In July 2023, my mom was diagnosed with stage 4 metastatic breast cancer. Hearing the words “Stage 4” is nerve wracking as it means there is no cure. So many emotions and thoughts crossed our minds. How do we treat this? Where do we go? What does the prognosis look like? For those who do not know, she was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2005 and had been in remission until her new diagnosis.
We got my mom setup with a local oncologist right away. She said to think about this diagnosis as a chronic disease and coming up with a treatment plan to live comfortably with it. This is not curable but manageable and she could live many years yet. She also said this is the best-case scenario given the diagnosis. She doesn’t foresee her health declining anytime soon. Or so we thought…
In the past 2 years she has tried a few different treatments – more information on Caring Bridge. The cancer is in multiple areas: brain, bone, lung and lymph nodules. The lung is proving to be rather aggressive with treatments not responding. The prognosis is grim, but she plans on fighting until the end and hopes for the best.
Her current oncologist has decided to discontinue all aggressive treatment, which is not how my mom wants to proceed! We have decided to share her story and create a fundraiser to assist with the expenses with proceeding with treatment elsewhere.
We currently have 2 options. There are other Oncologists who are willing to continue treatment.
Our preferred option is to head to Chicago for 9 weeks of chemo and holistic treatment. This is the most promising route but also the most expensive. If we can’t get started on this treatment in a timely manner, we are also considering chemo from Mayo Rochester. She needs to get something in place immediately as timing is critical.
Please consider sharing or donating to assist Barb and her family with the costs associated with treatment and travel for either option.
With Love,
Barb, Amanda & Beth
