Hormone Treatment Obstacle Course

Yesterday Dec 10 we met with Dr Kaplan, Marce's oncologist, to discuss how she is reacting to the hormone blocking medications. The Fareston also did not sit well with her and when she had ramped up to only a half dose, was beginning to experience symptoms similar to Tamoxifen. Since that was not sustainable, we discussed options. The good news is that Dr Kaplan was not too concerned about her inability to tolerate these medications, and if fact said he would be comfortable if she does nothing else. He feels that her course of treatment so far (surgery + chemo) puts her into an 85ish % survival range. Turns out that is not too different from the average woman walking down the street. He did offer one alternate course of treatment, which is a newer drug that actually knocks off estrogen production in Marce's ovaries. (This is opposed to the previous medications which "blocked" the estrogen from feeding any potential cancer. ) The side effects are menopause symptoms, but without some of the longer-term adverse side effects from the hormone blocking medications. He encouraged us to think about it, do some research and decide in the New Year. But he was also fine with Marce doing nothing additional, which makes both of us feel better. So we have some thinking and praying to do as Marce decides if she should give this treatment a go.

Thanks again to everyone for their continued thoughts, prayers and concern. We really appreciate it!

Marc

The Road To Recovery

Hi Everyone,

It has been a long time since I have updated our blog, and I apologize for keeping many of you hanging. Since my last entry Marce has recovered from her chemotherapy, and has returned to her normal glowing self. Her hair has returned and as of a few weeks ago she is stopping to wear a hat or wig. It is returning a bit curly or wavy, but with more grey than she would prefer. But I and the girls all think it looks great and, like new flowers in the spring, is a sign of what we hope is a long and healthy life.

So what have we been doing? About six weeks after completing her treatment, we chartered a 50 foot Benetau sailboat with our good friends the Spears and spent a week sailing the San Juans. We had a wonderful time, hitting locations of Friday Harbor, Roche Harbor, Stuart Island, Sucia Island, and Rosario Resort.

When we returned to Seattle, Marce finally had the courage and strength to start Tamoxifen, which is a hormone blocking medication designed to snuff out any potentially remaining cancer cells. Since her cancer feeds off estrogen, the idea is to cut off the food supply for any rogue cells which may have escaped into her body undetected. There is something like a 20-30% chance this has occurred and, if so, the best time to kill it is when it is only a few cells strong. It is much easier to kill a tumor comprised of only a few cells than one comprised of millions. Unfortunately after a week of being on this treatment, Marce experienced major complications, with symptoms being what I would call "extreme menopause" combined with strong headaches. So she stopped the treatment, and this two weeks ago we met with Dr. Kaplan, her oncologist, to discuss alternatives. He has put her on a sister drug called Fareston, which has similar benefits to Tamoxifen. But her reaction could have been to the Tamoxifen itself, rather than hormonal changes. So she is on one tablet 2X per week and is ramping up to daily, with a slow progression to make sure she doesn't have the same side effects. More to come on the results...

Marc

Last Treatment

On Tuesday Marce received her fourth and last infusion of chemotherapy. We are so excited that this is her last one! She seems to be experiencing typical symptoms - not really better or worse than the 2nd and 3rd treatments. Of course we are all mentally much happier this time given that we know this is her last chemo.

In about a month she will start Tamoxifen, a hormone blocking drug which will significant reduce her recurrence risk. Here is a good article in the latest Scientific American on recent advances in the treatment of breast cancer.

http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=gaining-ground-on-breast-cancer

Marc

Round 3 Status

Well, I have been remiss in keeping our blog updated on Marce's progress. Most of that is good news, in that her 3rd treatment went as scheduled on Monday May 21 and the subsequent few weeks have been pretty much what we have expected. Today is Sunday May 25, and the only "out-of-norm" occurrence has been Marce getting a case of pink-eye on Michelle's birthday May 23. This is a common occurence with her Taxotere chemotherapy, which can create a drying of tear ducts with the follow-on pink-eye susceptibility.

The good news is that Marce has been feeling up to the events of the last few days, with Marina's birthday on May 21 and Michelle's 18th birthday on Friday followed by her graduation on Saturday. Her graduation was a great event held at Anthony's Shilshole restaurant with four other homeschooling families. Families and friends gathered for what proved to be a special day. The weather was beautiful, and from our vantage point over Puget Sound we all were entertained by a poor sailor who ran aground during the start of the 4 hour event. During the course of the function we saw his boat tip over on its side with the lowering tide, only to be righted and free by the end of the day as the tide turned.

Marce's next and LAST treatment is Friday June 6. We will be thankful when that is over, and I will do a better job of keeping this website updated.

Marc

Round Two - Day 7 Status

Today is day 7 and I am happy to report that Marce continues to pull out of her "chemo-flu" much better than last time. She still is struggling with tiredness, but not the extreme fatigue that she had a few days ago and for nearly two weeks with the first round. We are so thankful that things are better this time around, and appreciate everyone's thoughts and prayers!

Her next treatment is scheduled for Monday 12 May.

Marc

Round Two Update

A quick update on Marce's status. She is now on day 5 of her second round of chemo. The good news is that she only has minor aches, pains, and headache. This is better than her first time around, so we are thankful for that. Her primary symptom is extreme fatigue, and she spent most of yesterday (Monday) in bed in an off and on sleep mode. We are hoping and praying that this time will be better and that the worst of it will not last 2 weeks, rather 3-5 days like most people.

