Colette’s Cancer Journey

10/19/2024

Hope to see all of Morgan County and our surrounding area come out tomorrow night for our PINKOUT fundraiser!!! Live music by McCloud & Company… live auction, Chinese auction, 50/50… all proceeds go to help our ladies fighting breast cancer… to Belpre Cancer Clinic Emergency Fund. Come celebrate our survivors, our fighters, and in rememberance of all those who fought the fight til the end. Come check out the donated items starting at 6pm and stay til the end. Help this be an amazing first annual benefit. Can’t wait!!! 💕. Please feel free to share my post with others.

To donate use the following link: https://www.mhsystem.org/foundation/donate and mark your donation for the Cancer Patient Emergency Initiative. Please make a note that this is for the Morgan County PINKOUT fundraiser.
Thanks!

10/19/2024

Hope to see all of Morgan County and our surrounding area come out tomorrow night for our PINKOUT fundraiser!!! Live music by McCloud & Company… live auction, Chinese auction, 50/50… all proceeds go to help our ladies fighting breast cancer… to Belpre Cancer Clinic Emergency Fund. Come celebrate our survivors, our fighters, and in rememberance of all those who fought the fight til the end. Come check out the donated items starting at 6pm and stay til the end. Help this be an amazing first annual benefit. Can’t wait!!! 💕

To donate use the following link: https://www.mhsystem.org/foundation/donate and mark your donation for the Cancer Patient Emergency Initiative. Please make a note that this is for the Morgan County PINKOUT fundraiser.
Thanks!

Welcome to the Memorial Health Foundation, a not-for-profit organization that works with the Memorial Health System and the community to improve the quality of

06/20/2024

God blesses me everyday and has definitely been my strength throughout my cancer journey to bless me with a great team of medical professionals, family, friends, work, and of course, my wonderful hubby. I try my best to live a good life and do as He would be proud.
Thank You for everything every day!

06/17/2024

The guys have a busy next few weeks performing. Hope to see you and catch up. Come join us as often as you’d like. Looking forward to summer time drinks, food, fun with music to enjoy.

June 20 BW3 in Reynoldsburg on 256 from 7-10
June 21 Thiago’s in Heath from 6-9
June 22 The Backyard between Maxwells and River Valley Social in McConnelsville from 7-10
June 23 Buckeye Lake Pizza Cottage from 1-4
June 26 Pink Cricket in Lancaster from 6-9
June 27 The Point on Main between Reynoldsburg and Whitehall off of Main Street and Noe Bixby from 6-9
June 29 Thiago’s in New Lexington from 6-9

03/05/2024

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12/02/2023

Saw this and thought I’d share (see below)….

Please know I’m not suffering in sadness… I am remaining positive, focused, and believing that we will win this battle.

I am so appreciative of the continuous outpouring of support, kindness, cards, care packages, positive comments, and everything I have witnessed to date this year. You each have been the wind beneath my wings in navigating these uncharted waters.

My journey is still happening… chemo, surgery, and radiation have been completed… yet every three weeks I am still getting a targeted treatment into my port. The targeted treatment is with a drug called Kadcyla which is a chemo drug. I won’t loose my hair but it is a pretty potent drug specifically focused on attacking my HER2 cells throughout my body and breaking into the cell to attack the cell DNA and obliterate it once and for all. You see the HER2 cells have memory of my fast growing cancer and their job is to duplicate it throughout my body so this part of the journey is crucial to destroy not only the cancer in my body but most importantly the potential for future cancer.

This journey will continue every theee weeks through the end of April at this time. The treatment is cumulative and builds in my body. It makes recovery take longer as I continue the treatments so if I appear more tired or less energetic this is why.

I promise I am taking care of myself and resting as my body demands. I take several vitamins to help with recovery and rebuilding my body. I also eat lots of color (fruits and vegetables) along with high protein to bring healing. But understand, I also am desperately trying to live life, make memories, and enjoy times with family and friends. I do need togetherness, love, support and having family and friends near. Please message Bruce or myself to set up some memory time together. We welcome visitors as well as traveling. Remember this journey is all about ONE AND DONE!
THANK YOU AGAIN! 💕❤️💕🙌

Here’s the shared message:
With a heavy heart💔and tears 😢 in my eyes, nothing is more painful than trying to smile and remain positive, but after many tests, being poked and prodded, chemo and radiation, the person physically changes and they can suffer with sadness. I know many of you do not give a crap about this message because, the cancer has not affected you. You do not know what it's like to have fought the fight, or have a loved one who leads or has lead a battle against cancer. 💛💗
I ask you a small favor- I know only some of you will do it. If you know someone who has led a battle against cancer, still struggling, or who passed, please make this your status to support, respect, and remember.
💛💗💜💚💛🧡❤️🤎🖤🤍 💙
I have faith that many of my friends and family will copy and past to their newsfeedJust wanted to say, I despise CANCER!!!
I'm going to make a bet, that out of my family & friends, less than 7 will take the time to put this on their page.
💕Who Are My 7💕
❤️🧡💛💚💙💜❤️💗

08/23/2023

Good Morning Everyone!!!
I’ve been so quiet during my radiation days, 21 of them! The radiation staff at Belpre Cancer Center have been amazing and a pleasure to be with throughout this part of my journey… kind, caring, compassionate, supportive, inquisitive, and full of advice.

