15 years ago, this month, Lisa Cammilleri passed away. A month later, my wife was diagnosed with breast cancer.
She went through treatment and was declared cancer free. In February, this year, my wife noticed a small hard lump
above her collarbone. It was a lymph node and that and two more lymph nodes were removed by surgery. All were cancerous.
Further testing showed that cancer was back and has now spread to the bone. My wife has metastatic cancer and recently
began treatment that involves drug infusions every two weeks and an oral medication taken daily. It is hormone positive cancer,
which means that it spreads quickly, but also that it may respond to the treatment that targets hormone receptors in cancer cells,
This makes cancer cells visible to the immune system and the immune system will then hopefully kill the cancer cells. This cannot
cure or rid the body of cancer, but if it works, it can extend the life of the patient, hopefully until a better treatment becomes available.
Right now, my wife has had her first infusion, through a port that was recently implanted, and will have a second infusion this week.
We really won't know much about the effects of the treatment until she has another PET scan after 3 months. We pray for the best
and ask for your prayers and positive energy.
Two years ago, my daughter was diagnosed with breast cancer while pregnant, and went through treatment even while pregnant.
She has a healthy baby girl, but like all cancer patients, lives in dread of a return. Since she was diagnosed, I have reduced my
online presence some and my ability to offer support has at times been hampered. Now, with the return of cancer in my wife,
I find that there are many times when I just can't do this. I do what I can, but I only ask that people exercise patience, as there
are many times that my own life becomes so overwhelming that I cannot offer anything to others. I have also been reducing
my presence in the Facebook groups, as well.
There are many days when I am feeling particularly devastated and just cannot be of any help to anyone except my wife
and I hope my thalpals can understand why I am not around. It has been very difficult for me to make this public, but I feel I
owe the thalassemia community an explanation for my frequent absences. I also wanted to avoid this for personal reasons.
Not that I don't want people concerned, but well meaning people are asking me about my wife so much, that I can't ever
get it off my mind. Please do be concerned and offer whatever prayers or hope you can, but please don't bombard me with
questions about her health. Pat, has been my life for the past 46 years and the thought of losing her is unbearable.
Please remember us in your thoughts and prayers.