Robin’s Breast Cancer Journey

Hey, this is my sister, Robin, with her three amazing kids. She's a shining star on the darkest of nights...she can light up a room with her smile...she will drop everything to fix you an out-of-this-world meal...she's an amazing mom, daughter, sister, friend...but an even more amazing grandma to the sweetest 4 & 2-year-olds there ever were.

Eleven years ago, she beat stage 3 breast cancer. This awful disease left her with lymphadema in her arm, a damaged liver from radiation, and constant pain she has learned to live with.

When she passed the ten-year mark, she thought cancer would be a distant memory...until six months ago. After having a horrible case of Covid, Robin just was not well. About every six weeks, she would have several weeks of off and on fever, pain all over and other random symptoms. Her general doctor couldn't find anything alarming in her bloodwork, so they chalked it up to Mono, then Epstein-Barre. She even had a mammogram that "looked beautiful," according to the radiologist.

Then, two months ago, her chin & lip went numb. She was treated with steroids, then antibiotics in case it was a tooth, but nothing changed. Then the fever came; a super high fever that went in cycles with intense pain, then ridiculous sweating. After a week of no relief and absolute miserable pain in her bones, she finally contacted her Oncologist, but she would have two more weeks of awful fever cycles before seeing him. By then, she was just beside herself.

By the time she saw her oncologist, her bloodwork had screamed of cancer. Her amazing Dr. didn't want to waste any time, though...Robin was admitted immediately to the oncology floor, and an MRI concluded Metastatic Breast Cancer that started in the lining of her brain (Dr. says some cells from the first time, ten years ago, escaped before treatment and have been camping out there ever since). It quickly moved to her skull, right lung and the bones of her upper arms, femurs & ribs.

After a ten-day stay in the hospital, she left with metal rods in her femurs (to prevent her bones from breaking), three radiation treatments and a port in her chest. She had seven more radiation treatments on her head and neck; she lost all her hair shortly after. Let me tell ya...cancer is not for the faint of heart!!!! She is one tough cookie!!

Robin was hopeful that the cancer was the same as before, estrogen and progesterone fed, HER2 negative...and thankfully it was. Her doctor is very hopeful that this type of cancer will respond well to treatment as it did before. So far, it is!! She started chemo pills this week. If her body responds well, she will take this regimen for the rest of her life.

Metastatic Breast Cancer is not curable, but it is treatable. She is already doing so much better; we are hopeful Robin can be a medical anomaly and beat this cancer again!!!

My sister, however, has been so ill for so many months that she lost her job. Her living expenses are piling up now. If you could help her keep going in any way, she would be forever grateful!!

She is hopeful she will feel well enough to find another job soon...she needs a little reprieve until then!!