Paddling to give back

It's hard to believe that it was about a year ago that I first found out my cancer had come back. To find out that the cancer had metastasized to my lungs, sternum, clavicle and lymph nodes was the scariest news we had ever received. We were also told that this is stage four cancer, with no cure and we were devastated to say the least. The year that has followed has been a roller coaster of treatments, emotions, pain, sickness and exhaustion, but it has also been wonderful. We have learned that we are surrounded by an army that is ready to help us in any way possible and for that we are beyond thankful.

Marlee, myself and Scott when he presented me

with the generous donation.

One of the people in our army is a friend named Marlee, who introduced us to her cousin Scott Burton. Before I met Scott I called myself a paddle boarder. After I met him I realized there is a big difference between what I do, which is stand on my board on sunny days and paddle in calm conditions, and what he does, which is paddling (with arms or paddle) on freezing, rainy days in less than calm conditions. If that wasn't enough for me to admire him, he is also one of the organizers of a fundraiser called the 24. The 24 started in Seattle in 2015 with a guy named Troy Nebeker from Monster and Sea (monsterandsea.com) who raises money for local families dealing with cancer. Scott took the initiative to bring the 24 here to Vancouver with one team of paddlers who took turns paddling for 24 hours. This year is the third year for the Vancouver group, and there are now three groups of paddlers, paddling at three different locations. Here is the best news, last year our family was one of the recipients of an envelope (each family who gets an envelope gets $1000). We were blown away by this donation from a group we hadn't even heard of. It allowed our family to go on a getaway and just be ourselves, away from all the appointments and treatments I was going through. Last year when I met Scott and heard about the amazing work that this group does I made it a goal to participate in the 24 this year. Well, here we are a year later and I plan on participating in the 24 tomorrow alongside my friend Marlee. I am thrilled to be able to paddle with this group who gives back so much to so many families like my own.

If you have the means, and you find it in your heart to donate to the 24 we would be very grateful. I can tell you personally that the money goes directly to families who are dealing with cancer. It is not used to find a cure but rather to give families who are dealing with cancer a break. There are no strings attached to the money but instead it can be used however the families see fit. We used it for a little vacation, but it can also be used to cover bills, pay for alternative treatments, etc. Here is the link: https://www.gofundme.com/ms-24-hr-paddle-for-cancer-van2018

In the meantime, I continue to do well enough. I have been going through some tests as of late and we hope to have the results soon. I live with exhaustion and pain, but also love and laughter. Every day I get to spend with my kids, my husband Daryl, our family and friends is a day to be thankful for, and I try not to take a moment for granted.

Love Jen

A Healing Journey

As most of you know by now, our family loves a good adventure! So in October, as soon as we were given the news that I had time off of chemo, we decided to go to Portugal and Spain. It was such a healing and positive journey for us. The sun and the change of scenery helped me to feel human again. All the needle marks on my arm started to fade, I was able taste food again, and I was no longer nauseous or cold. But best of all, we were just being a “normal” family. No appointments or tests to worry about or to get in the way of just enjoying each other and the spectacular scenery around us. We are so thankful for that time together.  So many people contributed to our "adventure fund" and for that we will be forever grateful. It was the break that we so desperately needed and it gave me the strength to come home and face my PET scan and MRI.

Yesterday was the big day, the day I got the results from the PET and MRI. To say we were nervous was to put it mildly, but at the same time I felt confident that the results would be good. They were very good. Better than I could have ever hoped. The scans show no active cancer. Yep, your heard me right. No active cancer!!!! There is no sign of the cancer that was in my lymph nodes, clavicle, lungs or brain. In the area of my sternum, where the cancer had gone into my bone, there is a shadow that they think is sclerotic or hardened tissue.

Now, before I, or anybody gets too far ahead of themselves I have to add this disclaimer: this news does not mean I am cancer free. What it does mean is that my cancer is under control for the moment. It is still going to take years of treatment to keep the cancer under control. We also found out yesterday, through the POG trial, that I have a very highly agressive type of cancer that will probably try to come back. But whatever. The news I received yesterday has shown me that I am strong enough to beat it back if it tries to rear its ugly head again.

So for now, we are enjoying our awesome news and celebrating a successful battle. I am going back to do two more rounds of chemo (which will take about six weeks), but it will be so much easier to do so knowing how effective the treatments were for me.

Thank you so much for your prayers and positive thoughts. The love that surrounds us has given us so much strength and comfort.