Marc

Round Two Begins

On Friday morning 18 April Marce began her second chemotherapy infusion. Since the last report she has felt much better, and basically pulled out of the "chemo-flu" on day 15. This allowed some time to drive to Spokane last weekend as a family and visit Marce's parents. Her father is undergoing immunotherapy for lymphoma. This has a similar but milder effect than chemo, and we were able to visit him in his assisted-living facility in the Spokane Valley. All of last week Marce felt pretty good, but her hair really started falling out last weekend. So this week we all went in with her to the local salon where she had it buzzed off. This was pretty tough, but she handled it very well. She was able to find some great hats at Swedish Hospital, and has a couple of wigs that look really nice on her. So, in her typical style Marce is making the best of the situation. They changed her medications around a bit, so she felt good enough on Friday and Saturday to attend a local homeschooling conference. But as of Saturday evening, the chemo-flu symptoms are starting to set in. So we are not sure how bad they will be this time. Stay tuned for more and hope you enjoy the pics!

Marc

Marce with her new look!

Birthday celebration with Grandma Alene

Breakfast with Grandma @ Huckleberries in Spokane

Birthday celebration with Granny Pancake and Barbara

Bottoming Out

While we had hoped that things were getting better on the day of Marce's haircut (Wednesday), things took a turn for the worse on Thursday with heavy aching, headaches, and fatigue. On Friday we met with Dr. Kaplan for her 10 day checkup from her first infusion. It turns out that day 10 is when blood levels tend to "bottom out". They primarily look for 3 things - red blood count, platelets, and white blood count. She was good in the first two areas, but her white blood count had dropped to 1.1 from 3.4, which is below average and a bit of a concern. Unfortunately white blood count has nothing to do with her aches, fatigue, etc., rather with her immune system's ability to fight off infection. Hence, Dr Kaplan has recommended she avoid going out in public for the next 4 days to avoid exposure. So we are all taking vitamins and washing our hands like crazy to prevent Marce from getting sick. As of today (Saturday) she is feeling slightly better, but still basically bedridden. Dr. Kaplan says she is unfortunately reacting harder to her chemo than the "average" person, but thinks she should improve this coming week.

Today is also Marce's birthday. We had a gluten-free cake that Michelle baked and watched the movie "Enchanted" while Marce popped Advil for her pain. While not her best birthday ever, we hope that her suffering will provide her with decades more birthdays to celebrate with family and friends.

On a different note, Michelle is taking driving classes from Swerve, a local driving school. She meets twice weekly for "ground school", then takes flight one to two days per week in cute, boxy Scions. While Michelle cringes at the Scions, we think they're great. Here's a few pictures of Michelle getting ready for flight #2 with her flight instructor. Go Michelle!

Marc

Michelle prepares for "takeoff" with her instructor!

Michelle in the "cockpit" of her cute driving car!

The New Doo

Today, Marce turned the corner and "crawled out from under the rock she's been living under" --at least that's how she's felt lately! We're all so happy to have her back in action. It was an extra-special day with Barbara, my mom, swinging by to pick her up and whisk her off to trendy Belletown, in downtown Seattle, to treat Marce to a haircut. Sinclair, the swank owner of "Halo", has been cutting Mom's hair for 27 years. After watching him in action and seeing the results, Marce now knows why she's stayed with him for so long. Marce commented after the haircut that she hasn't had her hair this short since she swam competitively because people thought she looked like a boy. Well, you can probably guess what she heard upon arriving back home. Yep...Marina immediately blurted out, "Mommy, you look like a boy!", which gave her a big laugh. Marce responded, "Sweetie, you ain't seen nothing yet!" It will be interesting to see how she reacts to Marce losing her hair in another couple weeks. While we are sending Marina back for remedial sensitivity training, it didn't matter to Marce because she loves her new style. And the rest of us think she looks beautiful! Marce also had a nice talk with her mother tonight, who encouraged her to keep up with the chemo plan. So, with a bit of a spring in her step, Marce is now gearing up for round two in a couple of weeks.

Marc

Side Effects

I am posting this Tuesday morning since some of you might be wondering how Marce is doing with her treatment. Things are not going as well as we had hoped, but we hope they will improve since most people have side-effects with this chemo on days 3-5, which would have been Friday- Sunday. On Thursday evening Marce started feeling significant side-effects from the chemo, which was pretty much per the "schedule". It started with an aching in her scalp, then moved to give her symptoms which would resemble a bad chemo "flu". Aches, pains, and a headache were the center of her side-effects. She has also developed neuropathy in her body, which usually manifests itself in tingling of the fingers. Instead she has what I call "voodoo doll" pains, where she feels like sharp knives are jabbing her all of a sudden. The episodes tend to come in clusters, and the sensations happen all over her body in an unpredictable fashion. She had had little improvement in the side-effects as of now.

We appreciate your thoughts and prayers that her side-effects will diminish quickly.

