The Situation at Hand

For those of you who may not have heard yet, several months ago our mother discovered a lump in her breast. She quietly took on the battle against cancer--expecting it to resolve with her lumpectomy in one breast and the removal of a benign mass in the other.  Our collective hope was that by year end she would be comfortable sharing news with everyone once she knew that she had been diagnosed, and had overcome, cancer.

As multiple doctor visits and tests progressed, she was told that first set of lymph nodes biopsied tested positive, indicating that the cancer may have metastasized to other parts of her body.  This discovery necessitated a second surgery to remove and biopsy more lymph nodes.  We were thankful that this second test came back negative and that other tests confirmed she had a non-hereditary, estrogen based cancer (easily combated thorough meds).  Although we were somewhat concerned with her recent weight loss and fatigue, we moved forward with hope of a potentially chemo-free recovery.

Before deciding the necessity and extent of chemo or radiation required, Sharelle went for both a body and bone scan.  Based on what the doctors had been telling us, we were again hopeful that the results would be negative.  Instead, doctors discovered that she had a 10 cm (4 in) tumor in her kidney, small masses in her trachea and thyroid, and scattered spotting in both her lungs. The news was quite a blow for all of us.

After further doctors visits, tests and biopsies, she received the challenging news in early July confirming that she had renal cell carcinoma (RCC, kidney cancer), that had metastasized. The breast cancer is a different type of cancer altogether, and the challenge against it is now secondary to the new battle against RCC. Despite being what the oncologist called a "slowly growing cancer," the metastasis to her other organs puts her at Stage IV.

In the past couple of weeks, Sharelle met with a specialists in hematology and renal cell carcinoma. The next step will be to remove her right kidney and any localized cancer.  She is currently scheduled to undergo this surgery on Wed. Aug. 3rd,  followed by a 4-5 day hospital stay.  Once the main source of cancer is removed and Sharelle recovers from surgery, she will begin treatment to combat the remaining cancer in other areas of her body.

If you know Sharelle, you may know that she is a fiercely private person and would prefer to battle this alone with no one knowing until it’s over.  We, her children, understand her needs, but also know that this is a big fight she’s up against and one in which she needs the support of those that love and care about her. We set up this site to communicate with her family and friends so that you can help her through this journey with all the support and love that she needs and deserves. 

Sharelle is not physically, mentally, or emotionally ready to talk with everyone individually regarding her diagnosis. It’s been hard enough for her to process and then explain the details to her immediate family.  Multiple doctors’ visits, waiting on results, a shocking diagnosis, three surgeries, recovery, untreated cancer, and the daunting expectation of future surgeries, treatments, etc. are really taking their toll on her right now.   

In lieu of contacting her, we’d greatly appreciate if you would address her on this board with any thoughts or well-wishes.  As this situation continues, we will update all of you as best we can.      

Thank you for your love and support!