Love Jen

Ella, Greyson and I at Bengali beach in Portugal

Our family on a horse and carriage ride in Sevilla, Spain 

Our family in Sagres, Portugal

Things to be thankful for...

Sorry it has been so long since I last updated my post. For the last couple of months I have either had no news to share, or felt a bit down about the things I was going through. As of yesterday though, I feel I have some good news to share, and as always, a lot to be thankful for.

Yesterday I met with my oncologist for the first time in six weeks. We discussed the symptoms and problems that I have been dealing with the past couple of months. For the most part I have been feeling really exhausted, sometimes so much so that it is difficult just to go up the stairs. I have also been finding myself short of breath and really cold all the time. These symptoms are a result of the fact that my hemoglobin, platelets and neutrophils have not been rebounding the way they should, and for this reason I have had to have three blood transfusions in the past six weeks. After looking at all this information together, my oncologist decided it's time for me to take a break from chemo for the month of October. We are hoping that this break will give my body time to recover from the toxicity of chemo and build up it's strength again so that I can continue my fight. I have a PET scan booked for November 1st which will give us a picture of how my body has reacted to chemo. We are hoping to see that all the tumours have continued shrinking!

In the meantime, there has been so much to be thankful for. The best thing in the world has been feeling the love of our family, friends and community. We are constantly surrounded with help and comfort which I know has helped to bring peace to my mind and body.

People continue to blow us away with their thoughtful donations to our family, whether it be food, time or money. One of the sweetest gifts we have received in the past six weeks was from one of my friend's daughters. She is six years old and a good friend of my daughter, Ella's, as well. She decided she wants to help us raise money for our "adventure fund" so she and her brother held a lemonade stand to raise money. Amazing!

Another generous gift we received is from someone we don't even know, but who heard of our situation through Daryl's work. He organizes a golf tournament every year, and this year decided to fundraise for our family as well through the golf tournament.  We will put the money he raised towards our "Adventure Fund" too! It's amazing that there is so many good people around us who just want to help, even if they don't know us!

We wish everyone a fantastic Thanksgiving and hope you get to spend time with your loved ones. As for us, we will be spending Thanksgiving with our family and then the next three weeks relaxing and getting ready for the next stage of my battle.

Ella and Greyson enjoying fall!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Love Jen 

Good News

I hope this post finds you all well and enjoying your summer as much as we have been enjoying ours!

Since my last post a couple of weeks ago my 'good' days have been fewer because my hemoglobin and neutrophil levels have been so low, that I don't have a lot of energy to be up and about. Today I am going to be having a blood transfusion which I am actually looking forward to. I think it'll provide me with some much needed energy!

In the midst of a couple of "low" weeks, we have had some fantastic news. The CT scan that I had two weeks ago shows that all of my tumours are shrinking which means that the chemo I am taking is working! As much as I do believe in medicine and science, I do also believe in the power of prayer and positive thoughts, so I know that my success so far is owed in part to all the people around us who have been thinking about us and praying for us. This news gives us hope, and also makes all the side effects of chemo feel like they are worth it. We know we still have a long road ahead of us, but we are feeling more optimistic now than ever.

Daryl and I with our long time friends the Woronieckis, Herrings and Neumuellers celebrating our good news!

The amazing news doesn't stop there. We have also had a couple of very generous donations to our family which just go to show how awesome the people in our lives are. The first comes from a team of paddle boarders who recently did a 24 hour paddle to raise money for families dealing with cancer. A good friend of mine, Marlee, suggested to her cousin Scott Burton, one of the paddle boarders, that our family would be a good candidate to receive some of the money they raised. Scott took her up on that suggestion and delivered their generous gift to us last week. After having met Scott, I have now added paddling with him and his group when they do the relay next year, to my list of goals!

My friend Marlee and I with her cousin, Scott, who raises money for families dealing with cancer.

The second very generous donation has come from our BC Hydro and IBEW union family, whom Daryl has been lucky enough to work for and with for the past 13 years. So many of the people that Daryl has worked with over these years have raised money together for our family and then went to the union, who matched the donation. We can't even express how thankful we are for such an amazing gift. It is not only the money that we are thankful for but also the care, compassion and empathy that blows us away. We are forever indebted to you.

These donations will be put to good use. Though my treatments through the Cancer Agency are covered by our medical system, many of the alternative treatments that I am trying are not. Since both Daryl and I have been off work this summer it has not been easy to pay for all of the 'extras' that have gone along with treating this disease.

