Elizabeth Edwards
Why do bad things happen to good people?? Specifically, why cancer??? This is truly a tough thing to understand. I was driving to my 7th Taxol appointment this afternoon listening to CNN when the press conference discussing Elizabeth Edwards' recurrence with breast cancer came on. It just took my breath away. I couldn't believe it.
I haven't cried very much since hearing about my own diagnosis, but I literally had to choke back the tears on this one. I think what moved me the most was how she and her husband are handling this situation with such openness, courage, and grace. When I came home to see the actual news conference, I cried some more. Edwards has put such a brave and optimistic face on such frightening and disturbing news. There is no cure for her condition now, only treatment to sustain her the rest of her life. My heart truly goes out to them and their entire family.
For those who haven't kept up with the news, Elizabeth Edwards (wife of democratic Presidential hopeful, John Edwards) battled breast cancer in 2004 and in just a little more than 2 years, she has been diagnosed at Stage IV with metastatic disease to the bones and possibly her lung. Doctors don't yet know exactly how widespread her returned cancer is, beyond a small but definite spot found in her right rib after she coincidentally broke a rib on the other side. They are also awaiting test results on a suspicious spot in her lung.
It is not uncommon for women to experience a recurrence within five years of an initial diagnosis, and that's why reaching the five year milestone is regarded with so much relief by many survivors. Breast cancer is very complex and heterogenous ... it is so different in so many women. That is why the treatment protocols can vary so much from person to person depending on certain factors. Chemotherapy is designed to kill cancerous cells and we are always encouraged when there is no cancer found in close by lymphnodes. However, microscopic cancer cells not necessarily destroyed by chemo can still travel through the vascular system (i.e., blood stream) to other organs. That is why additional protocols such as radiation, systemic hormonal therapies for hormone positive individuals, and drugs like Herceptin for aggressive cancers after chemo have a place of importance. One thing is sure, this disease loves to migrate to certain organs when it's given an opportunity to metastasize. Mets to the bone, liver, lung, and brain are among the most common organs to be affected.
In a 2004 People magazine article, Edwards, 55, said she first noticed a half-dollar-size lump in her right breast on Oct. 21, 2004. She told the magazine that she had not had a mammogram since the birth of her son, Jack, 4. Most experts agree that annual mammograms for women in their 50's reduce the risk of dying from breast cancer. Although she had been diligent in getting mammography in the past, she said life just seemed to take over and she didn't get around to it. When a sonogram Oct. 29 suggested that the lump was malignant, she called her husband on the campaign trail to break the news, according to People. A needle biopsy Nov. 3, the day after the election, at Massachusetts General Hospital confirmed that Edwards had invasive ductal carcinoma, the most common type of breast cancer.
I am really curious with regard to her hormone status and what type of chemo treatment she was undergoing before. I read somewhere that she had had mega fertility treatments at the age of 50 to conceive her two youngest children. I would imagine that the hormone treatments would not have been a big issue if her cell receptors were not receptive to hormones in the first place. But, if her cell receptors were hormone positive, would the fertiltiy treatments have increased her overall cancer risk? I have heard that EVERYONE has cancerous cells in their bodies, but most people's immune systems have the ability to eradicate them before it ever becomes what we know as cancer. But for those of us who have fueled cancer with synthetic hormones or other environmental factors of which we may be unaware, getting rid of these cancerous cells is more of a challenge for our lymphnode and immune systems.
As you can imagine, for every woman who is currently battling or has battled breast cancer in the past, news like this makes your heart shutter with fear. Even with all the wonderful advancements in the way of treatment and the faith you have in your doctors, you obsess about whether you're doing or have done enough to be aggressive in the face of this disease. It feels like such a crap shoot at times! And truthfully, as my surgery date approaches, I have a tendency to vacillate about whether I am doing all the right things for myself. Breast conservation seemed soooo important to me above almost everything else at the time of my diagnosis. Now with more time to think and more time to have researched reconstruction options, I waiver back and forth about whether I should be doing a mastectomy (including a prophylactic one of my good breast) instead of lumpectomy and radiation. Yes, how many times have I said I love my boobs? But I know if I ever had a recurrence (something I try not to dwell on for very long), I wouldn't think twice about taking these breasts off. And who the $%&@! wants to do chemo all over again?? Ugh!
