Finished with radiation...

Yay! Mom made it through her 7 weeks of radiation! It was really painful but her blistering has already started healing. Her PET scan is scheduled for June and now she can concentrate on the brain scan and learn more about what is going on. Mom's breast cancer surgeon, Dr. Gladding, referred her to Dr. Kumar, a brain surgeon, who she will meet with tomorrow. Dr. Gladding felt that it was important Mom was seen before her scheduled port-a-cath surgery Tuesday, so Dr. Kumar was able to fit her into the schedule. It will be up to Dr. Kumar if Mom should still go on with the scheduled surgery. She is very nervous to meet with him, but the waiting is hard too. Good luck Mom, we are all here for you.

California...

Me, Lina and Albert went to California a couple of weeks ago and saw this church with the breast cancer ribbon on it... so pretty!

Brain scan...

Unfortunately, the results of the brain scan came back with an abnormality! :( There is an "arteriovenous malformation" on the front, left side of mom's brain and has nothing to do with her cancer. This is when the arteries and the veins of the brain are tangled and bleeding occurs, which can lead to many serious problems likes seizures or strokes if left untreated. The doctor claims she has had it since she was born, but as time goes on, it grows and bleeds 3% each year, which may be causing her migraines. Basically, the only option mom has is to have brain surgery to have it removed. This is the hardest part for her to accept right now because of the severity and risks of this type of surgery. She is being referred to one of the best brain surgeons and will most likely meet with him next week to discuss her options and in more detail about what exactly this all means. She still needs to finish a few more treatments of radiation, go through a PET scan of her body to make sure there is no more cancer and have her port removed, so we are not sure how this will effect that.

We are all pretty much shocked and speechless right now because mom is so close to being done with breast cancer, but we know we will get through this too!! Keep Mom in your prayers.

Windy days...

Yesterday I was watching the news and the forecast was for another windy day. The forecaster made a joke telling everyone to "hold on to their hair." Another woman from the show laughed and told him that she had never heard that expression before... the popular phrase is to "hold on to your hat." They were all laughing and making jokes out of it, which made me laugh to... but then I thought about it... that's not even funny because my poor mom can't even step outside on these horrible windy days because she is so afraid of losing her wig! I told my mom and we could not stop laughing because it is so crazy how many things she has to think about now. The good thing is that her hair is growing back a lot! It is probably an inch long already! :)

Radiation: This week Mom's chest has become more painful, dry and blistered. Luckily, only 6 sessions left.

Surgery: To remove the chemotherapy port from her chest has been scheduled for May 5th.

Update...

Because Mom is still having headaches and they are occurring more often, her radiation oncologist, Dr. Lee, has scheduled her for a brain scan next Wednesday, April 22. He wants to make sure nothing else is going on besides the headaches being a side effect to the treatments. Mom is clearly a little worried about the chance of it being more, but she is staying positive and is definitely ready for all of this to be over with! For us, it is going by fast, but for her, it is a daily struggle.

Happy Easter! :)

Today we had a fun easter celebration. Mom is looking good. Only 2 weeks of radiation left!! Her chest is looking extra irritated, red and sore and she is still getting migraines from the treatments. Here are some pics from today...

Radiation...

Pictures of Mom at radiation today...

The treatments are still going well. Her chest looking more like a sunburn and begins burning immediately after the treatments. She is still having headaches also.

Relay for life...

Angeline Baca sent an email regarding Relay for Life...

Good afternoon all. I invite everyone to join me in the fight against cancer. We all have been touched by cancer in some way. Below is an event to help fight cancer “American Cancer Society Relay For Life.” I have purchased three luminary bags in honor of Jacqueline Lizarraga and Vanessa Frausto, and in memory of Norma Soto and plan to make a onetime donation to Alyssa Hensley, daughter of an attorney (Sharon Hensley) who is a 2 year survivor.

For anyone who wants to attend, the event is:
May 2 beginning around 6:00 pm and going until 6:00 am on the 3rd
@ Ironwood High School in Glendale, AZ
It is really a remarkable event, very moving.

For anyone who wants more information or info on how to donate, email me at kassandra.lizarraga@asu.edu or visit the website http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR?pg=entry&fr_id=14858.