We are so thankful to our community of family, friends, co-workers, practitioners and those that we have met so far along this journey. You all continue to take part in my healing and we are forever grateful.

Love Jen

Adventuring On

Sorry it has taken me so long to update my blog. Summer has been busy and mostly wonderful for our family, as I hope it has been for you and yours.

Once again I need to start by saying that our family has been overwhelmed by the kindness and generosity shown to us by our friends, family and community. Our freezers are full of food given to us by teachers at my school as well as by many of our friends. We continue to have a wonderful house cleaner who comes to our house every second week, paid for by the teachers at my school, who helps to take care of the cleaning around our house so that we can spend more time doing things that matter. Knowing that we are so supported by the people around us has helped to buoy our spirits even in spite of any less than positive news we have received.

We found out a few weeks ago that I do have a spot of cancer on the right frontal lobe of my brain. This was not the news we were hoping for. The good news, though, is that the cancer does not seem to be impacting the tissue around the tumour, nor am I having any symptoms attributed with it. So we continue to be thankful and hopeful and positive that the chemo is working and will shrink all of the tumours, including the one in my brain. This Saturday I am having a CT scan which will determine if the chemo is, indeed working.

I am seeing not only a super knowledgeable and amazing oncologist, Dr. Gelman, but also a fantastic naturopath, Dr. Mcleod, who specializes in integrative cancer support. Both members of my cancer team, as well as my Dad, who beat his own cancer 35 years ago, have helped me to see that I need to embrace and even love chemotherapy, as it will be my cure. So for now, I am staying positive. I will admit that on days that I feel my worst, it is really hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel. I do have at least three "hard" days per week where the effects of the chemo are overwhelming, but on those days I try my best to remember that I am feeling awful because the chemo is working and doing its job.


Since I do have three or four good days per week I have still been able to do all of the activities I love. Those activities include three of my passions; camping with my kids and our friends, paddle boarding and eating Mexican food! I have even been able to go out and dance the night away with my wonderful friends. I will leave you with some pictures of the fun we have had so far this summer.

Love Jen

Me with my son Greyson, my nephew Eli and my daughter Ella at White Pines Beach

Paddling with my friend Jay and our kids at Osoyoos Lake at the beginning of July

A family portrait, by Jacqueline Dance Photography, at Rolley Lake

A group of me and my friends before a night of dancing

Me reading the kids a bedtime story at Hicks Lake

Daryl and Ella out fishing in the kayak at Hicks Lake

After a great paddle across Hicks Lake with Daryl and the kids

At White Pines Beach with my parents, my sister Katie, Greyson and my nephew Eli

Paddle boarding with Laura and Jay at Rolley Lake

Out for dinner and a walk with Carly, Sush and Silke

 

Our family at Campbell Valley Park, by Melissa Anderson Photography

Eyes on the Prize

The past two weeks since my last blog have been filled with a lot of emotions (most of them good) and appointments! I have met with several doctors, had a PET scan, met with a counsellor and had a port put in to my chest. The port is a device that sits underneath my skin and allows my chemo and other drugs to be plugged right into a main artery so that I don't need an IV each time. I've now got a pretty attractive lump sticking out of my chest. It'll give me street cred I think.

On Monday of this week we got the results of my PET scan and we are feeling pretty positive about them. Our biggest fear was that the cancer has spread to distant sites in my body, but so far it looks like that is not the case. I still have to have a brain scan on Monday but hopefully that will show no metastases. So for now it looks like the cancer has spread to the lymph nodes down my left side and into my clavicle, as well as into the mammary nodes in my sternum. The PET scan also showed that the cancer has metastasized to the bone in my sternum and they have now confirmed that it is in my lungs. I'm guessing that to you, this does not seem like such fantastic news, but hey, it could be a lot worse!

In the meantime, life has been pretty wonderful! The outpouring of love and support that we have received from family, friends and our community has been unbelievable. We have received everything from cards, gifts, phone calls, messages and emails to meals, flowers, family photographs and even alkalinized water! Our workplaces have been equally amazing through their support and understanding of our situation. The staff at my school have even pooled their money together to hire us a house keeper to come in every second week, which will be so helpful! There have also been many offers of help to look after our kids, to drive me to appointments and even just to keep me company when I need it. The students in my class have written me letters and made me cards and pictures which have left me tearful, but grateful. I feel that the strength and love that is around us is nearly tangible and it makes me certain that we can get through this with our army around us.