As Elizabeth Edwards well knows, this is not a road you can travel alone. Breast cancer has a way of bringing together an amazing community of women who find eachother through this common experience. Moreover, I have met some of the kindest, compassionate people who have endured this disease. It seems so incredibly unfair on the surface. But spiritually, I believe our experience is designed to allow others to be a witness to all the good things that can come from it, including miracles and what we see in our supporters.
BC is the great equilizer because of the same fear we face ... we all fear the beast! And while I obviously don't know Elizabeth Edwards, I feel as though she could be my friend in the fight. I suspect that what is terrible for her on a personal level (and I wouldn't wish this on anyone) will ultimately be good for us as survivors. She will bring to light the issues, and she will be relatively public (she has already written a book about her fight with breast cancer), and if we're very, very lucky she will be outspoken about the need for funding etc.
Funding to the National Institutes for Health, specifically for cancer research, has been cut dramatically by this current administration. This is not a statement designed to divide us politically ... it is not about liberals vs. conservatives but rather about the way our government prioritizes support for cancer research and treatment. And it is my hope that as political figures in a prominant, public forum (whether John Edwards wins the Democratic bid or not ... the election is irrelevant because he and his family have become part of the news focus right now), they will be personally inclined to support cancer programs, and perhaps they can return funding to its original place or even push for increases. (Personally, my money is on Barack Obama, but I digress here.) This disease just takes so much from women and their families. The funding to find a cure that afflicts 1 in 7 women in America is just so essential.
In any event, I truly admire Elizabeth Edwards for her strength, grace, and poise given this shocking news. But at the same time, I'm not all that surprised. She will fight the good fight ... and she really does get it. Cancer is a word, not a sentence.
I haven't cried very much since hearing about my own diagnosis, but I literally had to choke back the tears on this one. I think what moved me the most was how she and her husband are handling this situation with such openness, courage, and grace. When I came home to see the actual news conference, I cried some more. Edwards has put such a brave and optimistic face on such frightening and disturbing news. There is no cure for her condition now, only treatment to sustain her the rest of her life. My heart truly goes out to them and their entire family.
For those who haven't kept up with the news, Elizabeth Edwards (wife of democratic Presidential hopeful, John Edwards) battled breast cancer in 2004 and in just a little more than 2 years, she has been diagnosed at Stage IV with metastatic disease to the bones and possibly her lung. Doctors don't yet know exactly how widespread her returned cancer is, beyond a small but definite spot found in her right rib after she coincidentally broke a rib on the other side. They are also awaiting test results on a suspicious spot in her lung.
It is not uncommon for women to experience a recurrence within five years of an initial diagnosis, and that's why reaching the five year milestone is regarded with so much relief by many survivors. Breast cancer is very complex and heterogenous ... it is so different in so many women. That is why the treatment protocols can vary so much from person to person depending on certain factors. Chemotherapy is designed to kill cancerous cells and we are always encouraged when there is no cancer found in close by lymphnodes. However, microscopic cancer cells not necessarily destroyed by chemo can still travel through the vascular system (i.e., blood stream) to other organs. That is why additional protocols such as radiation, systemic hormonal therapies for hormone positive individuals, and drugs like Herceptin for aggressive cancers after chemo have a place of importance. One thing is sure, this disease loves to migrate to certain organs when it's given an opportunity to metastasize. Mets to the bone, liver, lung, and brain are among the most common organs to be affected.
