The Day of Surgery...

We arrived to the hospital around 6:30AM to begin registration. I could tell my mom was very nervous... we were all nervous for her. By 7 o'clock they took her back to prepare her for a procedures they were going to do before the actual surgery. Lots of family and friends waited in the waiting room to show their support. We were able to sit in the back with her until they were ready. The procedure they did was inject her with radioactive dye so that they would be able to see the areas during surgery. Her surgery was scheduled for 11:30 AM but she was not taken back until 2:30 PM. It was a very long wait that made my mom nervous because all she could do was lie down and think. She slept a little, watched TV, and visited with the friends and family that went back to see her. Right before they took her back, the surgeon came in to reassure her that everything was going to be fine. My mom cried a little because she was nervous but she was also very strong. She just couldn't wait until it was over. The procedure finished about 5:00PM, which seemed like forever, and Dr.Gladding came out to explain that they took a slightly larger margin than they originally expected because there was another cancer cell near the original tumor, however it was in situ, which means it was not the spreading type, and was fully removed with the surgery. Also, as far as she could see, the lymph nodes were negative and the cancer had not spread any further! Good news! Me and Joe were called to the back to get her dressed and she looked so good... a little drowsy but very good. They said everything went as planned and we took her home. Thanks to God it went well.

Pictures from the hospital...

Cousin Michael, Cousin Monica

Molly, Naomi, Joe

Auntie Theresa, Uncle Dickie, Aunt Doreen, Grandma Christy

Cousin Michael

Molly, Albert

Auntie Geri, Julie, Michael

Mommy going home!

October 18, 2008

Weekend before surgery...Lina, Albert

Kass, Albert

Kass, Mom

Kassandra, Albert, Celina, Mom

Albert, Mom

Kassandra, Mom, Lina

Joe, Mom

The Surgeon...

Later that day, me, mom and Joe went to the surgeon's office to discuss how and why the tumor would be removed. Dr. Gladding gathered lots of information about mom then sat us down in the office to teach us more about what was happening. She did a really good job of explaining it and then she left the decision, of whether to receive a lumpectomy or a mastectomy, up to my mom. The doctor told her that if she thought a mastectomy was vital, she would tell her, but that in her case, she felt it was up to mom. My mom decided on a lumpectomy, as long as all of the tumor would be able to be removed. The doctor explained that she would remove the tumor, which was roughly 1.7 cm according to the biopsy, plus a margin of tissue around it, to ensure the effected surrounding tissue would be taken also. She warned that once she began the surgery and noticed a lumpectomy would not suffice, she would remove the entire breast, my mom agreed. The surgery was scheduled for Tuesday, October 21, 2008, the day of Grandpo Raul's birthday. (my mom's dad)

Diagnosis...

The next morning, me, my mom, Lina and Auntie Geri met at my grandma's house before the appointment. My grandma decided to stay back because there were already 3 of us going. When we got to the office we tried to laugh and talk to keep our minds off of it. Auntie Geri kept asking if we were sure that we wanted to go in because we had to be strong for my mom. We insisted on all going in the office and we waited and waited. It seemed like forever before Dr. Park came in. The first thing he said when we walked in was, "Whoa, the whole family is here." We all laughed and my mom introduced us. He sat down and did not waste anytime to give the results. "The biopsy came back and it is definetely cancer." I immediately started crying. The doctor looked at me and told me to not cry yet but I couldn't hold it in. I went to sit by my mom, Lina just stayed quiet, Auntie Geri started asking questions and my mom just looked shocked. She asked what she had to do next and the doctor started explaining the basics. When he walked out of the office to grab some papers, my mom got off of the exam table and just started pacing the room, saying how much this sucked. None of us knew what to think or say. When Dr. Park came back, he gave my mom the pathology report, which stated she had invasive ductal carcinoma, grade 3. Ductal means the cancer is in the milk ducts of the breast, invasive means the cells have the ability to spread and Grade 3 means the cancer cells were reproducing at the fastest rate. The report also indicated that the cells had indeed spread to the surrounding tissue, which really broke us down. Did this mean it had spread anywhere else? The doctor said they would not know for sure the status of the spreading until after the surgery. The doctor explained that because of the grade, she would for sure be a candidate for chemotherapy and because it was invasive, the tumor would have to be removed as soon as possible. He scheduled her an appointment later that day to see a surgeon. After we left the office, grandma had breakfast ready for us and we all walked in crying. All of our family came over and we spent the rest of the day comforting my mom, crying, talking and just trying to stay positive.

The Beginning...

The first week of October, my mom and Lina were driving home from renting movies when she randomly felt a pinch near her right breast. She touched the area that felt tingly and noticed a large lump. She told lina to feel it and sure enough, there was a lump. The next day she contaced her primary care doctor, Dr. Park at G & K Medical, for an appointment. A few days later, she met with his office and they suggested she goes in for a biopsy. The biopsy was very painful and left her bruised and sore. The results were not supposed to arrive for a few days, but the very next day, Dr. Park's office called her and asked to see her as soon as possible. Being the hard-worker my mom is, she was too busy to leave work, so she finished her day and called the doctor after work. When she talked to Dr. Park, he told her he wanted to see her first thing the next morning. She knew it was not good news because the results came in so quickly and Dr. Park told her it was very important. We just had a feeling.

Beautiful**