This is definitely an unusual year! A year about me and my health to restore my life to get me back on track.

I took the doctors, nurses, and technicians advice and encouragement… I completely took the last days of radiation off work. I rested, spent time with Bruce, and had a bit of summer while finishing this leg of my journey.

I’m happy to report that I am now complete with 3/4 of my cancer Journey!!! I got to ring the bell for completing radiation!!! And my hair is growing back!!! It looks a lot different than before this journey began, but I HAVE HAIR and I’m loving it. I’m enjoying watching the changes as it grows. Still watching my eyelashes growing with eyebrows returning too. Crazy, but fun!

The last leg of the journey is finishing my targeted treatments every three weeks through April.

I know I will have other parts to this journey too, but this will end things being pumped into my body or radiated to destroy cancer. I know that I will be given oral medicine to kill the estrogen positive cells and stop my body from producing estrogen. I also know that reconstruction awaits me after the radiation finishes it’s destruction. These last final touches should be easier.

Thank you for your continued prayers! They are felt and appreciated!!!

07/26/2023

Well, I had surgery almost a month ago on June 23. All went well.
Lymph nodes were clear!
Tumor was significantly reduced from 20x14x10mm down to 3x1mm
Clear margins were clear!

I decided to move the remainder of my targeted treatments and radiation from Zangmeister to Belpre which is part of Marietta Memorial Hospital. I believe I’ve made an awesome decision. My Radiation Oncologist is so kind and thorough explaining the process and procedure. I’ve already been situated for this procedure and radiation started Monday and runs for 21 treatments Monday through Friday each week. The first 16 will target the entire breast and the last five will target the tumor site. I will be finished with the radiation 8/21 and will need time to heal.

For my targeted medical oncology, I just LOVE my new medical oncologist. She spent over an hour meeting with me the first visit. I have ten pages of notes and illustrations she created explaining my cancer, where we are to date and where we’re going from here along with why and the hopeful outcomes. I had my first targeted treatment last Monday. During the observation period I had a leg reaction to the drug, in less than a minute my medical oncologist was there with my nurse and immediately dispensing drugs to counteract the reaction. I was quickly back to normal and we have a new plan for prior to next treatment. My doc even has called a few times this week to check on me. This is so 180 degree difference for the good!!!
So far, I’m feeling good. Evidently days 7-10 will show if I have any issues with this treatment. The drug I’m being given is Kadcyla which is a combination drug including a bit of chemo. My hair will still grow back and I won’t have the mouth or other chemo issues. The chemo part is like a Trojan horse. The first drug will break into the HER2 cell, once in “the Trojan horse chemo part” will kick into action and destroy the cell’s DNA to destroy the cell. Just so you know and understand, the HER2 positive cell has memory of my cancer tumor and it’s job Is to spread and duplicate the cancer throughout my body. We need to eliminate all of them. My targeted treatment will be every three weeks for 14 treatments which is 10.5 months…. So mid April will be my final treatment.

All is going well!!!

Bruce and I are staying busy getting things done at our new home. It’s nice being all at one place and no longer having to travel to our old home to clean, mow, etc. Yesterday we celebrated twenty-five years of marriage.

06/28/2023

Received Pathology report from surgery…Not completely cancer free YET…

Spoke with Dr Slam just this morning.
A. Lymph nodes were clear… no cancer
B. Tumor was reduced to max 3mm by 1mm and WAS fully removed
C. Margins removed around the tumor area were clear with no cancer tissue
So all remaining cancer was fully removed!

My targeted treatment will change from Herceptin to TDM1 for the balance of the year. I will still have 20 treatments of radiation (5 days a week for four weeks) and will also start the estrogen receptor treatment.

All in all a very good result!!!

Original tumor was 20x14x10mm
All the prayers, God’s healing touch and
Chemo caused this huge reduction.

Thank you for all your continued prayers.
One and Done!

06/24/2023

I want to thank all of you for your continued support with prayers for me and my cancer Journey, for your private messages, the cards, and care packages. They mean so much to me emotionally. This has been a tough journey but one I’ve been trying to stay positive through. I know I still have more to travel, but yesterday was the completion of step two with my surgery.