Thank You!
Marc

Successful First Chemotherapy

Marce successfully completed her first regime of chemotherapy. Following a blood test to establish her baseline, we first met with Dr. Kaplan who went over the specifics of treatment. Prior to receiving chemo, she received three pre-treatments to help minimize the side-effects. One of them, for example, was an anti-nausea medication. She then took her two chemotherapy drugs in succession rather than at the same time. The first one was Taxotere, which is a synthetic form of Taxol, which comes from the Yew tree. They administered all drugs via IV, starting out slowly to make sure there weren't any negative reactions. The second chemo drug was Cytoxan, which was administered at a faster rate. Marce had a few minor reactions but nothing major. A bit of a minor headache and blurry vision were the most significant effects. So what ended up being a 7 hour experience today should become a 2-3 hour experience the next time she comes in.

If she follows the typical course, she should feel fine tomorrow (Thursday) and then tired on Friday and Saturday, recovering Sunday. But every one is different and there are possibilities for more significant and severe reactions. We appreciate your thoughts and prayers that her side effects would be minimal.

Marc

Hunt for the Perfect Wig

Now that Mom has decided to move forward with chemo, we can’t have her going around bald for three months. So we set out on a couple of wig expeditions the last few days. With so many cute wig styles to choose from, I don't see why we all don't go bald and have perfect hair-dos in just seconds! Wouldn't that make life so much easier? The first hair salon we hit had a nice selection of wigs filling the wall. What do you think of these wigs?

Picture A)

First wig! But not the right color

Picture B)

Wow, Mommy in blond! Wouldn’t she get some funny stares if she walks into church with this one?!

I wonder if Madeline was having more fun than Mommy

The second shop we visited contained around 2,000 hair wigs! Imagine the excitement of five girls walking into a galaxy of perfection. We definitely liked this shop’s selection the best. Hmm, where should we start?

Picture C)

This one looks similar to Mommy’s hair cut

Picture D)

I have never seen Mommy’s hair so short before, but it won’t be the last. We all were a little surprised when she popped the wig on. Sorry, about Marina in the back. It’s one of her interesting poses!

Picture E)

Oh, definitely a possibility!

Picture F)

Picture G)

I think you will all agree with me that this is the perfect wig for Mommy!!! Won’t it bring out her sparkling blue eyes?? :-) Besides, she has always wanted curly hair and you can’t get curlier than this.

Michelle picks out Mommy’s new eyelashes. I wonder how they stay on. Yikes, they are WAY too long!

Picture H)

This is definitely my favorite!

Please vote for your favorite hair wig by using the letter above each picture and writing it in the comments. We would greatly appreciate your in-put!

Only one more day to go...

~Meagan

Chemo countdown

Well, after a week of countless prayers and petitions to God, researching into the "wee hours of the night", and many conversations with doctors, friends and family, the decision has finally been made. Marce starts chemotherapy treatments on Wednesday, March 26th and, if everything goes as planned, should finish up on Wednesday, May 28th.

As a reminder, the chemotherapy's purpose is to destroy any rogue microscopic breast cancer cells which may have spread someplace in Marce's body prior to her mastectomy. One of the things we have learned is the smaller the total number of cancer cells, the better chance the chemotherapy has of killing all of them. This is true because single cells have plenty of nutrients and oxygen, and divide more rapidly than larger cancerous masses, which have fewer resources to draw from. And it is during the process of cell division that the chemotherapy can destroy the cancer cells. But should Marce decide to wait and see if the cancer returns, it would likely be 1-5 years later until it could be detected. At that time any tumor would be much larger and therefore more difficult to obliterate with any treatment. Hence, now is the most effective time to take chemo. It is somewhat paradoxical that she is taking chemo for a cancer that might not be a threat because it it too small. But, given her relatively young age, we have decided to hope for the best but prepare for the worst. The worst is that there are indeed undetected cancer cells in her body.

A friend of ours from Australia had breast cancer almost two years ago, and undertook the exact same chemo treatment which Marce will take. It is called TC, which is short for 2 poisons (I mean drugs) called Taxotere and Cytoxan. She will take four intravenous treatments every three weeks, the first of which will take four hours to administer. Although TC is one of the less-aggressive types, our Australian friend has given us her blow-by-blow account of what to expect. It will not be pleasant, and will probably knock Marce out of commission for five days following the administration. She will lose her hair between weeks 2 and 3, be tired, and experience digestion problems. She may experience a metallic taste, darkening of the nail beds, numbness and tingling of hands and feet, muscle and joint aches, etc.--not a cakewalk!! In between treatments she should feel better, but it will likely be 3 months of living under a dark cloud. It is our hope that all of this will enable Marce to be around for decades to come.

This has been an unusually tough decision for Marce, as she rarely will take even over-the-counter medicines because of their potential long-term side effects. If an aspirin is like a bullet, she is about to voluntarily submit to a nuclear explosion. We have both wrestled hard with the modern medical treatments versus alternative treatments. While we think alternative treatments have much to offer, they do not have the statistics to back up their effectiveness. We are using our brains to decide on the facts and our hearts to trust God Who is our ultimate Physician and Healer.

We are thankful for your prayers and support!

5 days and counting...

