As we quickly near the end of another year and we enjoy the festivities of the season, I wish you joy and laughter as you gather with
family and friends and hope 2019 brings you continued happiness, health, and
blessings!
Speaking of blessings, you have likely noticed me being a bit quieter on here than usual. In late September (precisely one day after I called to confirm my spot on the 2019 Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge team roster), someone very near/dear to me was rushed to the hospital for an unrelated condition during which it was discovered that they had suspicious masses on their lung. From that day onward, my training for and support of Dana-Faber was literally what helped me to navigate weeks of uncertainty, appointment logistics, and the emotional roller coaster of learning that someone you love has cancer.
On the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, that person had surgery at Brigham and Women's hospital in Boston to remove the middle lobe of their lung - the site of the primary and largest tumor. While I anxiously awaited news of their prognosis, I sat in a waiting room and drafted my November DFMC newsletter (if you aren't on the list and wish to be, please drop me a note to be added). I was anxious. And scared. There are so many unknowns with cancer, not the least of which is that you cannot stage it without tissue samples and in the case of this patient, the only way to retrieve that tissue was during the surgery. Meaning we had no idea if this was truly being caught early (as we prayed and hoped) or if they would discover it had progressed farther into other parts of the lungs (where pre-cancerous or even early stage cancer cells can spread but are not always be detected by a PET scan, used to illuminate areas of high metabolic activity often indicative of cancer and which had been done prior to the surgery).
Thanks to the tremendous talent, dedication, and precision of thoracic surgeon Dr. Yolonda Colson and her team at BWH - to whom we were referred by the Dana-Farber Diagnostic Clinic - the patient came through surgery beautifully. Even better was the initial thought that the lobectomy had removed what indeed turned out to be a 2.5 cm adenocarcinoma in the patient's middle lobe and there were no initial signs of cancer in the surrounding lobe tissue and lymph nodes, meaning it was unlikely to have spread. That being said, the only way to confirm this would be to wait for the full pathology results of all the tissues samples retrieved during the surgery. So while the patient grew stronger every day and was discharged after only four days in the hospital, we anxiously awaited the pathology results.
On Friday, December 14th I heard the most beautiful words. "We got it all." That's what Dr. Colson said as we sat in her office and reviewed the full pathology report. The cancer was classified as Stage 1 and the pathology was clear, meaning there are no signs of further cancerous activity
at this time – which also means no chemo or radiation will be necessary. This
person will have to undergo scans every three months for the next three years
to monitor for reoccurrence (for which they are now at a higher risk for) and
then if they continue to have clean scans (showing no cancer), they will have
scans every six months thereafter until reaching the five year mark at which
they can officially say they are cancer free. And while we can never know what
the future might hold, this is the most promising news we could have hoped to
hear following a cancer diagnosis.
A blessing in every sense of the word given it is estimated that only 1 in 6 lung cancers are caught as Stage 1 when surgery alone can be
considered potentially “curative” (noting again that doctors will not consider
someone cured of cancer until they reach the five-year mark of clean scans).
Thus, my third DFMC season has
become deeply personal. As we enter the fourth week of official training, I have
certainly felt the magnitude of what DFMC funds more keenly than
ever before, and your gifts and support are more meaningful than you could
know. In fact, you have helped me to reach the $5k milestone before the New Year, a milestone which it took me until February to reach in each of my two previous DFMC seasons. WOW and THANK YOU!!!
And because you know I like keeping the FUN in fundraising - as well as find ways to give back to YOU while you support vital cancer research - be sure to check out the EVENTS tab above where you can learn about 2019 Super Bowl Squares (now on sale!), Paint for A Cause, Dine for a Cause dates, and more!
Wishing you all the joys and blessings that 2019 can possibly bring you, and thank you again for your love and support!
xoxo
Erin
