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These past two weeks are practically a blur. Each day would have been a blog worthy day in itself, but I'm sharing a few highlights in one post instead.  Skip ahead to the bottom if you finally want to hear all about my scan results... didn't mean to leave anyone hanging...

Last Thursday, the day before my surgery on Friday, was the golf benefit...


We had a perfect day for the golf benefit and I managed to take a couple of photos with my camera before everyone tee'd off.  I was crying tears of gratefulness, before I even got out the door that day, and wondered how emotionally, I would hold up.  But my grin was pretty much permanent from that moment on and I just felt lucky... completely totally indebted to so many and like the luckiest girl ever.


Our extended hockey families represented well at the golf tournament!  The Staffords, Tami D, and The Watelands, along with friend Ryan J...

The "Refs" and Cooper were the winners... Each of these guys ref hockey and ref games all the way from youth hockey up to high school, and even the WCHA.  

The Connelly Family- Grant in white was on Nolan's hockey team.  

This is part of the Golf committee- Kelly, Shelly, Kim and my sister-in-law Missy.  You guys rock!  Everything ran so smoothly and was so fun! 

Our thanks also to the Johnson family who allowed us use of the Ponderosa Golf Course and helped ensure our day was a big success!  

I went home and rested a good hour or so before it was time to go to Gio's for the silent auction and karaoke to begin.  I was completely blown away by the amount of items, and the complete giving nature of so many people.  Rick and I were drooling at so many of the cool items, totally making a list of what we would have bid on.  Like this cool hockey stick chair made by Todd... 

Sweet Angie put together this cute and delicious package of baked goods and dishes.  I was so happy to see my mother-in-law come home with this!  

Kevin and Kim put together these baskets with wine.  And the wine?  Well they brew it at home!  They even customized the labels to say "Fight Like a Girl."  One day, I just have to try a glass of the wine.  

Ben and Jen donated this awesome Sioux Logo sign.  The Sioux logo is being retired amidst much controversy, which makes this piece especially collectible. 

The tables lined the outer walls of the room and wrapped almost all the way around.  This is just a small sampling of the items and I was completely surprised and overwhelmed at this continued outpouring of goodness. 

Looking for a fresh fundraising idea?  This could be it!  I had to leave early and missed the singing, but I am told it was a fun time!  Had I stayed my 20 bucks would have slid quickly across the table- you'd be so happy with my decision to NOT SING.  All too soon it was 9:30 and with a 5 am wake up time to get ready for surgery, I knew I had to go.  I hated to leave, but I am told a good time was had well into the wee hours of the morning. Thanks to Julie, Jen and Angie S., for all their work in collecting the items, and setting them all up- you girls are simply the best!

I rode the current of good will right into the surgery the next day.  I am convinced it made me sail right through the whole thing.  The anesthesiologist spoke to me briefly Friday morning.  She had a few extra minutes so she started to share with me about two women she knows and how positive they were and how cancer was helping them see things in a whole new way.  I smiled... and thought to myself... oh if she only knew...  she could say she knew 3 people now.  

Saturday, this is what awaited me when I arrived home from the hospital...

These, well these need no words.  Only words of thanks because they seriously made my day and continue to lift my spirits daily.  Everyone who visits, comments instantly on how good the house smells and how breathtakingly beautiful both my bouquets are.  Thank you Matt and Julie...

And thank you to Dustin and Heather and John and Linda.  Linda is also a breast cancer survivor and her daughter Julie, (my sister-in-law) was Nolan's age when Linda was first diagnosed.  I know this journey is all too familiar to them, and they have been a huge encouragement to me this entire time! 

So I didn't mean to leave you all hanging as to what my scan results were last week.  On Saturday, Dr. Bouton shared with me that there seemed to be some inconsistencies in my lengthy ct scan report.  From what he briefly read, they were reporting 4 new lesions in my liver.  But the breast seemed to be about the same, and the spine looked about the same.  

