Dear friends and family,

MY Mom being diagnosed with breast cancer the same month as me- is just unfathomable. Please keep us close to your hearts and in your prayers-- I need to hold it together for the boys and am calling upon all the strength God can give me. The boys are all taking the stress of it all differently, and not always so well (yiani). But Paul has stepped up to the plate for sure.
Counseling should help all of them. I am keeping things as normal as I can so they can still have a life--Niko's birthday party is tonight.
However, this getting to be too much for any one person, so I've become a bit numb, at least today I have!. I am sorry I've not been able to be reached by phone-- my list grows with callbacks to dear friends that have not been done yet.

God promised that it wouldn't be anymore than I could handle, but this is pushing it, ya think?

We are devastated by my mom's breast cancer diagnosis--- but by no means do we feel it's a death sentence.
Zoe took Mom to the health food store and she is on a great regimen now that has already lowered her blood pressure by alot! LInda is coming from NC for a few months to help and will stay at mom's condo. So we will fight this thing together!!

Mom has Morton Plant appt. with DR. Blumenkrantz on the Nov. 20. She had a clean mammo last year! So this is a shock because it's already in the closest lymph node to the breast, which means they either missed it last year, or it's very aggressive.- well, the tumor grade for aggressiveness for mom is 2-3 out of 3. (mine was 1-2, less aggressive)

MY DAY THURSDAY
I went to Moffit today and talked to my
Dr. about mom too! My doc feels that senior citizens are undertreated for cancer all the time and should receive chemo just like everyone else because they have 15 good years left!!! So the word renknowned Geriatric Oncologists at Moffit were recommended to us for mom, and I am getting that appointment asap.
We will see both doctors for Mom and go from there. Mom's cancer is rare, and aggressive so we are acting quickly.
My news had disappointing parts but good news too. The good news was that we got clean margins all around the tumor in the lab. (the tissue around the tumor tested negative that she took out.) The 2 lymph nodes she took from me tested negative a 2nd time in the lab. This very good news because sometimes the lymph node tests negative during surgery, but come back with small cells from the lab four days later. Mine came back clear! So it is confirmed that my cancer did not go beyond the breast. yay!
The odd news is that my cancer receptors are negative for estrogen. Laymans terms: My cancer is not fueled by excess estrogen in my system, not from overweight, or soy, nothing like that, like most women's breast cancer 2/3rds. The yucky thing about not being estrogen fueled is that they now have drugs to help prevent recurrence of cancer for estrogen fueled cancer. Drugs like tamoxifen, that I cannot take since it won't benefit me. It also means that my cancer has higher rate of recurrence. ugh. Which puts me at a disadvantage. So they want me to do Chemotherapy to zap my body from any stray cells. They also think I may have the cancer ''gene'' so I am to be tested for it.
They also want a bone scan and a ct scan of my whole body to see if there's anything else out there lurking. Mostly because if it's not estrogen fueled cancer, then what the heck is fueling it!? That's the question. And they want to be very aggressive with me to stop recurrence since I am young, and have 30 years of recurrence to battle.

I didn't want Tamoxifen anyway!!! Cancer Schmancer!!!!

Next week I get bone/ct scans and heart test (to see if it can handle chemo)
Chemo doctor meets me Nov. 24th. I want to ask about integrative therapies using nutrional and herbal supplements while doing chemo. I want the best of both worlds-- modern medicine and natureopathic too.
I am just wondering what the risk would be to start the chemo after Paul and Nicole's little ceremony on Dec. 12. I don't want to be sick for that.
That's right, they are "eloping" to clearwater beach but the parents and siblings get to attend! lol Then in January a big fat Greek Party to celebrate! Everyone will be invited to the party, so stay tuned.
FRIDAY
Trying to keep positive and prayerful and glad I've finally started blogging to keep my friends and family informed in a streamlined way!
And everyone alway wonders how the businesses can keep running when I am having surgery, or now , will be starting chemo.
I still return all the zoo calls and book the events, and market and set appointments for my travel and shopping e-commerce center. www.NoahsArkTravels.com
I have delegated the zoo "physical labor" to wonderful helpers, Paul, Ben, Lu, and hired a "personal assistant/cleaner/errand girl" Jen, to help around the house-- starting her now is good beause I'm preparing for the chemo "blech!"

Where there's life there's hope!!
My neice in law and nephew Marty and Marcy and their sweet new miracle baby (born the hours I was in surgery!) will be coming over tonight, as well as mom and zoe and billy-- we will all be together and I may not let the new baby go home with Marcy! Family/friends are so important right now-- can't wait till Linda and Russ get here, and my only wish was that my brothers and their fams were here too!! I miss them so much. My Uncle isn't far and we're overdue to see him and his family too---this type of thing has a way of slapping you upside your head and making you realize what's important-- God, family and friends-not whether the house is clean! So plan a visit if I haven't seen you in awhile! My door is always open!

Hugs, Marousa