Tag: my story

I am forever GRATEFUL for YOU…..


I have learnt what LOVE feels like from strangers & it’s magic.
Today will be a good day xo

Over the past few weeks friends, family and strangers have been donating their time, money and LOVE so we can actively pursue alternative treatments that are not covered by health care or benefits.

We are forever grateful.

It is an indescribable feeling to have so much LOVE poured over you.  Standing in a room like I was on June 5th, filled with people who are cheering for me inside was an experience like no other.  I felt a lot of hope, joy and positivity in that room, which made me grateful to be a part of something filled with that sort of energy.  Here is a short clip of the evening that was made by Tony.

 

A big thank you to my aunt Barb Richardson the guys at Classic Events Group for the event “Vibe in the Sky” and the Go Fund Me page that was created (PS – thanks Ryan for our UNI Chillwear, we love them!).  The event was fun and classic, with a view like no other.  THANK YOU!  A big thank you also to all the entertainment, you guys were amazing.

Paco Belero | Electric Jazz – Guitar, Vocals, Sax (Peter Fischer)
Denis Dufresne | Renowned Violinist & ACMA Board Member
Pete Wilde | DJ & Producer
Max Sindrome | DJ
Sammy Jean | Vocals & Keyboard
Kyle Rothbauer | Fiddle

I thought that along with my THANK YOU, I would give you a little overview of where the funds will go and what I am currently doing for treatments.

* IV Vitamin C, Artesunate and Mistletoe treatments (2x/week)
* B12 injections weekly
* Full Body Hyperthermia in Langly, BC (monthly to start)
* Supplements Recommended by my Integrative Oncologist in Calgary.  These are based on my diagnosis, blood-work and the genetic testing that I had completed recently (the list is long, 30+ pills daily!).
* Daily Juicing (30+ ounces a day from fresh organic green veggies)
* Travel to and from appointments in Calgary, Edmonton and Langly.
* Drugs and tests not covered under benefits.
* Yoga and Meditation work

People have also donated their time & services offering me energy healing, photography, prayer groups, Reiki treatments, and fitness classes.

I am currently doing all of the above combined with a low dose oral chemotherapy and bone medicine.  I have a great medical oncologist and integrative oncologist working with me.  My family and I are continuing to do research on other treatments available, should I need to adjust anything in the future.

I get asked a lot about trials, travelling out of country to Mexico or Germany, and about seeking opinions from one of the big cancer clinics in the US.  We have looked into all these options, so I thought I would share with you where we are at.  I have a Oncologist that we have visited at the Mayo Clinic, who still consults with us over the phone when needed.  She is excellent.  We have met with the University of Alberta regarding clinical trials and that door is open should we need it later on.  We have looked into clinics in both Mexico and Germany.  At this point in time, our integrative oncologist is utilizing alternative therapies that they do a lot of in these other countries (mistletoe, hyperthermia, high does Vitamin therapy, low dose chemotherapy etc.) and we are wanting to give them a good try before looking further with these clinics.

I have been in awe since the beginning of this journey on the generosity of people.  We have received meals, groceries, flowers, money, cards, hugs, prayers and visits from family, old friends, new friends and even strangers.  I often look at my stack of cards (yes I have kept every last one) and think about how lucky I am to have the support of so many.  How lucky my family is and how truly blessed we all are to have such a strong, thoughtful and loving support group.

Again, I can’t thank you all enough for your support, generosity and LOVE over the past year, month, week or day.  I get surprised by something daily and am forever grateful to all of you who bring that extra joy into our lives on a regular basis.

We LOVE you.

xoxo
Lyndsey

 

 

 

My Story…..

First off I would like to say thank you so much for reading/following my new blog!!  The scariest part of starting this blog for me was wondering if I truly had anything to say.  Anything that would interest people enough to take time out of their busy week to read.  So thank you for the emails, the comments (IF ANY) and for the encouragement.

Here is my story (or some of it anyhow).  I am just going to cover what has led me to today.  What has led me to starting this blog, to want to re-discover life and want to learn to love everything and everyone in it.

I am 30 years old, live in Red Deer, Alberta and have 2 very important men in my life.  My husband Chad and my son Sawyer are my whole world.  My goal is to make them smile, each and every day.

A year ago I was a very tired first time mom, struggling yet enjoying my time with Sawyer.  Sawyer was such a good little baby but he sure hated to sleep.  He never wanted to miss a thing.  I was planning on going back to work but decided to extend my maternity leave so that I could spend the summer with my little man instead of inside my office.  Little did I know that my summer would not go as planned.

Fast forward a month and I was diagnosed with an aggressive form of Triple Negative Breast Cancer that had moved from the breast into the lymph nodes.  I can’t describe the feelings that came next.  I am not sure I have really let myself go there since it all happened.  At this point, it is easier letting it be a blur.  I do know I will have to address this to completely heal from it, and I will, but all in due time.

I knew nothing about breast cancer.  In hopes of a complete pathological response doctors wanted to start aggressive TAC chemotherapy as soon as possible to try and kill the cancer before surgery to make the surgery less invasive. My first initial thought was no way.  Get this cancer out of me NOW.  In my mind it needed to be removed.  After a few different people looked at it, and I had a short amount of time to digest it with my family, the consensus was to do chemotherapy first.

I am not going to focus on the details of everything that happened over the last year.  Maybe I will post on it later if the topics come up or if people are interested in learning some of what I experienced.  For today I will summarize:

6 Rounds of TAC chemotherapy.  The doctors stopped at 6 as it felt like the cancer was shrinking and responding favourably.

Double Masectomy with immediate reconstruction.  The pathology came back as a surprise to us all.  The cancer was still everywhere and 13 out of 14 lymph nodes were infected also.  The chemotherapy was not successful.  And worst yet…..they were fairly confident there was still cancer left.

Second Surgery to get clear margins on the breast.

Travel to Mayo Clinic in Arizona for another opinion.   They completely agreed with the treatment here and said they would have recommended the same.  The only thing different was they were able to give me some additional information on a couple alternative treatments that may be gaining some…………

PET scan shows that there is still cancer in the lymph nodes under my arm and now also in my chest wall.

30 Rounds of radiation treatment.

12 Rounds of Hyperthermia treatments with IV Curcumin Therapy. *I have been seeing a Natropath that focuses in Oncology in Calgary, AB through this whole process also.

2 weeks of much deserved family time in Mexico…..

And here we are!  I am currently waiting for my next scan to see what the story is and if the radiation was successful.  Today I am just doing whatever I can to stay healthy, strong and happy.  I am learning to be me again, learning what this new life looks like and learning how to LOVE.

xoxo Lyndsey