With love,
One relieved Robin
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
12/30/09 Myra resting comfortably
Myra came out of surgery with flying colors. In the recovery room, the nurses asked her if she was in pain. Myra’s response was "Well I am very HUNGRY". She is resting comfortably and is so blown away by all of your messages of support. She asked me to convey her appreciation and tell everyone she is doing great. Here is proof.
With love,
One relieved Robin
With love,
One relieved Robin
12/30/09 Surgery is complete
Myra underwent surgery this morning at 7:40am to remove the cancerous tumor and to have a mastectomy on her right breast. We met early (6am!) at the Greenwich hospital with a small group of friends and family to support her. Myra (adorned in that gray dress you all know how much I love!) was in great spirits. We laughed, we prayed, and of course took pictures with her entire medical team! The folks at the hospital are exceptional; knowledgeable, competent, friendly, and compassionate. They all commented on how great Myra was and how that would help her through the surgery.
I have just spoken to Dr. Ward, the breast surgeon (see attached photo) who has successfully removed the tumor. There was also a small amount of tumor removed (only visible by microscope) in the sentinel node which merely tells us that the cancer is capable of traveling and will require chemotherapy, which we already knew. The occurrence of the cancer in the sentinel node does not change the staging (still stage 2) nor the prognosis. Dr. Ward reiterated that it was very straight forward, that she is extremely optimistic about her long term prognosis and that Myra is rock stable and in excellent general health and should recover nicely.
Myra will be in surgery for another hour now with Dr. Atkiss who is putting in a tissue extender to prepare for the eventual implant and breast augmentation. We expect her to be out of surgery at about 11:30, in recovery for one hour and hope to see her by 1pm or so this afternoon. I will send another update once we get our hands on her. Thanks for everyone’s prayers, support and good wishes. Our girl is doing great!
I have just spoken to Dr. Ward, the breast surgeon (see attached photo) who has successfully removed the tumor. There was also a small amount of tumor removed (only visible by microscope) in the sentinel node which merely tells us that the cancer is capable of traveling and will require chemotherapy, which we already knew. The occurrence of the cancer in the sentinel node does not change the staging (still stage 2) nor the prognosis. Dr. Ward reiterated that it was very straight forward, that she is extremely optimistic about her long term prognosis and that Myra is rock stable and in excellent general health and should recover nicely.
Myra will be in surgery for another hour now with Dr. Atkiss who is putting in a tissue extender to prepare for the eventual implant and breast augmentation. We expect her to be out of surgery at about 11:30, in recovery for one hour and hope to see her by 1pm or so this afternoon. I will send another update once we get our hands on her. Thanks for everyone’s prayers, support and good wishes. Our girl is doing great!
Thursday, December 4, 2008
12/04/08 Diagnosis and Prognosis
Dear Friends and Family of Myra,
Myra and I had a sensational visit with Dr. Dickerson Hollister (aka Uncle Dick!). He is the chief oncologist at Greenwich hospital and works extremely closely in the same building (cancer center) as Dr. Ward, the breast surgeon. We had heard through the grapevine that he was the best of the best but that his bedside manner left something to be desired.
We knew that he was a very busy man with time scheduled in 15 minute increments and so we expected a brisk, fast, in-and-out session without a lot of commentary and care. Boy were we mistaken. He was just incredible and spent nearly an hour with us, examining Myra, answering our questions and recommending a course of treatment. He fell in love with Myra. She had him cracking up and he teased her and also told her to ‘chill out’. He was eager to get started with the plan we developed together and personally called Dr. Ward, who referred us, to bring her up to speed on the case and treatment plan. Best of all, he even hugged Myra goodbye!
First, the medical facts.
Myra’s diagnosis and prognosis are terrific. Her PET scan is clear-- meaning the cancer has not spread outside the breast. There is no evidence of it in lymph nodes or other areas outside her right breast though we can’t know that for sure until the tissue is removed and biopsied. There does, however, appear to be a second site within same breast so we are opting for a mastectomy right away – we are trying to schedule for end of the month. Her hormonal indicators thus far are very positive which means she will respond well to some drugs as part of the treatment.
Myra’s treatment will consist of the breast surgery to remove the right breast (mastectomy), followed by chemotherapy (approx 16 weeks). She will then do hormonal therapy (which is administered by drugs for approx 5-10 years). Dr. Hollister felt it was very ‘garden variety’ and imminently curable and treatable. Though it is a large tumor, it is a slow growing one. All in all, it was a VERY good prognosis and we left very comfortable with diagnosis and treatment and oddly somewhat exhilarated by the news as we had prepared for the worst case scenario.
Thanks for your support and for your prayers! They are working. We will continue to keep you posted.
Lots of love,
Robin and Myra
Myra and I had a sensational visit with Dr. Dickerson Hollister (aka Uncle Dick!). He is the chief oncologist at Greenwich hospital and works extremely closely in the same building (cancer center) as Dr. Ward, the breast surgeon. We had heard through the grapevine that he was the best of the best but that his bedside manner left something to be desired.
We knew that he was a very busy man with time scheduled in 15 minute increments and so we expected a brisk, fast, in-and-out session without a lot of commentary and care. Boy were we mistaken. He was just incredible and spent nearly an hour with us, examining Myra, answering our questions and recommending a course of treatment. He fell in love with Myra. She had him cracking up and he teased her and also told her to ‘chill out’. He was eager to get started with the plan we developed together and personally called Dr. Ward, who referred us, to bring her up to speed on the case and treatment plan. Best of all, he even hugged Myra goodbye!
First, the medical facts.
Myra’s diagnosis and prognosis are terrific. Her PET scan is clear-- meaning the cancer has not spread outside the breast. There is no evidence of it in lymph nodes or other areas outside her right breast though we can’t know that for sure until the tissue is removed and biopsied. There does, however, appear to be a second site within same breast so we are opting for a mastectomy right away – we are trying to schedule for end of the month. Her hormonal indicators thus far are very positive which means she will respond well to some drugs as part of the treatment.
Myra’s treatment will consist of the breast surgery to remove the right breast (mastectomy), followed by chemotherapy (approx 16 weeks). She will then do hormonal therapy (which is administered by drugs for approx 5-10 years). Dr. Hollister felt it was very ‘garden variety’ and imminently curable and treatable. Though it is a large tumor, it is a slow growing one. All in all, it was a VERY good prognosis and we left very comfortable with diagnosis and treatment and oddly somewhat exhilarated by the news as we had prepared for the worst case scenario.
Thanks for your support and for your prayers! They are working. We will continue to keep you posted.
Lots of love,
Robin and Myra
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