Celebration Buns
We’re celebrating, you guys!
Newsbreak: Liver tumors are “not definitively seen” are latest scans!
Today I celebrated! I celebrated good news and a good day. In this good life. In my “very good” body that God has given me. And I had the best time. 😊 I savored a green smoothie and quiet time in my pajamas. I planned an entire day of baking, tackling a complicated yeast dough just because I had the time and wanted to try it. I took a break for a relaxing facial. I did some laundry, snuggled our fluffy cat, and played board games with Andrew after dinner. All happy things, celebrating a happy occasion.
As I’ve said many times, metastatic breast cancer is complicated. It’s never quite as clear or defined as I’d like it to be. And yet, good things still happen! Healing still happens. Miracles still happen. So let’s celebrate them!
What are we celebrating?
My latest scan could not see any tumors!! The exact language in the report said, “Previously noted (liver tumors) are not definitely seen on today’s study…No definite evidence of metastatic disease.” WHAAAAAAT?? 🤯 🥳️ 😭 This is very exciting because this was the goal! If you recall…
Step 1: “No Disease Progression” (get cancer to stop spreading) ☑️
Step 2: “No Active Disease” (no cancer activity) ☑️
Step 3: “No Evidence of Disease” or NED (no visible tumors or cancer activity) …. ☑️ ?
What’s with that question mark, you ask? I asked my oncologist if I was officially “No Evidence of Disease” because… it said it, right there in the report. This was our prayer. This would mean that my immunotherapy alone could be enough to keep this cancer from returning. Earning the badge of NED is the best thing a metastatic patient could hope for! Her response was, “You’re basically there. It’s just so unheard of and so unexpected.” #notsurprised 😜 She wants to wait until September’s PET scan to get too excited. So… we wait.
Frequently asked questions…
Is treatment over? No. My current plan of immunotherapy every 4 weeks carries on! As long as this drug continues to work, we kind of assume I’ll be on it for the foreseeable future. Treatment is just life now. 🤷♀️
What happens once we achieve “NED”? The pride of a job well done, haha. Since my treatment is continuous, NED becomes a special birthday on a metastatic journey. We can start counting up, marking how many months/years we can hold this status. I imagine this to be like the counter in “Monsters Inc,” tracking how many days pass without incident on the factory floor. 😂 If a surprise pops up in the future, we’d just start the count all over again. But the knowledge that we were able to do it at all would be AMAZING.
Why is this so unexpected? I’ve said this before, but I think my doctors are honestly surprised with these results! Triple Negative Breast Cancer has a pretty bad reputation. My particular journey places me in a fraction of a fraction of the TNBC population. It’s hard to even fathom. But God has been in the game of defying the odds and working miracles in my journey from the beginning! It gives me such hope for the future.
So what now?
Whether we officially get “the sticker” for NED today or September or some other time, it’s ok. It’s more than ok! And these scan results are worth celebrating. When I first heard the news, I wanted to throw a party. I wanted balloons. I wanted to cry. These liver tumors were so hard to get rid of. We discovered them exactly 2 years ago! I’m so thankful that my liver always functioned well, and I never developed any complications outside of chemotherapy. It could have been so much worse! And they’re gone. WOW.
When others were hesitant to totally embrace the NED milestone…I felt a little deflated. It’s like someone rolled out a new car with the big red bow on it, but won’t give me the keys. We’re so close. But here’s how I’m processing some of that:
Labels aren’t everything. This is still good, and our hard work still matters.
Sometimes I might have to be my own hype girl. 🤷♀️ Cancer world is full of sobering statistics and rain cloud attitudes, and I understand how that can be daunting. But if I’m proud of a report, I get to celebrate. End of story.
Everyone around me will process news differently. That’s ok.
God continues to hold me and heal me, and I know He will continue to do so!
So today, I’m holding such big, exciting news…and celebrating in quiet ways. I want to shout it from the rooftops…and feel conscious that maybe I shouldn’t? It may seem premature, but this is a big deal and I want to share it with those who’d like to know. Psst- that’s you! 🤗
Here’s me, sending you a sprinkle-topped celebration bun! Have a warm cup of tea, too. I hope you bask in all the little things that make you happy today. We’re worth the hype, friends!