Marc

Onco DX Test Results

Yesterday (Friday) we met with Dr. Kaplan who gave us the results of Marce's Oncotype dx testing. This test provides us with the likelihood that her cancer will reappear with and without hormonal and/or chemotherapy. This website gives a good overview of the test.

http://www.genomichealth.com/oncotype/about/what.aspx

While the test scores were not bad, they weren't as good as we and Dr. Kaplan had hoped. Prior to yesterday's test results, Marce's "recurrence risk" was estimated to be:

Do Nothing 15% chance of cancer returning in her life
Hormonal Blocking Therapy (i.e. Tamoxifen) 8%
Hormonal + Chemotherapy 5-7%

Based on that, Marce was mentally gearing up to take Tamoxifen, but not thinking chemotherapy since it would only provide an insignificant benefit of 1-2%. The new numbers from the Onco DX testing are:

Do Nothing 30% chance of cancer returning in her life
Hormonal Blocking Therapy (i.e. Tamoxifen) 13%
Hormonal + Chemotherapy 8-10%

Dr. Kaplan said we are in the 'grey zone' in his thinking about whether to do chemo or not. He definitely recommends Tamoxifen, but the chemo decision is a personal risk decision about the small but significant improvement provided by chemo. Its the old trade study of short term pain vs. long term benefit. This has significantly changed things to the point where Marce is now strongly considering chemotherapy. If she does elect chemo, the good news is that the specific therapies Dr. Kaplan would recommend are the most mild forms of chemo. There are two choices she has, which are:

Opton 1 - CMF http://www.chemotherapy-info.com/cmf.htm
Pros
- The least side effects, with tiredness lasting about 1 week per month for 6 months
- Only 30% chance of losing her hair
Cons
- 6 month treatment

Option 2 - TC http://www.breastcancer.org/treatment/chemotherapy/new_research/20060217.jsp
Pros
- Tiredness is typically shorter, around 3 days, rather than 7
- Half the treatment duration as CMF
- Similar benefits to CMF
Cons
- High probability of hair loss
- Side effects can be tougher than CMF, although still mild for any chemo

The other thing Dr. Kaplan said is that if the cancer does come back, regardless of whether she does chemo now or not, then it will be very difficult to beat. If she is ever to do chemo, now is the most effective time. Given that she is relatively young, we want to maximize her longevity. Plus it will be easier for her to recover from chemo now than, say in 10 or 20 years if it were to reappear. So, with all of that, we are both currently thinking that the small but significant 3-5% improvement in survivability is worth 3 months of the relatively mild inconvenience of chemo side-effects. Additionally, we have found a great naturopathic doctor who specializes in cancer oncology, and he has given us some good information and supplements which will further help Marce's survival.

So, where we find ourselves today is that Marce will definitely do the Tamoxifen, which is 5 years following chemo. While still uncertain about the chemo, we are leaning that direction based on the above information. We would appreciate your prayers that God would give us wisdom and peace about whatever Marce finally decides.

Marc

Genetic Jeans

It has been some time since our last blog entry, as life is returning to normal. This week we did receive good news that Marce does not have the mutant BRCA1 or 2 gene, which could have been a reason for her relatively early cancer. We are still waiting the results of the onco dx testing, which took a bit longer to get started due to bureaucracy. We should hear back on this in the next few weeks. But Marce's strength is continuing to improve, and we are continuing to research and pray about what lifestyle and natural methods she should follow to minimize the recurrence risk. There are certainly lots of options, so we are trying to wade through it all to see what makes sense.

Thanks for your continued thoughts, and we will update when we have more news.

Marc

Back to School

Well, I’m back in the saddle (so to speak) and actually corralled Madeline and Marina into completing a full school day. It was a fun and rewarding start to the week, for which I’m so grateful! I don’t know how seriously the girls took me, though, since I didn’t even have the courtesy to get dressed and just lounged around in my flannel nightgown (not a pretty picture!). Thankfully, that’s one of the perks of homeschooling. As you can tell, I need the routine of our normal schooldays just as badly as our girls.

I thought I’d share a cute thing that happened today. While I was working with Madeline on her history lesson, Marina busily occupied herself with the giant jigsaw puzzles. I praised her for the great job she did putting all those puzzles together and proclaimed she was the “Puzzle Queen”. She thought for a moment and said, “No, I’m not the Puzzle Queen, I’m the Puzzle Princess!” I stand corrected. She is truly blossoming into a beautiful young girl. She attends a Christian preschool (located only two blocks away) two mornings a week. It’s a wonderful arrangement and allows us to pack in quite a bit of school on those mornings. She usually bounds through the front door bright-eyed and beaming from ear to ear, eager to show us all her lovely art creations for the day. In my mind, preschoolers + preschool art projects = a big mess! That’s the reason I have an equally big grin on my face when she walks in the house—we only get her finished masterpieces minus the mess. Isn’t that nice?!

Thank you for all your prayers and many kindnesses to us these past few weeks! You have blessed us beyond measure. We realize that God mercifully guided us through a difficult stretch of this trial, for which we are so thankful. He is also using each one of you to minister to us in so many tangible and beautiful ways.

Much love,

Marce

Returning To Normal

Today is Sunday and Marce continues to get her strength back. On Friday, we had an appointment with her surgeon and she is doing great in her healing process. While she still gets tired easily, she is able to get about and do the basics. This week we hope to start walking to help improve her energy and stamina.