Prior to surgery, I had a tag placement for my surgeon. I had the radiologist come in to visit and place the tag. She was the same radiologist who came in and talked with me on January 3rd from the ultrasound. She shared that my body and the chemo worked well together and that the only thing present in the MRI was the tag marking where they took the biopsy, the tumor was gone! She said this is very rare. Most of the time the tumor is reduced, but it’s extremely rare for it to simply disappear. I know God worked His miracles thanks to all the prayers and belief for all of you.

Following this tag placement, we traveled to the surgery center. My surgeon, Dr. Kristine Slam came to visit prior to surgery, she too shared about the amazing MRI results. She removed the tumor area with clear margins and also three lymph nodes just to confirm no cancer spread. All tissue goes for biopsy.

Please join me in praying biopsies confirm no remaining cancer too.

I still have the balance of my cancer Journey, but knowing we got it to me makes this journey a whole lots easier at this point. Love to all of you!!!

Hey just thought I’d share, Brad and Bruce are at Maxwells in Mcconnelsville tonight from 7-10 in the backyard. I’m going to try to be there.

06/23/2023

My wonderful chauffeur and I are headed to surgery today. It’s a no makeup kinda day. You can see my eyebrows and lashes are rather limited. Hope they grow back quickly. I’ll need some lessons with putting on fake ones. Couldn’t find my Grit and Grace ball cap, so this wrap will have to do. Just love this new violet hair.

Please pray that the tumor is gone and biopsies show no residual cells and that it has NOT spread to lymph nodes etc. This is step two of this long journey. FYI, targeted treatment has continued every three weeks after chemo. Talking with oncologist yesterday, hormone therapy and radiation will start after I heal from surgery.

Love to all! ❤️💕

06/17/2023

Good Morning!
I figured you all needed an update!

My sixth and final chemo treatment on May 24 went way different (thankfully due to all the prayers) than the original five, maybe it was also the extra week in between chemo treatments allowing my body to heal more and for my hemoglobin to recover. Hemoglobin was 9.9 at treatment six, same as for treatment five!

The extra week allowed me several things…
- To go to Mikayla Hayhurst and Robbie’s wedding
- to go to granddaughter Julia’s dance recital 💃 and dinner to Japanese 💕
- to help Bruce with River Road place
- concerts of Brad McCloud and Bruce Smith

Since my final treatment…
We finished the month of May by closing on River Road after owning it for over 25 years… and having ALL of our things in one place!!! This is huge!

When I’m up to it, I’m helping to clean, garden, and all my typical crazy activities I love to do and be a part of.

My tastebuds are still healing and recovering slowly. I keep challenging them and being disappointed. Soon… please!

I’m desperately trying to get work completed for summer. I may end up working some of July to feel more on top of it at the beginning of the year. I feel so behind with everything, but then most of you know me… I have high expectations of myself and have so many things I want to do.

News I’m sure you’ve all been wanting to know… as you saw in pictures, Erika Kukral surprised me at my bell ringing, THANK YOU! She spent the night in town and joined us at my Surgical Oncologist, Dr. Christine Slam, appointment the next day, 5/25.
- Dr. Slam could NOT find my tumor
- 🙏 MRI shows the same as well as surgery and biopsies
- MRI will be Wednesday, 6/21
- Surgery will be Friday, 6/23

The past three weeks have been packed with tons of work both professionally and personally. We’re thrilled to have everything here in one place and to focus on making here our home the way we want it to be. The dogs are thrilled to watch us (mainly Bruce) work, and try to help…

This last Tuesday early early morning I woke Bruce moaning in pain during my sleep. He got me some pain meds and I finally was able to sleep in peace. Of course, I slept for almost 30 hours. I could not get warm. Finally realized I was running a fever. This meant no targeted treatment Wednesday due to the fever, so an ER trip was ordered.

We went to the ER in Belpre, part of the Marietta Memorial system and the Belpre Cancer Center is across the parking lot. They ran all tests imaginable. Covid-negative, blood, ct scan, urine, Everything came back good… except I had shared about a sore and itchy left shoulder and collarbone area… looks like I was bit. Oh wait… Monday night I planted a new blueberry bush and three black raspberry bushes… oh, some fly thing bit me, I think it was a deer fly. I’m now on Doxycycline as a precaution for Lyme Disease, prayers I don’t have this!

Targeted Treatment has been rescheduled for Monday… next week’s going to be crazy busy… if you know me, I’ll try to have everything done prior to surgery next Friday. The laundry is almost complete, of course we’ll have a week more clothes to do prior to surgery. I promise to post more updates as they happen this week. Thanks for hanging with me for this long post. Love you all!