Here we go…
Hello to friends, family, co-workers, and curious other parties,
The past month has been a nightmare whirlwind and many people have reached out and/or waiting to hear news. We really appreciate the outpouring of love and support and wanted to create a central place for people to get updates. As you can imagine, it is quite a lot to process and will regularly update this page with any new information we receive.
Due to a strong family history and a genetic mutation called CHEK2, Katie has been vigilant with breast cancer screenings for many years. During a regularly scheduled appointment at the Breast Health Center at Mayo Clinic, the doctor found a lump and swollen armpit lymph node that were suspicious. Everything happened at lightspeed from this point. Several mammograms, MRI, CT, PET scans and three biopsies over the course of two weeks led to a diagnosis of Invasive Ductal Carcinoma, Stage IV. The cancer has spread or metastasized outside of the breast to several bones. (Katie like to visualize it as tiny little titties growing on her arm bones, it really helps.)
Currently, there is no cure for metastatic breast cancer aka stage IV. It is best if you don’t google it, please don’t, it makes it look bleak. But there are some silver linings here. First of all Katie does not feel sick, we were absolutely floored by the diagnosis as she had no symptoms. The particular type of cancer she has is very hormone dependent, specifically estrogen and progesterone. This means there can be more targeted treatment approaches. Secondly, we are told that outcomes are generally better for cancer that has metastasized to bone only and nowhere else in the body.
Given the cancers need for estrogen to thrive, the first step of treatment was an oophorectomy, or removal of ovaries, on June 11. This paired with a drug called letrozole, will keep the hormones as low as possible. The next part of the treatment is a new drug called Kisqali, it is kind of chemo, but not really in the traditional scene. It’s referred to as a “targeted treatment” that blocks or interferes with substances that play a key role in this particular type of cancers cell growth. Other individuals have had really great results with this drug, but it does come with some of the traditional chemo side effects, fatigue, nausea, possibly immunocompromised, etc. The final piece of treatment is an infusion of a drug called Zometa every three months. This drug will help to improve bone mineral density that will be compromised because of the lack of estrogen.
While we previously thought raising an infant while working fulltime and without family was difficult, this has proven to be next level. Katie will be unable to return to work for at least one year due to medication side effects, immunosuppression and many doctors appointments. We are incredibly fortunate, our mother Ilene Novy, has moved from Texas to Rochester, MN and would not have been able to manage without her help.
Katie is a bad ass, and I'm confident that if anyone can manage this awful situation, it's her. We are currently working on the balance of raising our 8-month-old Ezra amidst these changes and realize that it certainly will take a village. We are also fortunate to be receiving care at the Mayo Clinic, where Katie has access to numerous experts, treatments and the potential to participate in clinical trials, if recommended. Given the incurable nature of the cancer, we are planning to remain in Rochester, MN and Katie will continue to be managed by the exceptional care team at Mayo.
Things continue to change daily / weekly, so we will post updates regularly.
