I was 30 years old when I was diagnosed with Stage 2 cancer, did everything I could to irradicate the cancer from my body and at one point was deemed cancer free. At 39 years old, cancer came back, this time stage 4, breast cancer had shown up in the lining on my left lung. At 43 years old the cancer had grown in my left lung some more and 3 months later the cancer entered my right lung as well. I also had pleural effusion in the right lung. My medical team suggested a clinical trial made by Pfizer for me. I have all the markers that make me a good candidate for this trial. So, 9 weeks ago I entered the Pfizer clinical trial and had my first scan last week. The results of my scan show that the tumor in my right lung and the pleural effusion are GONE, GONE after 8 weeks of the clinical trial! I still have the old cancer in my left lung, however knowing even some of it is gone is amazing! The plan is to continue the clinical trial and be scanned again in 8 weeks. That will be the plan for as long as this new chemotherapy works. No one knows how long this ride will last however we will enjoy every minute of it! Life is too short for anyone not to enjoy every minute.
I have so much Thanksgiving and Gratitude to God, Science and Oncology Research. Without all of them I wouldn't be where I am today. If you're looking to make a donation to a cancer organization, please donate to Hope Scarves. Founded by my friend and Whitehall native Lara. Hope Scarves Hope Scarves | Scarves, stories & research donations will go directly to Metastatic (stage 4) breast cancer research. Please continue to pray for me, my family, science, research and my fellow friends also facing metastatic breast cancer.
As for the rest of our life, things are good. I retired from my career at Blue Sky Vision in October of 2020, it has been a great decision. I now use my energy on my family, around the house and can focus on selfcare instead of coming home from work exhausted and napping. I am on a much better sleep schedule and can manage chemotherapy side effects much better. I do pour beer once a week at North Grove Brewery in Montague, usually on Monday's. It is a fun job, gets me out of the house and brings in some extra spending money for my adventures. Jeff and I rang in the New Year in Florida with our lifelong friends, it was just the trip and time with friends we needed. We also visited the Hiltz family checked out their adorable winter home and met their good friends. Brooke is a senior in high school and will be attending GVSU in the fall and plans to become a Physician Assistant. Bryce is a junior at Hope College majoring in Exercise Science and will be doing an internship this summer at the University of Kansas under Matt Gildersleeve who is the Director of Football Sports Performance for the Jayhawks. Peyton is a junior at Cornerstone and perusing a degree in Education. They were all home for Christmas, and it was great to be together again! Celebrating life, Christmas, attending church, breaking bread and playing games all under one roof.
I will leave you with PSALM 106:1 Praise the Lord. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.
#getbusyliving
Family Picture at Christmas
Time with the Hiltz family and friends in Florida
