Miranda v. CHEK2: Bilateral Mastectomy Recovery

Why is it so hard to ask for help? It’s been easy for me to give to countless fundraisers, but when it comes to asking for help, it’s really hard. In this case, I decided it’s the right thing to do to ask for help. My darling niece Miranda, who has been as close as a daughter to me her whole life, is going through too much. It’s way too much. There comes a time to throw aside pride and humbly ask for help. That time is now—she can’t do it, but I can.

Miranda (Mandy to family) is going through her second round of cancer at the young age of 42. She beat thyroid cancer back in 2015 and now she has breast cancer and is facing a double mastectomy.

Mandy went in for her first mammogram and already had a suspicious mass in her left breast measuring 5.5 cm wide on the mammogram. This led to several biopsies and she was diagnosed with Ductal Carcinoma In Situ and referred for genetic counseling, surgery and an MRI.

Genetic testing revealed a rare mutation in the CHEK2 gene that is linked to all kinds of cancer. The main cancers linked to CHEK2 are Prostate, Colon, Rectal, Thyroid and Breast Cancer. The MRI found an additional mass in the left breast that will not be fully identified until surgery. Her bilateral mastectomy is scheduled for September 22nd. Radiation and Chemotherapy treatments will be determined once the second mass can be identified. There will be a series of sentinel lymph node tests done at that time, and better information will be gathered from the lymph nodes that are removed.

While she waits, she is going through a hopefully-thorough screening process for other cancers connected to CHEK2. The most common of these is colon cancer, but the first available appointment for that isn’t until September. So we just keep waiting….

Mandy is focused on making sure the boys have a really great summer, knowing there is a rapidly growing pile of cancer-related expenses that says she should be working. Your support would mean so much to me and her family as they navigate this difficult time.

Reading through this again makes my heart pound. I can not imagine how hard living through this journey is, but I’m so proud of the positive thinking and action Mandy and her whole family have been practicing this challenging summer. I have high hopes for her to get through and beyond this. If you’re close to me you already know how much I love my sister’s daughter and that she’s a big part of me. She’s been part of my support team for a long time, and now I want to be part of hers. Please join me to support this precious piece of my heart.

With much love and gratitude,

Auntie Sheila