My Next Steps

For the breast cancer mass they removed, the margins were more than adequate (she took enough tissue). But for the sentinel node biopsy (dye, track potential path to lymph nodes from mass), the surgeon removed 2 nodes and they found micrometastases.

My next meeting was with the medical oncologist and I suspected he would likely recommend both a HER2 targeted drug + chemotherapy (even before radiation). I reminded myself daily not to get ahead of myself – or ahead of reality. I researched like crazy so I would be prepared for productive discussions. But I had to resist jumping to conclusions.

Meanwhile, my husband and I continued our KETO eating routine, and I took a ton of supplements including iodine and Ivermectin (whether the oncologist wants me to or not). God gently eased me into this new reality which resulted in an extraordinary peace.

Faith and fear both require you to believe something you can’t see. Choosing faith will fill you with power while choosing fear or worry drains that power. Faith does not make things easy, it makes them possible.

Although my husband was a strong pillar for me, I prayed for him to remember that God was holding him up as well. He lost two sisters and a niece to breast cancer in the past 20 years, so no doubt the devil kept throwing that fear dart at him.

“The Lord is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you with his love; he will exult you with loud singing.”   Zephaniah 3:17

Every day is an opportunity to be consumed by anxiety and doubt, especially when the future seemed uncertain. But it was equally a chance to have faith and trust God with the outcome. Both doubt and faith require believing in something you can’t see. My fears melted into tears when I heard the following hymn at church.

There’s power in the mighty name of Jesus
Every war He wages He will win
I’m not backing down from any giant
‘Cause I know how this story ends
Yes, I know how this story ends

I’m gonna see a victory
I’m gonna see a victory
For the battle belongs to You, Lord Elevation Worship

Encouragement flowed in for months – from friends, family, prayer warriors, calls, cards, flowers, lunches, and check-in texts. I heard uplifting messages from Scriptures, songs, poems, and prayers. If you ever question how to help someone in your life face a mighty interruption in their life, remember that all of these acts of kindness make a difference. You might doubt that something so simple as a note or a call will lend true support, but I assure you they do. You’re providing nourishment for the soul.

“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”  Philippians 4:8 NIV

When this cancer diagnosis quietly crept into my life February of 2025, my 50^th high school reunion was about to take place. It was poised to be a BIG event, perhaps not in number of attendees, but in significant reconnections after five decades of living disparate lives. Two other classmates and I had been working on and organizing the weekend for the prior 9 months when I received the diagnosis. There were still so many event details to lock down including venue, food, parking, music, memorial slide show, school tour, decorations, door prizes, and photography – oh and collecting payments from 96 attendees. Then in waltzes cancer.

The reunion weekend (3/28-29) was actually a welcome distraction from medical uncertainties looming ahead in the next few months. I got to be “Carol without cancer” for a few hours. Laugh. Hug. Tell stories. Remember our younger selves.

On Friday before the official reunion events kicked off, a cluster of our closest childhood girlfriends gathered for lunch to reconnect in a small setting. It was a time of deeper sharing than would be possible during the large group events. One of the girlfriends surprised me by presenting Team Carol t-shirts to each of us. The design had the pink breast cancer ribbon incorporated. What a touching moment and I was humbled to tears by the gesture. I wept. Not from fear, but because I was overwhelmed by feelings of gratitude for these special ladies and our bonds that had lasted across 50+ years. I’m truly blessed to have these prayer sisters. We posed for a group photo as they pledged to hold me in prayer through each step of this odyssey.

Prayer warriors geared up from other walks of my life as well — our church, my brother’s church, neighbors, churches we’d attended in the past, work friends, and of course family. I never felt alone in this journey, especially with the Holy Spirit leading the way and guiding my steps. I read so many medical books those first few months, but also devoured devotional books that kept pointing me back to the most reliable source of strength and hope – my heavenly Father. Yahweh. Abba. The Holy Trinity.

A terrific devotional book called 50 Days Of Hope came from one of my prayer sisters. It walks through so many of the questions and doubts and a foundation for facing each fear. If you want to check it out, the Amazon link is here. It was so uplifting to me during those first couple of months that I’ve recommended it to several friends since.

“Faith consists in believing when it is beyond the power of reason to believe. It is not enough that a thing be possible for it to be believed.” Voltaire

I never knew there were so many types of oncologists. Surgical Oncologist (removes cancerous growths). Radiation Oncologist (oversees any radiation treatment prescribed). Medical Oncologist (lays out the overall plan for treatment, administers treatment drugs, and is the overall quarterback of the oncology team).

My medical oncologist also reviewed the pathology report with me — the report that I’ve scoured and reviewed and Googled dozens of times already.  I took notes, but the main words he used to describe likely post-surgery treatments were “radiation”, “Herceptin”, “maybe some chemo”, and “anastrozole”. O wrote all those down for further study. I asked about possible immunotherapy treatment (which tends to be milder on the body) and learned that wasn’t an option for me due to the HER2 + cells present in my cancer. His plan all seemed like a cookie-cutter recipe following the cut-burn-poison protocol. The intent was to give me the best odds of survival. Survival. Breathe deeply.

Shortly after this appointment I chose to also start a complementary regimen of Ivermectin and Fenbezadole daily. In studies, (see Journal of Orthomolecular Medicine, June 17, 2024 edition, volume 39, number 3) both have shown to be effective in boosting the body’s immune system and increasing the effectiveness of traditional treatments. Oncologists are not big fans of this supplement since it’s not “standard of care”, but lack of negative side effects and many studies showing evidence of their usefulness convinced me to add them to my daily supplements.

I also spoke with several friends about the benefits of Vitamin C infusions. Although not covered by insurance, I was convinced that I should add it to my weekly protocol during chemo and radiation. More on that later.

You must do the thing you think you cannot do.   Eleanor Roosevelt

Per the biopsy three weeks prior, I already knew the mass was small and that all indications said no lymph node involvement. The surgeon added more details I hadn’t seen on the original pathology report. My cancer is Estrogen positive. Progesterone positive. HER2 positive. It’s called triple positive breast cancer. HER2+ is an aggressive form of cancer. Thankfully HER2+ has specific drugs that target those over-active HER2 cells — Herceptin is one of those drugs. My surgeon also estimated the Stage at stage1, although confirmation of stage comes after surgery and subsequent pathology.

Since the size of my cancer mass was small, she (my surgeon) gave me the surgical choice of mastectomy + zero radiation or lumpectomy + radiation. I had to think this one over. If during surgery they discovered ANY lymph node involvement while performing the sentinel node biopsy, then radiation would still be recommended – even if I chose to have a mastectomy. Therefore, choosing a mastectomy just to avoid radiation seemed short-sighted. I’m glad I chose to have a lumpectomy.

The team quickly got me scheduled for the 4/9 surgery.

“Sometimes your only available transportation is a leap of faith.” Margaret Shepard