The Knows and the Who knows

My name is Joan Judge and I have breast cancer. Doesn't that sound like I am doing some sort of twelve step program, "not that there's anything wrong with that" to quote Jerry Seinfeld. I just wanted to let everyone what I know and what is unknown.

Get ready.....here comes the science lesson. It's okay if you want to snooze through this part. However there are those you who just love these morbid details.

I have invasive ductal carcinoma. One of the most common of the breast cancers. I have several tumors in my left breast that span over 11 centimeters. I have several cancer tumors in my sternum. (The sternum is the bones down the middle of your chest separating your breasts). The cancer has left a hole in one of the bones......think termites eating through wood. I have one lymph node that looks to have cancer....thank-god, I don't think I could have taken much more good news from my doctors. My doctors tell me that this is considered stage 3 cancer (with an outside chance at being stage 4....more on that later). This is the known part of what's going on with me.

My treatment is going to be a three, four, five, maybe six part process. I will be going through chemo, surgery, and radiation - after each process I will be re-evaluated and may have to go back to "go" and start all over again. An unknown is how the cancer got into my sternum. Is the cancer in the bone as a result of the infection bleeding over from my breast....which cross your fingers is the case.....or as a result of spreading through my blood stream? Who knows? But the doctors want to tackle the bones first with the chemo. I personally just want to kill the cancer....now. If I could start chemo today, I would. As it stands it looks like I will start next Thursday or Friday.

So given all of this, does it mean I'm going to go away. I can answer that with one word....NO, a resounding no. Who knows why this has happened to me but I still have much to do. I am looking forward to the fighting between Hannah and Emma to figure out which one will wear my wedding dress (my money is on Emma as Hannah is more of a Vera Wang girl), waiting to meet my son's girl (and making sure she can pass inspection), convincing Scott to make me VP of Finance and all that goes with that (for that matter becoming CFO of a company and evenually taking it publc - excuse my Napoleonic tendicies are showing) to watching my "Red October Sky" maple tree grow to 30 feet high. I guess I'm going to fight the fight, walk the walk. Watch out, I am woman hear me roar....or at least meow alot.