This website is built around a 28 year old woman, Breanna (Fisher) Andrews, who was diagnosed with breast cancer (Invasive Ductal Carcinoma with triple negative receptors), on December 17, 2008. Bre's situation is a little different from most other women with breast cancer, because she was 16 weeks pregnant when she found out that she had breast cancer. Bre is the supervisor of the Nuclear Medicine Department at Maury Regional Medical Center. Will Andrews, her husband, works as a respiratory therapist at Vanderbilt Medical Center. Bre is a very strong woman who said, "I will kick this cancer's butt."
How can you help Bre fight breast cancer???
Bre's response to the question, "What can I do to help?" is, "PRAY- I NEED ALL PRAYERS THAT I CAN GET.". That is what she needs the most. Please pray for her growing baby, her husband, her family and friends, and of course, her.
UPDATES:
2/10/2009 - Baby Andrews is doing fine. Bre is now 24 weeks and 3 days pregnant.
2/13/2009 - Bre had her 3rd treatment of chemo yesterday and her oncologist has said that her tumor has shrunk by half.
2/27/2009- Hey everyone! Thank you for viewing this website that my co-workers set up! I just wanted to thank everyone for their support and prayers! I am doing fantastic and I am now 26 weeks and 3 days prego! I am pretty sure that there is a soccer player growing in my belly!
3/2/2009- I am doing great, and I am getting so excited (just kidding) about my 4th chemo treatment, which will be on March 5, 2009. Please keep on praying!!!
3/5/2009- I am finally finished with Adriamycin and Cytoxan!!! I got my 4th treatment this afternoon- boy, I glad that is over with. March 26,2009 I will begin receiving a different chemotherapy, Taxol, and I pray that I do as well with those treatments as I have with the other chemotherapies. I never had a single complaint with the others, well, except for losing my hair!!!! Oh well, at least I don't have to spend time getting ready in the morning, and no shaving of the legs or armpits required!! Awesome!!
3/10/09- I went to my OBGYN yesterday, and had yet another ultrasound. Unfortunately, Baby Andrews was breeched and facing my spine, so we were unable to get any profile shots :( Other than that, the baby looks great and is still growing, now weighing in at 2 pounds 6 ounces! As far as myself goes, I continue to feel great and I keep on trucking! Thanks again for all of the prayers, donations, and support everyone! I truely appreciate it!
3/18/09- thank you to everyone who is continuing to pray for us. We appreciate it all so very much! I wanted to let you know that everyone who ordered a TEAM BRE shirt, I just got the word today that those will be in my hands tommorrow! I will be sending those out to you very soon, along with your bracelets (if you ordered any). This has been a great week, I haven't had to go to any doctor's appointments, or chemotherapy treatments! My first week off in a while it seems, yea!! The fatigue is catching up with me, but I still continue to go to work everyday! I also go for a walk almost everyday; I am trying to keep from gaining too much weight from pregnancy- so far so good!
3/20/09- I got news today that my grandmother passed away last night. It was a bit expected, but still sad and hard to believe. I will miss you greatly, Grandma.
3/25/09- Yesterday, I had many people to talk to. My OB doctor's are now talking about inducing labor at 37 weeks! Yikes! I am already 30 weeks pregnant...that's only 7 weeks left! I am nervous about being a new mommy! I am trying to talk them into letting me go natural instead of inducing me, we'll see! I also got genetic test results back from BRCA 1 and BRCA 2. I was negative for both! Which is great news, because if I had been positive for either, my chances of developing ovarian cancer would be very high. Now, it looks like I can keep my ovaries! Yea! So, how did I get breast cancer considering that I have no risk factors, not even a family history? I may never know. I just got lucky...or unlucky, I mean. I also had an ultrasound of my breast to see the size of the tumor, if the chemotherapy indeed shrunk the tumor. Turns out that the chemotherapy is working! The tumor did shrink, not as much as my Oncologist or I predicted, but it shrank. That's great news!! Keep on praying please! Thank you!
3/27/09- I had my first round of Taxol yesterday and it went very well. No problems, a breeze really, except for becoming super tired from the Benedryl (one of the 3 pre-meds given so hopefully an allergic reaction from the Taxol won't occur). I also talked to my Oncologist, and she said that she would be fine with me delivering at 38 weeks instead of 37! I hope she can convince the OB docs! The longer I can keep Baby Andrews in here, the better, I think. She also told me that since I will not be getting chemotherapy for at least 2 weeks before I deliver, that I will need to get back on chemo ASAP, meaning a day or two after delivering. Good times!! (Don't be jealous!!!) As always, keep us in your thoughts and prayers. Thank you :)
3/31/09- I found out yesterday that my Oncologist convinced my OB docs that I could be induced at 38 weeks, instead of 37. Oh happy day! For those wondering, I am still doing great. This prego belly is growing more and more each day...I am 31 weeks today actually! I can't believe it, how the time has flown by. I am getting more fatigued as each day passes, but I guess I have a good excuse :). Keep praying!
4/6/09- I had my second Taxol treatment last Thursday, it went pretty well. Of course, the Benedryl made me very sleepy, so I rested all day it seemed. I will be getting my third Taxol treatment this Thursday...yippie! My family and some friends of mine participated in the Mule Day 5k this past Saturday, April 4th. I walked this year, but I can't wait until I can run it again next year. I was so jealous of all of the runners, but next year I will baby and chemo free. Back to normal! Yes! Today, I had another ultrasound of Baby Andrews and He or She is taking after mommy (and daddy too...we are both very worn out these days). When the ultrasound tech first put the transducer on my belly, the baby was yawning. It was so cute! I will try to post that captured image on here soon! Baby Andrews is still gaining weight, an estimated 4 lbs, 6 ozs. After the ultrasound, we spoke with one of my OB docs. The plan is to induce me on May 18th...that is just around the corner!