4 new lesions was all I needed to hear to know I would be taken off the study.  BUT, I also knew I needed to wait to see Dr. Panwalkar on Tuesday.  Truthfully, I didn't disbelieve the results, but something seemed off.  How did I go from 0 to 4 spots in my liver but my spine and breast tumors looked stable?  It didn't add up to me, but I knew Dr. P would get to the bottom of it.

So I arrived for my appt. on Tuesday expecting to be told I was off the study and had to start a new chemo.  I figured I would be allowed to even postpone chemo that day and schedule a new day for it since I wouldn't be so confined by the rules of the study. Chemo just 4 days after mastectomy just seems so daunting.

BUT I WAS WRONG...  and this is where I fully know this whole experience is so much bigger than I. Someone flagged my CT Scan so Dr. Panwalkar would pay special attention to it.  He did.  He disagreed with the radiologist and took the scan back to the first radiologist who did my first scan.  They concurred- THERE ARE STILL NO LESIONS IN MY LIVER!  I still have 1 cyst, but otherwise my liver is clean and free of cancer.  My spine is stable... the lymph nodes are stable!  Wow...

I am still on the study!  

I looked at Dr. P and said "Well, I guess I'll be doing chemo today..."  We all laughed... I was both bummed, and completely elated to be doing chemo on Tuesday.

Yesterday was one of the toughest days I've had in a long time.  I was flat on my back sick from chemo and even Zofran failed to keep the nausea at bay.  I ached from head to toe.  I completely threw out any vegan eating and turned to comfort foods, including drinking Sprite.  A good night's sleep was finally the solution.

Whew.  And today I went back to see Dr. Bouton.  I woke up feeling better and took my meds right away.  I ate some toast and felt fine.  I told Dr. Bouton I am doing well.  He checked me over and said to  come back in a week to get my stitches out and my drain out.  And then he said, "you're not just doing well, I'd say you're doing very well."  

Funny how those little things put an extra beat in your heart and you stand just a little taller.  So grateful to have you all standing with me! 

Where to find me today...

I'll be heading out here today for the Golf Benefit! I'm fighting off some sleepy meds they gave me yesterday when I had a bad reaction to the dye for the CT scan- holy tachycardia- be still my heart- seriously!  Once they reversed the reaction I came home and slept most of the night away.  I feel fairly good today and will try not to overdue it...

Don't forget if you aren't a golfer but still want to participate, there will be a silent auction and a social tonight at Gio's.  Chris Vandevelde just offered us an autographed stick for the event... just sayin, some really cool stuff has been donated for the auction!  So proud of my hockey community once again, we'll be indebted to all they continue to do for us forever.

Also, waiting to hear on time for surgery tomorrow.  Won't know till later today and will post something late tonight/ early tomorrow so you will know.  Prayers will be very much appreciated!   Love to all!

Tee'd off @ Cancer!

Next week is a huge week for the Westra Family.  Dakota Medical Foundation (DMF) and Lend A Hand organization has partnered with The Vicky Westra Benefit committee to host another fundraiser.  Any funds that are raised will be matched by DMF, up to 5,000 dollars!  I'm so honored to be chosen by DMF- there are many worthy and deserving people and to be included as one of them is truly an honor.  If you'd like to participate just click on the link on the form on the right and either mail it or email it to the address above on the form.

Recently some additional events were added to the line-up for the day.

• Kids are welcome to participate in the morning (8 am) with a paying adult 
• Lunch will be served from 11:30 -12:30pm 
• 1:00 pm tee off time for all adult participants
• Thursday night there will be a social starting at 6:30 pm at Gio's in Moorhead 
• silent auction from 7-9 
• karaoke to finish out the night!  

Wow, it'll be a full day of events and activities... enough to keep a girl's mind occupied the way it should be the day before she has surgery!  I'm going to try to attend as much as possible... you can't miss me, I'll be the one shaking in her shoes, waiting for the call that says what time her surgery is... whew... hello courage, please visit soon!