In a 2004 People magazine article, Edwards, 55, said she first noticed a half-dollar-size lump in her right breast on Oct. 21, 2004. She told the magazine that she had not had a mammogram since the birth of her son, Jack, 4. Most experts agree that annual mammograms for women in their 50's reduce the risk of dying from breast cancer. Although she had been diligent in getting mammography in the past, she said life just seemed to take over and she didn't get around to it. When a sonogram Oct. 29 suggested that the lump was malignant, she called her husband on the campaign trail to break the news, according to People. A needle biopsy Nov. 3, the day after the election, at Massachusetts General Hospital confirmed that Edwards had invasive ductal carcinoma, the most common type of breast cancer.
I am really curious with regard to her hormone status and what type of chemo treatment she was undergoing before. I read somewhere that she had had mega fertility treatments at the age of 50 to conceive her two youngest children. I would imagine that the hormone treatments would not have been a big issue if her cell receptors were not receptive to hormones in the first place. But, if her cell receptors were hormone positive, would the fertiltiy treatments have increased her overall cancer risk? I have heard that EVERYONE has cancerous cells in their bodies, but most people's immune systems have the ability to eradicate them before it ever becomes what we know as cancer. But for those of us who have fueled cancer with synthetic hormones or other environmental factors of which we may be unaware, getting rid of these cancerous cells is more of a challenge for our lymphnode and immune systems.
As you can imagine, for every woman who is currently battling or has battled breast cancer in the past, news like this makes your heart shutter with fear. Even with all the wonderful advancements in the way of treatment and the faith you have in your doctors, you obsess about whether you're doing or have done enough to be aggressive in the face of this disease. It feels like such a crap shoot at times! And truthfully, as my surgery date approaches, I have a tendency to vacillate about whether I am doing all the right things for myself. Breast conservation seemed soooo important to me above almost everything else at the time of my diagnosis. Now with more time to think and more time to have researched reconstruction options, I waiver back and forth about whether I should be doing a mastectomy (including a prophylactic one of my good breast) instead of lumpectomy and radiation. Yes, how many times have I said I love my boobs? But I know if I ever had a recurrence (something I try not to dwell on for very long), I wouldn't think twice about taking these breasts off. And who the $%&@! wants to do chemo all over again?? Ugh!
As Elizabeth Edwards well knows, this is not a road you can travel alone. Breast cancer has a way of bringing together an amazing community of women who find eachother through this common experience. Moreover, I have met some of the kindest, compassionate people who have endured this disease. It seems so incredibly unfair on the surface. But spiritually, I believe our experience is designed to allow others to be a witness to all the good things that can come from it, including miracles and what we see in our supporters.
BC is the great equilizer because of the same fear we face ... we all fear the beast! And while I obviously don't know Elizabeth Edwards, I feel as though she could be my friend in the fight. I suspect that what is terrible for her on a personal level (and I wouldn't wish this on anyone) will ultimately be good for us as survivors. She will bring to light the issues, and she will be relatively public (she has already written a book about her fight with breast cancer), and if we're very, very lucky she will be outspoken about the need for funding etc.
Funding to the National Institutes for Health, specifically for cancer research, has been cut dramatically by this current administration. This is not a statement designed to divide us politically ... it is not about liberals vs. conservatives but rather about the way our government prioritizes support for cancer research and treatment. And it is my hope that as political figures in a prominant, public forum (whether John Edwards wins the Democratic bid or not ... the election is irrelevant because he and his family have become part of the news focus right now), they will be personally inclined to support cancer programs, and perhaps they can return funding to its original place or even push for increases. (Personally, my money is on Barack Obama, but I digress here.) This disease just takes so much from women and their families. The funding to find a cure that afflicts 1 in 7 women in America is just so essential.
In any event, I truly admire Elizabeth Edwards for her strength, grace, and poise given this shocking news. But at the same time, I'm not all that surprised. She will fight the good fight ... and she really does get it. Cancer is a word, not a sentence.
posted by Camille a/k/a Camilla @ 10:26 PM
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