We are waiting for the results of Marce’s Onco Type DX Test, which is expected to take 3-4 weeks. As I reported on this earlier, it is a test which will help us to understand how aggressive her cancer is and how it will respond to different treatments. In the meantime, we are doing a lot of research into natural treatments and are really beginning to think the best way to deal with this is via the “integrated” approach of both modern and natural medicines. As an example, here’s a link to an article on Paw Paw and how it can help with cancer. Scroll down to Section 3, “Results and Discussions”, if you want to skip the preamble:

http://www.pawpawresearch.com/pawpaw-trials1.pdf

We are doing fine and were glad to see Madeline (age 8) complete her role as one of the kittens in the “Aristocats” musical. It premiered and closed this week at Kirkland’s Studio East Theater. Several of her grandparents and family members were able to see her theater debut.

Madeline & Marina pose with Grandma Kim & Grandpa Mark after a sellout crowd

That's all for now!

Marc

Good News From The Doctors

Monday afternoon we had two appointments at Swedish Hospital. The news we received was about as good as it gets. First, it was confirmed that the cancer had not spread to Marce's lymph nodes. Second, the tumor(s) were indeed two small tumors rather than one larger. This is good because one factor in Marce's survivability is the size of the largest tumor. Hence two small tumors is better than one. Dr. Hanson, Marce's surgeon, took out her drain tube which had been causing her quite a bit of discomfort.

Following the appointment with Dr. Hanson we met with Dr. Kaplan, our medical oncologist who also treated my mother and Barbara Hoffman. He said that he will submit Marce's tumor for something called onco dx testing which does a genetic mapping of her cancer to see how aggressive it is, and how responsive it will be to hormone and/or chemotherapy. Dr. Kaplan said that the results so far would indicate that she likely may be able to get away with just hormone therapy, with an estrogen blocker called tamoxifen without chemotherapy. This would be a real blessing. We should know in about a month what the onco dx results are and whether she can get away without chemo. He feels the chances are good.

Thanks again to everyone for their support and prayers!

Marc & Marce

Let it SNOW!!!!

This morning, we woke up to find that our neighborhood had been transformed into a winter wonderland. We have at least four, maybe five, inches of snow. We are all SO EXCITED, because, as most of you know, Seattle rarely receives any snow. But, it doesn’t look like it will stick long: every second, I hear snow falling from the branches of the pine trees. Oh well. It should be fun while it lasts. My mom was mentioning, though, that I could go outside and play with the girls. I really hope I won’t have to, because the only snow clothes I have make me look like a ridiculous marshmallow, and besides, I'd rather do some reading. Well, maybe I can just be the photographer and take pictures of the girls making snowmen. But I really don’t want the girls to ruin the snow. It looks so perfectly divine and faultless right now, and after the girls play around, it will probably be all muddy and trampled. I snatched some photos of the gorgeous snow before the girls had a chance to play in it, so here are a few:

I absolutely love the snow, but today, it’s mixed with a twinge of disappointment. Meagan and I were planning on touring Olympia today with the Spears and their friends and even having lunch with a Republican senator for Washington, Val Stevens. But, with the snow, we unfortunately can’t make it to Olympia today. It’s ok though, because we will hopefully reschedule, and then maybe my mom can go as well!! So that definitely makes it worthwhile to wait.

Today, my mom is supposed to have an appointment with her surgeon and oncologist, but she’s not too sure if she will make the trip downtown in this weather. I really hope she can make it there, though, because the doctors will reveal whether my mom’s cancer has spread to the lymph nodes in the meeting. I'm sure they can give us the information over the phone, but still, if they sit down with her, they'll probably give her more info than they would on the phone. When we figure out any more about my mom’s status, we will definitely let you all know right away.

I would greatly appreciate any comments!!

~Michelle

Post Surgery Recovery

I write this Sunday morning. Marce's mother Alene returned home yesterday after spending a week with us. It was so helpful to have her here for the last week for support and to help keep the house running. This coming week we will rely on friends and family for help with meals and transportation for the girls. Marce is feeling OK and her recovery seems to be going well. She still should not drive though until she is feeling better. Emotionally she is doing good, as she has been able to talk to so many supportive people, including those who have been through breast cancer before. Tomorrow (Monday) we have back-to-back appointments with her surgeon and oncologist, Dr. Kaplan. We will then hear what pathology found out about the tumor itself- size, aggressiveness, and risks. We will also get confirmation on the lymph node biopsy, which showed no cancer in the lymph system. This will be the basis of recommending her future course of treatment.

On Friday we also met with a naturopathic doctor Dr. John Catanzaro, who has been treating cancer for 13 years with an "integrated" approach that compliments modern medical treatments. One of his recommendations is the use of a somewhat controversial cancer vaccine that may allow Marce's immune system to pick up the cancer and kill it. Even he understands that the benefits of this vaccine may not be huge, but there may be little downside to it other than the cost, which insurance will not cover. We will definitely pursue an "integrated" approach in whatever we do, but really are not sure about the vaccine right now or which naturopathic doctor we should select.

We would appreciate your prayers that the full lymph node biopsy would show no cancer, and wisdom on the right balance of modern vs. naturopathic medicine she should undertake.

Thank you,

Marc

Home On Day One

Marce was feeling much better today, so she was released this morning from the hospital. Other than not feeling well from vicodane, a pain releiver, she is doing fine. She has elected to not use vicodane but is fighting the pain with a combination of Advil + Tylenol. She is up and around, and enjoyed watching a movie with Grandma and the girls tonight. We are hoping she will sleep better tonight than in the hospital. Next steps for us are meeting with a naturopathic doctor on Friday afternoon, then with both her surgeon + oncologist on Monday afternoon. At the Monday meetings we will have the pathology reports, which will be used to recommend the next course of action.