Every gift and message that we have received mean so much to us, but I feel like I want to say something extra about two that I got this week. The first was from a sweet, little grade one girl from our school. It was her birthday recently and she decided to have a 50/50 party. For those of you who don't know, that means she asks for cash instead of gifts and then donates 50% of the money she receives to a cause. Well, she chose our family as that cause. She and her family came by last week to give us her beautiful card and amazing gift, and my heart nearly melted into a puddle. She wants us to put her money towards a "Family Adventure Fund" so that is exactly what we have done.

The second gift came from a boy in my class and his mom. This boy holds a piece of my heart because of his sweet personality, resiliency and awesome strength. His mom told me she had made something for me and I thought it might be some cookies. Well, she made me a quilt. By hand. It is so gorgeous and one of the most thoughtful gifts I have ever received. The quilt has bird patterns all over it, which is perfect, because I love birds, but it also reminds me that I can fly above all this.

So to end this blog I should mention that yesterday was my first chemo treatment. FINALLY. I have been waiting for chemo to start since mid-May, knowing the whole time that the cancer was growing inside of me and that I wasn't able to do anything about it. I cuddled with my quilt, visited with Daryl and dozed on and off throughout the treatment, and surprisingly, am feeling ok today.

I wish you and your family the best weekend filled with sunshine and laughter! Thanks again for all of your help, prayers, messages and support. We will be forever indebted.

Love Jen

I feel like to start this blog off, I should go back four years and explain this adventure from the beginning, so here goes...

I was first diagnosed with stage 1 breast cancer four years ago, in June 2013. I was nursing my son, Greyson, and found a lump that just wouldn't go away. After a lot of tests it was determined that I had an agressive form of breast cancer called triple negative, meaning that it is estrogen negative, progesterone negative and HER2 negative. I had a bi-lateral mastectomy with reconstruction and four rounds of chemotherapy which left me hairless but not broken. There were no follow up tests to determine that I was cancer free, so I walked out of the cancer agency for what I thought was the last time, in December of 2013.

In the spring of 2014 I went for gene testing and I found out that I have something called BRCA1, which is a gene mutation that causes breast and ovarian cancers (as well as others, to a lesser degree). I wanted to be as proactive as possible, so I went ahead and had a hysterectomy in October of that year.

Since then I have been living my life as a "cancer free" individual and not taking a single day for granted. If you know me, then you know I live every day to the fullest. I try to look at everyday as an adventure and we try to "adventure" (yes that is a verb in my world) as much as we can. Sometimes that means a paddle board on a lake, sometimes that means a trip to a different country, or camping in our trailer and sometimes it just means a walk to the park or a dance in the living room. But we adventure. A lot.

Fast forward to February 2017. I started having a lot of pain in my chest, on the same side where the cancer had been. I thought it was muscle pain so I went to two different massage therapists seeking relief, and started taking lots of pain meds. The pain was persistent though, so I finally went to my family doctor who also thought it was probably muscle pain, or pain from scar tissue that had formed there after my surgeries. She decided to send me to the Breast Health Clinic just to be on the safe side. Once again, there were several tests; ultrasounds, CT scans and biopsies before it was once again determined that I have cancer. This time it has metastasized to the nodes under my clavicle and my sternum. There is also a spot on my lungs which they are still not sure about. This is now considered metastatic breast cancer, and is stage 4.

So here we are today. It was a big day. I met my new oncologist and feel like I am in the best care. Her plan for me includes more chemo, radiation and a trial medication. To say we are scared is to put it mildly. I look at my children, Ella who is 7 and Greyson who is 5 and the thought that they are going to be put through this makes me want to scream. I want them to have a fantastic childhood filled with endless adventure and happiness, not having to worry about their mom. They deserve that. All kids deserve that. I want to ride along side them as they ride their bikes, not spend my days in bed.    

You may wonder why I am sharing this. Well, last time around my family and I found it difficult to keep everyone updated all the time. I thought this would be a good way of keeping people in the loop, while also allowing me to write down my thoughts.

Another thing you should know about me is that I love a good dare and I rarely pass them up. Well, my friend Silke dared me to beat this cancer, and so I plan to. If you want to follow me on my adventure, I would be happy to have you along for the ride. I can use all the friends, support and prayers I can get!


Love Jen