My name is Nancy and my daughter Lori (age 45) was diagnosed as triple negative. When she first discovered the lump and an ultra sound was done, they said it was a cyst. Local surgeon operated and said he had "concerns". It was cancer! How could they have been so wrong? She went to Joyce Murtha Breast Center in Winber, PA, and then to Magee Women's in Pittsburgh. I believe that she had every test done that is available. She had a mastectomy on July 6 at Magee and lymph nodes were negative. There was a tumor under the nipple area also, and they said that it was all really one. She starts chemo on Friday the 10th, 6 treatments, and then radiation the day after Christmas, 5 days a week for 6 weeks. I have read and re-read your posts and messages, and I want you all to know that my thoughts and prayers are with all of you. As a mother, it has been very difficult to deal with this, for I realize that it is a genetic abnormality. She tells me all of the test results and says that she does not have the P53 tumor suppressor gene. As breast cancer patients can you tell me what you want from your family? We have all been very supportive. Her husband is the most wonderful man in the world. I listen to her and cry with her and I laugh with her. Since so very little info is out there as to triple negative, I am at a loss as to what to expect. She goes in to rages and says that there are times when she feels almost paralyzed, unable to move her arms and legs. This is a woman who never smoked, never drank, doesn't even drink coffee. She runs or walks 3 to 6 miles a day, bicycles 3  or 4 times a week at least 15 miles. She participated in the triatholon 2 years ago and came in at first place in her age group. She has already gotten 2 wigs and turbans and caps, and has drastically changed her diet. She weighs 107 but admittedly had a sweet tooth. Please tell me what all of you want from your family and friends. How can I help her through all of this? We have 5 daughters and Lori is the third after her sisters who are twins. Our grandson (now 19) was diagnosed with lukemia at age 3. Where is this horrible disease "cancer" coming from? I just know that  a cure can be found. But the pharmaceutical are making a killing on the treatments and all of the drugs. I have crocheted 25 angels for her to send to others who are breast cancer patients. I am calling them the "Victory Angels". I will make one for every year that she will be a "victor" . I do not like the word survivor. I heard that it is bad karma. I figure that 40 or 50 angels will give her the time to do what ever she wants to do in life. She just became a 2nd grade teacher. Graduated with honors December 2005. Please help me to help her!

Hi Nancy,  It's wierd because alot of people I've spoken with said they felt extreme fatique when the cancer was still in them, this was true for me.  I actually felt better after my surgery and started my chemo 8 weeks after that.  I actually postponed chemo two weeks because I was out of shape and had started working out and taking supplements to get stronger.  For me the first chemo w/ the Nuelasta shot was probably the worst, but still manageable.  I did AC 4 times Taxol 4 Times.  If your daughter is doing AC, nausea is usually the worst side effects.  I bought seabands (used for sea sickness, got 'em at the drug store) wrist bands and wore the the day of and 3 days after AC.  They work with accupressure.  I didn't need any nausea meds when I used those.  I got chemo on Thursdays and was back to normal by monday.  Taxol was a breeze, hardly noticed!  It's different for everyone though.  I took time off as a Realtor (15 years) to do my chemo mostly because I didn't have the energy to give and I wanted to be fair to my clients.  But my friend who had stage stage 3 ovarian cancer (Realtor too) not only worked most everyday but ran the Hood to Coast marathon while going through chemo at the age of 60!  I found out about my breast cancer right after she ended her treatment and kind of used her as my model for going through mine, however if she did the Hood to Coast at 60, I was going to have to do the boston marathon on running on my hands, 'cause I'm only 44 (well that didn't happen!!!)!!  This experience is different for everyone,  I really emersed myself in lots of inspirational books as well as educating myself on BC.  Your daughter needs to feather her nest how she likes it  and make this experience her own.  I have manged to keep my sense of humor and spirits high, but it took a while.  The very beginning is scary because the answers reveal themselves painfully slowly, but  once you have the answers you can wrap your your brain around it and cope.  It sounds like she really tries to take care of herself and it's frustrating because I always associated cancer with poor lifestyle choices, but it's not always that, sometimes it's just a random event that comes out of nowhere. 

Wow, sounds like Lori is doing much better, she's able to eat a little bit and get her mind off of things by working on her school projects, that will help so much.  Walking in the woods sounds wonderful, things seem to be taking a big turn and I bet you are very happy to see that.

Good morning Nancy, I am so far behind in being on the board, chemo week-end so a little dizzy but wanted to check in and say hi.

A landscape of hope for cancer patients

Colorful gardens create bright spots during dark times

August 26, 2007

When Roberta Hershon's childhood friend Beverly Eisenberg was diagnosed with breast cancer in October 2004, Hershon and other friends kept the woman's beloved garden healthy and filled her Sharon home with flowers. The women all loved to garden, and Eisenberg, who was in a wheelchair, could at least look out the window at what she had created. And nurturing the indoor plants gave her something to do.