Marc

Successful Surgery!

This morning at 9AM Marce received an injection of radioactive marker to identify what are known as "sentinal nodes", which are the first nodes upstream from her cancer in her lymphatic system. Thankfully we didn't have to wait in the hospital until her 2:30PM surgery, so the hospital cut us loose to do what we wanted. We drove downtown, hit the mall and found an appropriate pink outfit for Marce to wear home on Wednesday. We returned in the early afternoon, but had to wait until 3:30 before she went into the operating room. Waiting was tough, especially since they were later than planned.

At 5:30PM Dr. Hanson came out and gave us the good news that the operation was a success, and that her sentinal nodes did not show signs of cancer. This "quick look" report tends to be 80% accurate, so we are hopeful the final pathology report will confirm no cancer in her lymph nodes. This is the #1 factor in determining Marce's long-term survival, as it dramatically lowers the risk that the cancer has spread in her body. The #2 factor will be the size of the tumor, which will also be determined in pathology later this week. At 6:30 I met Marce in her room, along with her mother Alene and oldest daughters Michelle and Meagan. We are all so thankful for the good news, although Marce still is struggling with the entire ordeal. Her pain is fairly low, and if things go to plan she should be released tomorrow. I am staying with her in the hospital tonight.

We want to thank everyone for their love, flowers, emails, phone calls, meals and support. While we still have a tough road ahead of us, we are thankful for the results of the surgery today. We are thankful to God for his mercy which endures forever!

Marc

One Day To Go

Today (Monday) Marce and I went into Swedish Hospital for her pre-op appointment. The reality and enormity of it all really sank into us as the nurse walked us through the details of check-in and the recovery process. The emotions have hit us again, especially Marce, as she realizes that tomorrow will be the beginning of a tough road ahead. Yet we are encouraged by so many friends and family, and realize that things could be a lot worse. Dr Kaplan called us both today just to check on us and make sure we knew he would be there tomorrow. Yesterday afternoon some dear friends come over to pray for Marce and the road before us. This afternoon we did things to take our mind off tomorrow. We have great doctors, family, friends and a God who prepares our way.

I will check Marce into the hospital at 8:30AM tomorrow, when she will receive a radioactive lymph node marker injection which will be used in the afternoon to find her sentinal nodes. Her surgery is scheduled to begin at 2:30PM and last 90 minutes. I will endeavor to update this tomorrow night with the status.

Thank you for your thoughts and prayers,

Marc & Marce

Grandma Alene Arrives

Friday night Marce and I went out to dinner with a friend from Australia, Emma Moore, who was passing through Seattle on business. Emma is a fun lady and is the Boeing manager who runs Boeing Services Australia. We went to dinner at Maggiano's Little Italy restaurant in Bellevue. It was great seeing Emma, and a nice distraction from the realities we are going through. Afterwards it was 9PM so we walked into Nordstrom to check out their prosthetics. Wow, is that a whole world we never knew existed! There were few people there, which Marce and I appreciated given the somewhat sensitive nature of our discussion. We had a nice young lady explain all the options. It was great to know there are so many options in such a depressing subject.

Yesterday (Saturday) Marce's mother arrived from Spokane. She will stay with us for a week or so to help get Marce back on her feet. The girls were all so happy to have her around, as she adds light to our dark situation. We also had a good conversation with a local naturopathic doctor who is doing some innovative work in complementary cancer care, which can help bolster Marce's immune system and, if necessary, chemo side-effects. We would appreciate prayer for wisdom on if this is something we should pursue.

Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers. We really appreciate it.

Marc

Good News

Words cannot fully express the gratitude and appreciation I have for our wonderful family and friends! You have all rallied around our family in so many wonderful and tangible ways. The ceaseless and fervent prayers, encouraging email messages, lovely cards and flowers in abundance, gourmet meals, gift baskets filled with goodies, compassionate phone calls, cherished visits, and countless hugs have been a tremendous source of comfort. The Lord is using each one of you to sustain and encourage us during these trying days. Thank you so very much!

I must admit I still have a difficult time with the diagnosis. It doesn't seem possible I have this disease ravaging my body since I feel perfectly fine. I could understand it better if I felt awful and knew the surgery and treatment would bring quick strength and healing. But feeling healthy and full of life makes it difficult to process it all. That's especially true knowing the weeks and months ahead (if chemo is needed) may significantly lower my immune system and bring about much fatigue. But I realize I need to take one day at a time and not concern myself with the unknown. Maybe the Lord, in His kindness, will allow me to avoid the chemo treatments after all. That is my prayer. More importantly, I know that the Lord will use this to reveal Himself to me in an even greater and more powerful way.

Today I took a couple hours out of my busy school day to enjoy a lovely visit with a longtime and dear friend, Maureen, who has recently recovered from breast cancer. She was a tremendous source of encouragement as she shared the ups and downs she experienced along the way. I've also spent hours on the phone chatting with several other women who have kindly shared their stories with me. All have given me hope and are wonderful reminders that I am not alone.