Next week is shaping up to be quite eventful.  I have Monday and Tuesday to get our back to school shopping completed and Colton has to have a cavity filled.  Then  I have a full load of tests to be done on Wednesday, Tee'd Off Golf event Thursday, mastectomy Friday, and by then I'm so going to need that recovery room!

Tee'd off @ Cancer for a cause!

Here is some of my exciting news! Because of the stellar work of my benefit committee, Dakota Medical Foundation has chosen me to be part of their Lend A Hand Initiative.  Dakota Medical Foundation, otherwise known as DMF, will match funds raised by our benefit up to 5,000 dollars!  


Even though many people attended and gave generously at the first benefit we did, many other people did not have a chance to attend and we hadn't been approved yet by DMF. So the committee came up with this fun idea to host a golf tournament and try to raise funds and receive the matching $5,000.  All of the details are posted in my sidebar if you follow the link!  Stay tuned for more fun details of the big day!  

Even if you are not a golfer, you can donate to the fund by following the link to DMF, scrolling down and finding my flyer (my flyer is the first one listed.)  Of course, if you've already contributed and attended the first benefit, please know we don't expect you to do more!  

But in case you've been wondering, let me give you some context of what the reality is financially for cancer patients- regardless of their insurance.  One of the drugs I am receiving through the study is Trastuzumab, or Herceptin (along with a chemo agent, known together as TDM1.)  As long as I am both tolerating the treatment and having no "progression" of my tumors, I will be allowed to receive my chemo drugs, scans, tests, etc, at no cost to me or my insurance.  However, if I were to show progression, or no longer tolerate the drug, I would be taken off TDM1.  At some point, most people on TDM1 will show resistance to it.

At that point, I could continue with standard Herceptin and other standard chemo agents, with a catch. 

Wiki provided this helpful info...

Trastuzumab is also controversial because of its cost, as much as $100,000 per year, and while certain private insurance companies in the U.S. and government health care systems in Canada, the U.K. and elsewhere have refused to pay for trastuzumab for certain patients, some companies have since accepted trastuzumab treatment as a covered preventative treatment.

Just how much will my insurance cover, if it does at all?  Its one of the many unknowns i face, and will eventually have to find the answer to.  Many insurances also limit the number of scans you are allowed in a year.  With the average PET scan costing well over 5,000 dollars this makes sense.  But to a cancer patient who can only know what their cancer is doing based on what is seen on this scan, once a year isn't nearly often enough.  

Hence the burden faced my most cancer patients.  Add in the fact that I have been told to expect I will never be without treatment of some sort.  Because the cancer has metastasized, the cells are everywhere within me and we will never know where they may show up next. I try not to think about that.  And you all enable me to do that more than you know.

My family and I continue to be overwhelmed with all that is being done to ease our burden.  I don't sit with the financial or physical weight of fighting this disease on my shoulders  because so many of you continue to step up and give so generously.  It all matters to us.  Whether its a meal, or card, or your favorite cd, or an email of encouragement, or a golf benefit, it all counts equally to us.  

I keep telling Dr. Panwalkar, I feel lucky... I think he may just be starting to believe me.

In other news...

Blueline hockey camp is officially over for the year!  The boys loved their camp experience and the highlight is when Matt Cullen, from the Minnesota Wild and Mark Cullen, of the Florida Panthers- AHL Rochester Americans, come home for the summer and show up for a day to sign autographs.  Colton rallied from a doubled=over stomach ache to dress in his goalie gear for his last session, since Matt was coming on the ice with them.  Colton only asked one thing of Matt "no slapshots on me, please."  Matt laughed and said he had a deal... but I happen to know his wrist shot is no joke either! 

Matt's wife Bridget asked me if I was "sick" of being at the rink... I said absolutely... NOT.  All day I watched as young player after player lit up when Matt and Mark would talk to them and encourage them.  There were beaming faces everywhere and the joy was palpable.  

 


Left to Right: Matt Cullen, Colton, Mark Cullen