Chemo...

Hello,

Well it's been over 2 weeks since I last posted, and we're officially moving onto the next phase.

First, we confirmed with the Oncologist here in Charlotte that chemotherapy was indeed the recommended course and the safest way to proceed. While nothing is ever certain with cancer, we decided that the small decrease in recurrence rate shown through trials was worth the short-term impact. Nicole will have 4 treatments of 'TC,' every three weeks, starting Wednesday the 8th. That means Nicole is going to need all of your support more than ever over the next 3-4 months as she encounters all the typical joys that chemo brings.

Second, we met with the fertility doctors again, and came to a crossroads deciding how we would help our chances at having kids. We could freeze eggs or try a drug called Depo Lupron. The Depo Lupron has been used in a few clinical trials and showed promise at 'protecting' the ovaries during chemotherapy. Essentially, the drug sends the ovaries into temporary menopause, which acts to preserve the eggs from the harm of the chemotherapy drugs. For many reasons, really too many to mention here, we decided we would go with the Depo Lupron, and Nicole received her first injection yesterday. If all goes according to plan, Nicole will only take that throughout her chemotherapy, and then within a few months afterward should get back to normal as her hormone levels return to that of a typical 32 year old.

Finally, I hope everyone is gearing up for Breast Cancer Awareness month in October! We have many friends and family who have started teams in several races/walks and are already raising so much money. We can't thank everyone enough for jumping into the fight, and those of you who haven't signed up or donated, it's time to dust off the running shoes and reach for the pocketbook. We're all in this together, and if we can prevent one other person from going through this, it's well worth our efforts. Later this week, I will be posting links to the different teams supporting Nicole, please check back and help us beat this stuff.

Think Pink!