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