Hey Stupid Cancer...leave my family alone

So I am starting up my blog again.  This time it is for my mom, Anne.  After years of annual mammograms I encouraged  my mom to start getting MRI's after my diagnosis.  For high risk women this is considered the most accurate and valuable diagnostic tool for detecting cancer as early as possible.   Since my mom has had 4 sisters and a daughter with breast cancer, plus she is BRCA2+ she is VERY high risk.  Last year the MRI came back all clean. 

This year...different story.  After the MRI found a suspicious area she had a needle biopsy and was diagnosed with Invasive Ductal Carcinoma (IDC) the same type of cancer I had two years ago.  Her initial pathology indicates a hormone positive cancer (a good thing) and the aggressiveness is Grade 2 (she has no Stage yet, this is just about the aggressiveness).   This is on a scale of 1-3 so this is the "mid level" of aggressiveness.  This is better than my very aggressive Grade 3 cancer, so a good thing.

My brother Matt & I drove up to Northern VA last friday and I went along with my mom and dad to a full day of doctors (plastic surgeon, radiology oncologist, medical oncologist, psychologist, surgeon)  It was a long day, but having been through this with myself and now helping at least 5 other women navigate this initial post-diagnosis frenzy, I worked to break down the basics for my folks and help them survey their options and questions left unanswered.  

They have decided at this point not to have a formal second opinion because of the logistics involved in going outside the military system.  They have had a Doctor at Walter Reed Army medical center have some of his collegues look at my mom's case, but no formal second opinion at this time.

Her initial surgery (she has opted for a double mastectomy because of the high risk to developing a second cancer in any remaining breast tissue) is set for October 2nd.  

Please pray for these things...

--she has enlarged lymph nodes on the opposite side from her cancer and in any normal situation this would be no big deal, but since she is undergoing cancer surgery, these lymph nodes need to at least be investigated in some way.  Please pray this process will be with as little intervention as possible and please pray for a clear indication that these and ALL OTHER LYMPH NODES ARE CLEAR

--please pray for the decision process of navigating doctors, options, treatments, etc.

--Please pray for the actual surgery, surgeon, anethesia, recovery, pain maintainance. 

--please pray for us as her family:  Dad, Lara, Joe, Kathleen, Matt and our families that we would know how to serve her best, that we would have the emotional strength to endure, support, care, love, laugh and pour out to each other and my mom.

--please pray that all decisions would be clear and without ambiguity.  that the Lord's direction and path would be lit clearly.

Please check back for ongoing updates in my mom's fight.  She's got the boxing gloves on and she will fight.

Kat