The last test result on my pathology report came back and I was relieved to learn that I am HER-2 negative, which is a good thing. If I understand it correctly, HER-2 genes help control how cells grow, divide, and repair themselves. HER-2 positive tumors tend to grow and spread more rapidly than other breast cancers. So that was great to hear some good news in all of this. :-)

Thank you again, dear family and friends, for all the special ways you are ministering to us.

We love you!

Marce

For our present troubles are quite small and won't last very long. Yet they produce for us an immeasurably great glory that will last forever! II Corinthians 4:17

Madeline's Moment

Today (Wednesday) was a busy day for Marce - shuffling girls to Latin, physics and piano. That was a good thing, since it didn't give her too much time to dwell on things. Tonight I interviewed Madeline, age 8, to see how she is feeling about her Mother's cancer. My questions are in black, and her answers are in hot pink!

Question: What gives you hope about Mommy's cancer?

Answer: I hope that the cancer has not made it into Mommy's lymph nodes. I hope that during Mommy's surgery that she doesn't wake up. I hope that Mommy will live happily.

Question: Do you know what cancer is?
Answer: I think it is like a bug inside of you that makes you get cancer.



Question: Do you know any other people who have had cancer?

Answer: Nana (Marc's mother) had cancer, and a friend of Mommy's (Maureen Furoy) whom she is getting together with tomorrow.


Question: How are those people doing today?

Answer: Nana is doing fine and Mrs Furoy is doing fine, I think.


Question: How would you like people to pray for Mommy?

Answer: I think they should pray that it will not get into the lymph nodes, and pray that she won't die.

Madeline

A Day Of Rest

Tuesday we went back to our normal routine of school and work. It was nice to have a break from the somewhat discouraging information we received yesterday. Yet even while we undergo our daily routine, the reality of our choices is always in the back of our minds.

Marce confirmed today that her surgery is next Tuesday - one week from today. In a way it seems too far away, but then it allows us to get some things in order prior to the big day. When it happens we will be glad it is over. She also has a pre-op appointment scheduled for next Monday at 11AM.

Marce's mother, Alene, will drive over this Saturday to spend time with us prior to the surgery. I know that will be especially good for Marce to have the comfort and support of her mother, which is so special at times like this. Alene lost her mom (Marce's grandmother) to breast cancer 18 years ago - it must be difficult to see one's daughter experiencing the same sickness. Yet by God's grace we are hopeful that Marce will have a long life ahead of her and get to experience the blessing of being a grandmother herself. This is our prayer for Marce.

Marc

Three Doctors and An Exhausting Day

Today (Monday) was another day for back-to-back doctors appointments. Two of the three doctors were naturopathic doctors, which means they work more with vitamins and natural supplements rather than modern drugs. Marce and I both believe strongly that "we are what we eat", and so obtained two recommended naturopathic doctors. They are both respected by the medical doctors and develop an "integrated plan" that works with the surgery and possible radiation and chemotherapy Marce will be undergoing. After visiting both doctors, it was clear to both of us that we felt most comfortable with Dr. Daniel Labriola at Northwest Natural Health. What we appreciated about him is that he works in an integrated fashion with our Swedish doctors, and in fact actually has an office at Swedish Medical Center. He had some great recommendations and insight, and best of all even started his career as a Boeing engineer!

At 3PM we met with Dr. Hanson at Swedish Medical Center, who we have decided will be Marce's surgeon. He comes with a reputation of being one of the best, if not THE best, breast cancer surgeons in Seattle. This was a good but difficult appointment, perhaps the most difficult we have had so far. It was good in that we both came away with a high degree of confidence in his knowledge and ability. However it was difficult because we literally spent hours learning about the risks and options before us. There is no easy road ahead of us. Dr. Hanson reviewed our mammogram and MRI films with us, explaining in intricate detail the nuances we would never have understood. In the end, we both came away confirmed that the risk is too high to attempt a lumpectomy (i.e. partial removal), and that a left mastectomy (complete removal) is best for Marce. The good news from this is that it is unlikely she will require radiation, which is used in a lumpectomy scenario to kill any local residual cancer. However, the thing that Marce really struggles with is chemo and hormonal therapy, both of which have significant side effects. Both are used if the cancer is suspected to have left the breast and be somewhere else in the body. While Dr. Kaplan is most knowledgeable in this area, Dr. Hanson believes that, based on imagery, chemo/hormonal therapy may offer significant risk reduction. This will depend on the same two factors (in order) which will have to wait until surgery:

1- Whether the lymph nodes have been "contaminated" (which he believes is unlikely), and
2- The size of the largest tumor

Both Marce and I left the appointment exhausted, tired, and with headaches. It wasn't anything new, but I guess the fact that we have now decided on mastectomy is making it more real.

We will confirm tomorrow, but the tentative plan is for surgery next Tuesday the 22nd. Marce's mother will travel here and stay for a week or more. Marce will stay at least one night in the hospital, and will need to lay low for around 3 weeks. With the help of Marce's mom, my Seattle based family, and friends we hope to quickly get through this.

We would appreciate prayer for the following:

1- The cancer has not spread to the lymph system and she has two smaller lumps (rather than one large one),

2- For peace of mind, especially for Marce and

3- For continued wisdom that we will make the right decisions.


Thank you!

