Saturday January 11th there will be a fund raiser held at Shooter's Saloon, 30 Kingman Street, St. Albans, VT. It is being put on by some wonderful women who are friends of my daughter Jessica Hood who went to school at GEMS, whose daughter goes to school at GEMS and who lives in Georgia. She was diagnosed with HER-2 positive breast cancer in October at the age of 32. She has undergone 12 rounds of chemotherapy at UVM and at Dana Farber in Boston as was recently approved to have a double mastectomy which will be scheduled approximately the end of January depending on UVM Operating Room time. She will be off work a minimum of two weeks with additional time off for medical appointments and future treatment to be determined following surgery. Below is a statement she wrote on the last day of her first round of chemotherapy, December 26, 2019. After you read it, your heart will feel like a MARSHMALLOW and we hope that you will want to attend. Silent auction 6-8 pm; Pink bead necklaces for sale; 50/50 Raffles all night; DJ with great music. Helping this cause will make you feel all squishy and good inside, just like a MARSHMALLOW!
"It has been 123 days since I found a lump in my left breast.
...113 days since I was diagnosed with Her2+/Triple+ breast cancer.
...And 77 days since I started chemotherapy treatment.
Today will be my last chemotherapy treatment. The last day of phase 1. I can't believe it is finally here.
And yes, while it doesn't quite mean this is all over, I feel like the hardest part of the battle has been conquered. Next, I will have a double mastectomy operation in late January. That is a big surgery, and it will take me a few months to fully recover. Following surgery I will continue antibody treatments to complete a full year of treatment which will bring me into October of 2020.
But the hardest part is over. Chemo is over after today.
I remember when I started, how easy I thought it was. Then a few weeks in when my hair started falling out, I was becoming much more fatigued and ill after each round. I'm left now at the end of chemo with barely any hair on my head, some eyelashes and eyebrows, faded memory, severe fatigue, neuropathy in my hands and feet, severe dry/itchy skin - I could go on - but despite this I'm left with a will to push on. A survivor strength.
Today is my last chemo."
Dec 18, 2024, 6 PM
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