Tifaine Hash

Week of Sept 18 Chemo Round 3 Update:

Adjusting to not having hair has been interesting. There have been several moments where I felt like my hair was pulled up in a ponytail. Only to reach up and find nothing there at all. Moving my hair off of my face to put my glasses on, only to have nothing to move. Showers seem shorter and getting ready is faster now that I have no hair to worry about. I will take the perks where I can. Not that I'm going to many places these days.

I felt more anxious leading into this treatment week. Knowing what is around the corner waiting on you can do that to a person I guess. My numbers were stable enough to continue with treatment thankfully to keep everything that's planned on track.

Intermittent hot flashes, and nervous system overload overstayed it's welcome. Then a Mack truck decided to run me over a couple of times. But things do pass as these did and I was able to fill more like myself again.

My taste is being impacted more and more with each week that passes. Vegetable oil is the flavor of most foods I attempt nowadays. Pizza & Chocolate = vegetable oil while just a week prior tasted normally. My mouth has a taste of metal 24/7. I'm thankful for hard candies to help mask the taste, even if it's for a short time. Autumn brings new flavors and spices that fortunately for me I can actually taste! I guess Pumpkin spice is a good thing after all.

As you're pray for me please continue praying for my Eugene, Ayden, Kennedy, and Waverleigh. They need your prayers as much as I do every day. They are gracefully moving through all of this while feeling every bit of it again the same time.

Lastly and most importantly, thank you to all those who have contributed to this financial fundraiser. While I am unable to work during my treatments these contributions are helping us stay somewhat afloat. We are extremely grateful and thankful for each of you who have been willing to be there for us during this intrusive period of our lives.

Until next time, have a beautiful week!

❤️ Tifaine

Week of Sept 5 Chemo Round 2 Update:

My hair fell out this week. After pushing a pile of hair in the corner of the shower so the water could drain it was quickly decided a haircut was immediately necessary. Waverleigh helped with the cutting process. She first cut it into a cute pixie cut and then the clippers were brought out. It was a moment I prepared myself for and through the experience I felt so grateful to have my youngest daughter sharing this moment with me.

All these life changes, their effect on all of us, and me feeling like complete crap made me even more determined to spend time with my little family. So we took off from life Thursday and Friday drove to Charleston and watched Kennedy play her soccer game. We all got to love on each other, sisters got to shed a few tears, and we got a chance to meet her teammates who love her like she is apart of their family. It was a great 24 hours for my Momma heart.

Friday's ride home was rough. My bones ached the entire way home to the level of me resting wasn't optional. I came straight home, showered, ate, Opened my College Diploma!!!!, and went to bed. Saturday was mostly the same, but Sunday my nervous system felt like it was on over drive. My legs and arms felt like they had been lifting weights for the past 12 hrs with no breaks. And I remember this is chemo, and it will pass. By Thursday I began to feel like myself again. Saturday I went to Waverleigh's soccer game, lasted a little past halftime and had to call it quits. I want to live my life normally, but in moments like these I remember my life isn't normal right now.

Me sharing bits of my story here is as transparent and authentic as I can be in this experience, but I also absolutely hate complaining when I'm sick or hurt or in need. But at the same time I feel like a light needs to be turned on in respect to Breast Cancer and Chemo for others to understand what this process looks, sounds, and feels like. Maybe these little lights will eventually help to find better was to treat and cure us in the future

Until next, have a beautiful week!

❤️ Tifaine

Hi, my name is Tiffany Rivera and I'm fundraising for Tifaine Hash. Tifaine and I met back in 2002 when attending University of North Carolina at Pembroke. From college buddies to standing by my side on my wedding day. Tifaine is the type of friend any girl would wish for. She is sweet, loving, forgiving, and God fearing. Tifaine is a strong person and will not stop fighting. There is so much to say about Tifaine, here is a little bit of her story. Please find it in your heart to donate.

Over the past two years Tifaine has been working to obtain her K-12 Special Education Degree at Columbia College while also working FT in the special education field. Tifaine is a wife to Eugene of 16 years and a mom to Ayden 19, Kennedy 18, and Waverleigh 16. This has not been an easy task jugging family, work, and school. On June 18th, 2023 Tifaine achieved that goal, July 1 her certificate was published on the SC education website, and August 1 should have begun her new career at a new school and new school district. A few months prior though Tifaine felt a small lump on her right breast and began to monitor it while continuing to live her life. It began to grow in a short span of time and then a second lump appeared almost overnight. After getting her OBGYN to take a look at it and get her a referral Tifaine was able to get a diagnostic mammogram. That mammogram quickly turned into an ultrasound sound and it was at the moment when the radiologist told her she needed to have a biopsy that Tifaine knew in her gut this was going in a direction she had hoped it wouldn't. Three days later Tifaine had a biopsy that tested both lump areas and again the radiologist looked at her and her stomach just sank. July 17 her phone rang, it was her referring OBGYN, Tifaine wasn't expecting that call so she quickly ran upstairs, put the call on speaker and sat beside Eugene. It was news neither of them wanted to hear. Right Invasive Ductal Carcinoma. The following day they got the same news from the radiologist and began the process of sending referrals into oncology and sitting with this news. Tifaine’s plans of being a teacher unfortunately have been put on pause for now and her health is top priority for the next year. Tifaine’s work family has been incredibly supportive and she is so thankful for them all. Since the meeting with her Surgical Oncologist and Medical Oncologist Tifaine has had an MRI, CT, Bone Scan, Heart Ultrasound, and surgery to have her chemo port placed.

The cancer is Stage 2, both positive and negative HER2, Estrogen Positive and Progesterone Positive. In layman's terms it grows very rapidly if not treated aggressively. For the next 5 months Tifaine will receive 2 types of chemotherapy Adriamycin and Cytoxan every other week along with a white blood cell booster shot to help build her WBC back up after each treatment. After these 5 months of chemo and if all goes according to schedule Tifaine will have surgery, and continue with three new chemotherapy drugs for 7 months.

First round of chemotherapy began August 21 with symptoms ranging from multiple migraine headaches, lower back pain, to severe fatigue, and hair loss. Tifaine’s WBC, platelets, and hemoglobin all took a big hit during the first round and they hope that the WBC booster shot will help to stabilize her numbers so treatment remains on schedule.

Sept 5 is the 2nd round of chemotherapy. Hoping for no nausea and no migraines this round.

Please help by donating to Tifaine. She has an extremely long road ahead of her and needs our support. Prayers are very helpful too. Pray Tifaine will continue on schedule with her treatments with minimal illness.