Marc


Interesting Fact: More than 1.7 million women who have had breast cancer are still alive in the United States.

The Bad News Arrives

The afternoon of Monday, January 7th, was certainly one of the darkest days of our lives when Marce received a phone call with results that she has invasive ductile breast cancer. Due to some suspicious signs, in the two month prior she had been undergoing a series of tests, including mammograms, ultrasounds, and MRIs- the last of which was a "MRI-guided biopsy". The biopsy determined that she probably has two lumps, each approximately 1cm in diameter, separated by 1-2 cm, both on her left side. Because imagery is imperfect at picking up the exact tissue densities, it is possible that she has one larger lump comprised of the two lumps above which are connected by less dense cancerous material. We will not know for sure until her surgery, which will probably be the week of January 21-28. Immediately after hearing the news, I took two days off to accompany Marce as she met with numerous doctors and to help research the issue. We were thankful to meet with medical and radiological oncologists and a surgeon at nearby Evergreen Hospital all in one day. On Wednesday evening we met with Seattle's legendary Dr. Henry Kaplan at Swedish Medical Institute. Dr. Kaplan treated my mother successfully for lymphoma several years ago, and is a personal friend of my brother-in-law's family, the Hoffmans. Dr. Clark Hoffman is a retired Swedish surgeon, and thinks the world of Dr. Kaplan. The word on the street is that he is one of Seattle's finest oncologists, and Swedish is also known as one of the best cancer treatment facilities in the US. Interesting fact is that Seattle has some of the highest cancer rates in the US, but it also has some of the best cure rates. The reason for the former is believed by some to be vitamin D related, which is understandable given our lower exposure to sunshine. So there are some facts to help you justify spending $$$ for a trip to Hawaii - its healthy!

While Evergreen has great care, we have decided to plug ourselves into Swedish for treatment. On Monday, January 14th, we will meet with one of Seattle's top breast surgeons, Dr. Jim Hanson. We will also meet with two naturopathic doctors who provide "integrated" treatment of vitamins and minerals that work with the surgery and, if required, radiation and chemotherapy.

Presently Marce looks very treatable in the near-term, probably for the next 10 years. Past that, her "survivability" will be determined by two primary factors:

1- If the cancer has spread to the lymph system, and

2- The size of the largest tumor

For those of you who believe in God and prayer, we would appreciate your prayers for the following:

1- Wisdom in making the right decisions,

2- That the cancer has not spread to her lymph system,

3- That the tumors are indeed two smaller ones (see #2 above),

4- Courage and comfort for Marce and the rest of us.

Marce and I are resting in our faith that "God works all things for good" (Romans 8:28), and that this is merely a bump in the road of His eternal plan for our lives. Events like this serve as reminders about our frailty and mortality, and we are thankful we have a God who offers us hope in Him.

We will update this blog as new information occurs.

Love,

Marc & Marce

Our First Six Months Back

Our six months back has been a mini whirlwind in and of itself. On November 1st we finally moved back into our home after a kitchen remodel and some other needed improvements after renting our home for 2 1/2 years. These improvements include putting in kitchen wood floors, new cabinets and appliances, as well as repainting and refinishing the hardwood floors throughout the whole house. We had some great people helping us along the way, but none finer than our construction leader, Phil Jaegge, seen in the picture here with his "wish I was back in the 60's" tie-dye shirt! Doing a kitchen remodel has got to be one of the most stressful things in life, and Phil was our coach, mentor and counselor through it all. The "crown jewel" of our new kitchen is our countertop, which is made from Brazilian Yellow River granite. I sometimes wonder if our granite was more expensive than the crown jewels! Here's a picture of it being offloaded in our driveway. The largest piece weighed more than 1,000 pounds!!

During our remodel, we lived a nomadic lifestyle, rotating between a hotel, my mother's house in Somerset, and our good friends, the Spears' home, in Bothell. Living out of suitcases for 6 months gave us a deeper appreciation of "Home, sweet home"! The ironic thing about housesitting at the Spears was that they were actually vacationing in Australia and New Zealand. They originally planned to visit us in Brisbane (as well as tour around Oz and NZ) in September 2006, but were unable to do so when their oldest daughter suffered a severe hip fracture. Even though we missed sharing the Australia experience with them, we were blessed beyond measure to live in their beautiful home for 5 weeks.

In November, we all happily piled into our minivan and resumed our annual tradition of driving to Spokane for Thanksgiving at Marce's mother's home. Traditionally we visit Spokane for Thanksgiving, then Alene visits us for Christmas. Thankfully we were able to keep the latter tradition for the last 2 of 3 years, with Marce's mom visiting us for Christmas twice in Brisbane, where we enjoyed taking off to New Zealand (2005) and Tasmania (2006) over the Christmas holidays. Here is a picture of Madeline, Marina and Grandma Alene shopping at The Body Shop in Spokane's Northtown Mall on "Black Friday".

Our Christmas season was filled with plenty of fellowship with family and friends. My mom treated our family to two plays, one of which we especially loved: "A Christmas Carol", at the Seattle ACT Theatre. We also had a wonderful holiday dinner at my father's house in West Seattle. I enjoyed having the two weeks off between Christmas and New Year's to help Marce and the girls get our home back in order before resuming our homeschool schedule. But little did we know that we were in for some shocking news that would hit us in 2008.

Marc