chest bone. He will now get an MRI in order to show exactly what is going on in that area. They are still planning to remove prostate in late January.

Thank you all for your thoughtful prayers. Please continue to keep us in your prayers as we battle the obstacles that have been placed in front of us. We hope that everyone has a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Make sure to time to enjoy your friends and family.

Dad's report

I know a lot of you that follow my blog know my parents, so I thought I'd post an update about his recent diagnosis of prostate cancer. My dad went to the doctor today to go over the biopsy report and next steps. He will get a bone scan by the end of the week. He will get surgery to remove his prostate at the end of January. They have confidence in his doctor and surgeon, so that is comforting. I think we are all just relieved to have a basic game plan. Hopefully, the bone scan will turn out okay and they can move ahead with the plan as scheduled. They will meet with his doctor next week to go over the results from the scan. I will keep everyone updated on his condition. Please continue to pray for our family as we deal with his cancer.

Another Bump in the Road

I wanted to let everyone know that my dad, Bob Denhart, was diagnosed with prostate cancer yesterday. He will meet with his doctor on Tuesday to get more details, treatment options, etc. Please pray for my family as we deal with this new bump in the road.