Sarah’s Stage 4 Breast Cancer

Stage 4 breast cancer…

are four words you never want to hear directed at you or a loved one.

Regrettably that is what we are dealing with.

Many of you know of Sarah’s earlier breast cancer diagnosis 9 years ago. She went through extensive chemo, a mastectomy, reconstruction, capsular contracture, another reconstruction and taking an awful hormonal drug for 5 years afterwards. To be clear- She kicked that cancer’s a**. This is NOT a reoccurrence of that cancer. This is a new breast cancer with a rare metastases that the Dr’s don’t quite understand. She does NOT have the BRCA 1/2 gene. Sarah has diligently followed every protocol for testing and care for BC survivors. There was no sign of cancer a year ago. She felt a lump and was sent be scanned and biopsied x 4. To be told the cancer has metastasized (spread) and was now incurable was shocking and devastating. The first thing she asked the oncologist was “Surgery isn’t an option? My parents have already had to watch one of their kids die.” Unfortunately, once cancer cells have split off from the original cancer they enter the lymph system & the cannot all be removed.

While there is currently no cure, it is possible to control the spread for as long as possible. Sarah will be on medication for the rest of her life with the goal to prolong life hopefully with good quality.

Prognosis-wise , the numbers look pretty terrible. The five year survival rate for stage 4 breast cancer is 22%; median survival is three years. Now let me tell you my sister is better than all those statistics and will definitely be one of the long term survivors.

-She is incredibly in tune with her body and caught this aggressive AF cancer herself earlier than most people would have.

-Her PET scan shows that it has not yet spread to her brain, bones, or liver so it’s really early!

- She works out, is in amazing shape, and can for sure beat you in a trail run.

- New treatments are being announced all the time

- Sarah has started a targeted treatment called Kisqali which is a is a CDK4/6 inhibitor that

f*cks with a type of protein in the body that helps control cell division, She also began an

aromatase inhibitor, anastrozole, that lowers the level of oestrogen in her body. She also has to get a shot, Zolodex, once a month.

- After the first round of medications Sarah’s white blood cell count was incredibly low and

she was forced to take a break from treatment . She bounced back within a week and

started the second round at a lower dosage.

- She is continuing her work at Renown as a respiratory therapist at the Children’s hospital with a few less shifts per

week to account for her being tired from treatments.

While Sarah is focused on the fact that she is feeling good at the moment, she is being forced to re-evaluate what the rest of her life will look like. We are planning as many trips, hikes and experiences as possible.

She has an incredibly positive outlook and appreciates all the positive comments and love. The increased cost of scans, medications, and appointments coupled with less work shifts at the hospital has put a strain on her financially.

Stage 4 cancer is by far the most expensive cancer. Please donate to alleviate a bit of her worry and stress moving into the next chapter of her journey.