Our lives took a surprising turn at the end of August. After a few exams and procedures, I found out that I had invasive ductal carcinoma, aka breast cancer. The next few weeks were filled with lots of tests, appointments, decisions, and many prayers. Once we knew a little better what we were dealing with, I had surgery at the end of September. We were able to go to the cancer hospital in New Orleans and have a wonderful team of doctors perform the mastectomy and reconstruction. There have been so many people along the way that have been such a good help to us. My mom and my friend Rachel came to help our family during my recovery, and we couldn't have done it without them!
The results from surgery showed that we caught it early, only Stage 1a and clear lymph nodes. There were a couple of test results that showed that I would benefit in the long run from doing chemotherapy, so that is the next step. I will start a 5 month regimen of chemotherapy tomorrow, and hope to put this all behind us soon after that.
We feel extremely grateful for the way that everything has worked out, and that things have gone smoothly and results have been very positive and hopeful. There have been many miracles and blessings all along the way. We have received so much strength through prayers, packages, letters, and service, and have been amazed by the outpouring of love and support from friends and family. We have already learned so much through this trial, and hope that it will make us more caring, empathetic, humble, and reliant on our Savior. We are always stronger than we think we are, and now is our chance to show it. I will try to post updates here as I can, mixed in with all the normal life events that I love to share. I will also update a little more often on instagram. Thank you to everyone for your love and support!
