Christy's cancer journey began nearly 15 years ago. She was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma while pregnant with her third child. The first doctor she saw wanted her to terminate the pregnancy, which was not an option she even considered. She went in search of another doctor and found a wonderful one who is still her doctor today. He not only treated her cancer, but also treated her whole family from an emotional standpoint. The Emory doctors worked with Georgia Tech to engineer a table that would shield her belly so she could start radiation treatment. She went through six weeks of radiation Monday-Friday.
On August 21, 1998, she delivered a healthy baby boy. He was perfect! She had a short break from treatment after the birth, then started more radiation that treated her abdomen. It was a success -- the cancer was GONE!
Right at her five-year anniversary of being cancer free, she felt a suspicious spot and wasn't sure what it was. She went to the doctor and found out the cancer was back. This time, she went through six months of chemo, followed by radiation. Again, the treatment was a success! The cancer was GONE!
In 2011 the cancer reared its ugly head again. She felt a lump in her breast. She was scared to find out what it was and actually didn't go to the doctor for several months. She didn't want to hear the "C" word again. She finally went and had a mammogram followed by a biopsy, and it was confirmed that she had breast cancer. She was told there was also a spot on one of her lungs but it was too small to biopsy. Her doctors wanted to watch it closely. She had four months of chemo, followed by a double mastectomy with the start of reconstruction and lymph nodes removed in February. At that point the cancer was gone AGAIN!
This past July, she had a PET scan, which revealed that the spot on her lungs had gotten larger and there was another -- so she had a biopsy in August. She received the news she had feared. The breast cancer was back. But not only was it back... it was not curable. They CAN treat it, though and that is the good news! She started a chemo pill called Xeloda, which she takes in repeating two-week cycles. Christy will continue this cycle as long as it's effective.
During these many years of battling cancer, it has been tough for Christy to also juggle a career and be a mom to three busy, growing boys. Our hope is to surround her with love and for those among us able to help, also donate funds to help her and her family with medical and other related expenses during this very challenging time.
To all of us who love Christy, she is an absolute inspiration with her incredible spirit, humor and grace. She says the hardest thing was telling her three boys. She says, "They took the news in stride and have been so strong! My family is so great. My family and friends have been by my side the entire time! They are my strength! I will continue to fight and plan on being around for a very long time!"
So please come join us on November 10th to show your support!
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