Nine Years from Stage IIIC!!!

Hi ladies,

I am writing this with enormous gratitude that I have reached this 9 Year BC anniversary. I've recently returned from my 6 mos check up, and finally had the nerve to ask my sweet Onc if he thought I would make it back then. He smiled and told me if anyone would, he thought it would be me. You see back then it was a recent development that an additional classification  of C was added to the Stage 3  cases.There was only Stage III A. and B then. This  meant for me  that had I been diagnosed a few years earlier I would of been classified a stage 4 and would not have been a  candidate  for surgery, or the treatment I received.( My onc was part of the team at MD Anderson that pushed for this additional classification to provide an option of CURE for cases like myself) Anyway,  to throw another ratchet in, I was also HER2 positive and when he  told me that he looked really disturbed. I was actually happy since I knew I would probably get the newly approved Herceptin and just maybe it would work for me. He told me he had seen HER2  cases(before Herceptin) to be the worst BC  prognosis and did not have any long term data for a case like mine. However, my dear Onc, held out his hand to me and said 'We're going for the Cure for you" I remember telling him then  to throw everything he could at me.  You see, I had just lost my Mom to Met BC and he was also  her Onc. and we all had  walked the long road of metastatic dx together.

That was 9  years ago and I am well. Living Large! I don't let a day pass without thanking God for my health and blessings I have in this life. I am blessed to share  my life with a wonderful man who stood by me, while some members of my family ran for the hills. I have 2 beautiful girls  and healthy happy  grandchildren and a new baby boy coming in August! I am blessed to have  my faith , and have  truly long time  dear friends. Upon my return home I went back to my career in research, but it would be Breast Cancer Research this time. How cool is that to be able to do that?! So many new treatments and lots of good outcomes.

Anyway. I am  posting this to say hi to my old timer sisters  on this board and also to let the newer sisters, know my story. There are lots of us out there.

I wish all a gentle road on a journey no one wants to go on.