ART EXHIBIT: Tumors, Estrogen & Herceptin - OH MY!

Title:  Herceptin Fed Tumors

Medium: Bic Pen & Copy Paper

Artist: Dr. Sara Hurvitz, UCLA Oncologist

Price: My Health & a Long Life

UCLA & 2nd Opinions

To say that I was anxious about my 2nd opinion UCLA Oncology appointment today in Santa Monica would be a gross understatement. And in an attempt to diminish the butterflies flitting and fleeting around in my gut, we left early, drove down our beautiful coast on PCH and had a car picnic on the way. But the news of finding out whether or not I need chemo was about to become a reality and those butterflies in my stomach promptly returned.

SCREEEEECH!!!! (Insert loud car breaks here!).

That's right. All that anxiety for nothing! Ok, well not nothing, but holy-health Batman! I got myself all worked up for the news about chemo and ended up leaving without an answer, yet AGAIN!

To begin with, I got the same greeting from my 2nd opinion doc that I get from all the other docs. Enter, Dr. Sara Hurvitz, Breast Cancer Oncologist, UCLA. "Hi, my name is Sara. Boy, don't you just love your complicated case?"

Doesn't anyone ever say 'How are you?' anymore?

Anyhoo, Dr. Hurvitz turned out to be a rockstar doc and the appointment with this genius, cutting-edge-oncologist turned out to be a good thing even though the chemo treatment in question is still lingering. She drew a clever and picturesque cancer tumor cell with simplistic yet detailed information, in order to determine whether or not my body needs chemo. And may I say, it really explained quite a bit! Not only was her tumor drawing stellar, but her penmanship was quite impressive.

Bottom line, more testing needs to be done which now involves THE founder of the HER2/neu test who just also happens to be Dr. Hurvitz' colleague at USC. Now, all I need to do is...brace yourselves....FedEx the HER2 guru, my mastectomy tissue samples that are apparently preserved in their own wax museum in a pathology lab in Santa Barbara. Little did I know that they kept such specimens on hand.

Soooo, another week of waiting it is.


FYI: What is the HER2/neu Test? (Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2). HER2 positive breast cancer is a breast cancer that tests positive for a protein called human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2), which promotes the growth of cancer cells. HER2-positive breast cancers tend to be more aggressive than other types of breast cancer. Routine testing for HER2 is recommended for most women diagnosed with breast cancer because the results may affect treatment recommendations and decisions such as chemo. (Mayo Clinic)

LENT: What I Gave Up!

OK, so I'm not exactly a practicing Catholic anymore, but I still do possess my Holy Communion name - 'Ann' (Alright, so I couldn't think of anything else... and... I know that makes my full Catholic name  
'Dee Anne Ann'... but... I was under pressure...on the spot...Father O'Neary was standing in front of me... waiting...I was 8 - give me a break!). But after all, it is Ash Wednesday and I WAS a loyal, Catholic child, albeit circa 1968. So, I thought this would be as good a time as any, to take part in the historical tradition of Lent. And then it hit me! BREAST CANCER! That's it! I'll give THAT up! Brilliant!
But here's the twist. I'm not just giving breast cancer up for THIS Lent. I'm giving it up for ALLLLL the Lents, for as long as I live (which, by the way, will be for a very long time!). So, yep. It's official. I'm giving up breast cancer for Lent!
Take THAT breast cancer! BOOYAH (and Amen!).

Breast Cancer Quotes (& T-Shirts) to Live By

Lost my Boobs, not my sense of humor

YES, they're FAKE, my real ones tried to kill me 

(Just in case you couldn't read my new breast cancer mantras....enough said!)

Re-Entry to Work!

I've always had a special affinity towards the butterfly (Mariposa), but this week proved that even more for me. After being home for nearly 6 weeks recovering from surgeries and some emotional adjustment, I returned to work by attending a two day training hosted by the agency I work with - The Mariposas Project.

To say re-entry went more smoothly than I had ever imagined would be an understatement. I was welcomed with open arms, a roomful of love, support and a sea of smiling, welcoming faces thanks to my new work family (AKA, the 'Mariposas Family')! I was lifted to a new level of recovery and suddenly the pain subsided, if only for minutes at a time, but diminished nonetheless. A sense of calm washed over me like a beautiful waterfall thanks to my Mariposa's 'posse.' And by posse, I mean a group of nearly 40 remarkable and giving women; from administrators to speech therapists, developmental specialists, physical therapists, occupational therapists and of course, my boss (AKA, 'Saint Silvia of Argentina').

My superior ('SS' - Saint Silvia) cringes when I call her that because she is such a humbling, unassuming and unpretentious individual. Authentic as they come. And because this is the 'House that Silvia Built' - she literally hand-picked and attracted THE most amazing group of selfless and talented therapists that I have ever met in my 25 years of working.

So, to my 'Mariposas Family' - I say a gracious thank you for rallying around me these past couple of months and for being the cornerstone of the best work environment I have ever experienced. And to Silvia, whom I can't seem to thank enough, I can only simply say, gracias mi amiga!

V-Day + 'My Henry' = Warms My Heart!

After a bit of an emotionally draining day yesterday with 3-plus hours of doctor's appointments and waiting to hear if I need chemo, I hit my pillow last night like a ton of bricks! Hoping to wake up with a fresh perspective and positive source of energy to keep this cancer recovery train a rollin' - I was over the moon when I received this text from a past client and now my young friend (thanks to his fab parents!).  For those of you who know me well, I adoringly refer to him as 'My Henry' and haven't stopped talking about him on a monthly basis for the past 6 years (and probably never will - get used to it!). For those of you who don't know me as well, trust me when I say that this kid's an exceptional one!

I don't have my own children so I relish and treasure my young 'friends' (my professional lingo that I call all of my young clients), but this one's a special one! From the moment and day that I walked into his house for home speech therapy to today, he continues to touch my heart! All grown up at age 9 and now living a few states away in the hip city of Austin, 'My Henry' continues to be full of fun, kindness, brilliance and generosity (props to his stellar parents too!).

Waking up each day for me is a unique experience based upon pain, recovery, coping and hope.  But, how did my young friend and his family know how much I needed this Valentine - TODAY?!

As usual, I sat up in bed, ate a cracker (pre-med routine), took my meds, turned on my phone and had this charming Valentine picture waiting for me in my text messages. I gasped with joy!

So to that, I say thank you to 'My Henry' and his family! I heart you all back!

Hey Chemo! I Need a Decision Here!

I'm a 3rd primary, post DCIS (twice), Stage II, ER positive, PR positive, BRCA 1 & 2 negative, lymph node negative, HER2 negative, post double mastectomy, Oncotype DX recurrence score 22, breast cancer survivor. BUT, the jury is still out on chemo.

So, we're heading down to UCLA in the next couple of weeks for an appointment with one of the country's top 20 leading breast cancer oncology experts at the recommendation of my oncologist, for a final verdict on my Onecotype test results and chemo.

Just in case you were wondering.