Metastatic Journey: My encounter with Stage 4 Breast Cancer

 I found out I had cancer the first time four years ago while sitting in the Dairy Queen parking lot eating an ice cream cone.  I decided to check results in My Chart while I was taking a snack break in between errands. “Malignant Neoplasm of the Left Breast” Wait, What? I immediately called The breast clinic and they told me someone would give me a call back shortly.  Within 10 minutes I had a care coordinator on the line giving me all kinds of next step information.  I would have a team of 3 oncologists, one main medical oncologist, a radiation oncologist, and a surgeon.  Appointments would be popping up within days to make a game plan.  That time, I went with a lumpectomy followed by 16-20 rounds of radiation.  The exact number escapes me now.  Everything functioned like a well oiled machine.  I met my team, was given a binder with all kinds of information on my type of cancer, treatment options, what to expect, who to call when and for wh...

When smacked in the face with your own mortality you start doing a lot of thinking.  I have been going over my life and shaking my head at some of the decisions I made along the way and applauding myself for others.  We do what we can with what we have at the time.  I always had good intentions, sometimes my own naive young mind got me on the wrong path, sometimes it was my alcoholism, and sometimes I was just foolish. But all those experiences, the good and the bad made me who I am right now.   So many memories have started coming back to me. Not sure if that is just what happens with a diagnosis such as this or if my slower pace of living, gives my brain time to remember.   I can remember the smell of my grandma Inez’s house.  I remember her cupboards and how they smelled of wood varnish. I remember her baking what seemed like endless apple pies from scratch using apples off her backyard tree.  I remember my aunt Melanie’s room like I was just t...