"It lifted her spirits; it gave her hope," says Hershon, who lives in Dedham. "She and I had talked about, once she got better, doing the same thing for someone else." But Eisenberg died the following August at age 55. Hershon decided to implement the idea in honor of her friend and others stricken with breast cancer.

So began Hope in Bloom, a nonprofit that provides indoor and outdoor gardens to those undergoing treatment for breast cancer. "We wanted to improve the journey through the breast cancer maze," says Hershon. "The hospital treats your illness, but it doesn't do anything for your soul. Chemotherapy is so sterile and stark. Gardens are a way to have something pretty at your residence."

The group, which installed its first garden -- after Eisenberg's -- in July, also in Sharon, tries to get wholesale prices from nurseries and landscape design pro bono. They hope to complete 40 gardens, mostly on the South Shore, by the end of September. "It's first-come, first-served," says Hershon.

In Cohasset, Abigail Alves heard about Hope in Bloom. Her twin, Beth Anderson, had been undergoing treatment for breast cancer for more than a year. Alves knew her sister wasn't much of a gardener, but thought color and greenery would boost her spirits. She called Hershon, and this month Anderson's ordinary Hingham yard was transformed into a lovely garden.

"I just wanted to give her something pretty to look at," says Alves on a recent day, standing next to her identical sister, whose auburn hair has begun to grow back. Anderson has undergone four surgeries, four rounds of chemotherapy, and six weeks of daily radiation treatments. She is now on an experimental anti-cancer drug.

"After 18 months of treatment, this is a very, very bright spot," says Anderson, 44, who has two young children. "Every time I pull into my driveway and look at this, I'll smile."

She spoke amidst a flurry of activity unfolding around her: workers uprooting bushes, replanting them, digging holes, and putting all sorts of new things in the ground. Chris Kennedy of Kennedy's Country Gardens in Scituate designed and supervised the project, and donated the flowers and plants. Herzog Landscaping of Hingham provided free labor. This project was the first one provided to Hope in Bloom completely free of charge. The group relies on donations and fund-raisers for its budget and volunteers for its planning and gardening.

Kennedy, whose mother died of breast cancer three years ago, says the cause is important to him. "If we can do something nice for someone who has breast cancer, we'll bring out the troops," he says. "This is our gift to Beth. She doesn't have to get her hands dirty today."

Anderson stood by watching as workmen removed azaleas, hollies, and rhododendron from the front of her house and transplanted them to the side of her yard. They were replaced with boxwoods, provided by Monrovia, the large California grower. Kennedy was also installing tinkerbell lilacs in front: "What's really cool is that Beth is going to walk out the front door and smell all the lilacs. We want to make it a real colorful garden with lots of pink. Most everything here was green before."

Workers were pulling up a border plant that "just didn't fit," according to Kennedy. A weeping cherry and some coral bells stood by, waiting for their place in the plan. In fact, Kennedy's pickup truck was filled with all sorts of plants: sedum, angelonia, phlox, dahlias, mini-petunias.

Before the day was out, the yard was transformed into a lovely oasis of colors, and Beth Anderson, it seemed, was destined to become a born-again gardener. A new stone bench allows her to sit out and enjoy the garden while keeping an eye on the kids. "I also love to sit and read at the front window and look at the garden."

Her twin is also pleased. "When I called, I said my sister would just like a container plant," says Alves. "But they redid the entire front yard."

As for Anderson, her new garden has been a boon for the entire family. "It's put a smile on all of our faces; it's like Santa Claus. People think cancer is really bad. But it makes you see the incredible goodness in people." She pauses and smiles. "I have always wanted a weeping cherry tree."

For details on the program, visit http://hopeinbloom.org/ - hopeinbloom.org .

Bella English of Milton can be reached at mailto:english@globe.com - english@globe.com  

Evening Pam,

She is decorating her kitchen!!! Good grief! But she is WOMAN!! HEAR HER ROAR

You...just like a redblooded woman...want to go shopping ...even though you can hardly walk 

You know Pam, before she was dx, she was not sick at all! Then she had 2 sugeries as I told you, and came through those with flying colors. But the chemo....this is  horrible all she ever wanted to do was teach, and she will do that, but not without much agony at times. 

She did look great last evening when we were there. Eating those ginger snaps and laughing and couldn't believe how great she felt...compared to the 1st chemo. Oh yeah, her hubby said that the milk she was dunking her ginger snaps in was spoiled She didn't know because her taste buds are all screwed up from the chemo. Guess you ladies need a taster like the kings had in the olden days?

Dear Nancy,

Evening everyone,