4/9/09- I had my third Taxol treatment today. I slept alot today, which was AWESOME!! After gettting up, Will and I did our usual hour long walk with our dog, Lola. We love to walk! Oh, I forgot to mention...this past weekend, my aunt and cousin both participated in the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer. They each walked 40 miles and together raised $5,000.00 for cancer research. Great job Aunt Jo and Tristan!!! What a great cause. :)
4/10/09- I forgot to mention that I got the rest of my genetic test results the other day...p53 (Li-Fraumeni Syndrome) was negative also. Great news, if that had been positive, then Baby Andrews could possibly have a crazy childhood ahead of him or her. P53 results in many childhood cancers. Thank God the test was negative. That being said, it just confirms the fact that I developed cancer for no reason. Lucky me! Please continue to keep us in your thoughts and prayers. Thank you so much.
4/20/09- Sorry that I have not updated this page in a while...I have had a busy past few days. My fourth Taxol treatment went well last Thursday. Of course, I was very worn out from it, but no biggie. I had a good number of family come in from Michigan that night to surprise me; however, I was so tired from chemo, they didn't get to visit with me until the following night. It was great to see them all. :)
About a month ago, my brother-in-law, Glennon, and some friends of his, had an idea to put on a benefit (BRE AID). With tons and tons of help from Will's family, my family, and many friends, the benefit was planned, organized, and was held this past Saturday. There was such a tremendous turnout! Thank you everyone for their hardwork getting this event together! Thank you also to everyone who attended, or sent in donations. Will and I appreciate it all, as usual. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU EVERYONE!!!!!! We could not do this without all of your help, love, support, and prayers.
Last of all, Baby Andrews seems to be doing just fine. I will be getting another ultrasound next week to make sure he or she is still growing properly, I am sure he or she is according to the size of my basketball belly! Very soon, I will post another belly picture and ultrasound picture!
Once again, thank you everyone for everything. Much love to you all.
4/23/09- I completed my fifth Taxol treatment today. It was awesome; I slept great through most of the infusion, well, I had to get up a couple of times to empty my bladder (thanks Baby Andrews!! :) ). Other than that, not much else going on besides work. Many people have asked if I am still working, so for those who don't know, I work everyday, except for appointment days. Other than that, I am going, going, going, just like the Energizer Bunny!!! Keeping active is the key to a great pregnancy and great chemotherapy treatments, at least that's what I say. Thanks again to everyone for all of the continuous prayers.
4/29/09- I am feeling still feeling great and I am growing hair on my head!!!! I actually started seeing growth about 2 weeks ago, very, very exciting!! So far, my hair is coming back light blonde and appears straight, and I am hoping that it will stay that way! Pretty soon, patients of mine will again start asking if I have a buzz cut to make a fashion statement (yes, I have been asked that in the past), rather than asumming that I have cancer. Some people even thought that I had actually shaved my head bald and seemed appalled that a girl would do such a thing! It gets aggravating, but I am unfortunately used to it now. I just reply, "Oh this (as I point to my head)? Oh, I have breast cancer and the chemotherapy took my hair." That quiets them down pretty quick! :)
5/4/09- I had my sixth Taxol treatment last Thursday. It went well as usual! Since then, I have also had another ultrasound to see how big Baby Andrews is getting...he or she now weighs in at 5 pounds, 12 ounces! Baby is looking great and growing like he or she should for a 36 weeks. Perfect! I will be admitted to Vanderbilt on the evening of May 18th to be induced, I will be 38 weeks pregnant at that time. The doctors are telling me that it could take up to 2 days before the baby arrives! Oh boy, I can't begin to imagine hanging out in a hospital room/bed for that long! I need to see if they can get a treadmill in my room...I HATE not getting exercise, laying around in bed all day is not my idea of fun. So if things go as planned, it looks like we only have about 15 days before we get to meet our beautiful Baby Andrews!! Terrifing yet exciting!
5/13/09- Since my last update, things have been good. I have been doing the same old thing- working, walking, and getting ready for the little one to arrive. I didn't have to go to chemotherapy last Thursday, nor will I have to go tommorrow. I got a break so that my blood counts can hopefully get back to somewhat normal for delivery. It's been nice not having to go to chemo treatments, but I am ready to get back on schedule and get this cancer taken care of. After I get off of work on Monday, May 18th, I will be going to Vanderbilt to have this baby!!!!!!!! Wish me luck that all goes well, and that we get to meet Baby Andrews quickly. If baby takes a long time to make his or her appearace, I may have to push chemotherapy back another week, and we don't want that. Come back and visit this site very soon to see what gender I have been carrying around for 38 weeks...a BOY or a GIRL...how exciting!! ONLY 5-7 DAYS LEFT!!!!!!!!! Thank you for all of your support and prayers. :)
5/18/09- I will be going to Vanderbilt tonight at 8:00 pm to have this bundle of joy!!!!!! I am so excited/nervous!!! Please pray that things go smooth and quickly so I can get back home and out of the hospital. I will update this website as soon as possible.
5/19/09- Bre had a healthy baby girl named Matilda Rae at 8:56 am. She weighs 6 lbs 10.5 ounces and is 19 inches long!!!!!!!.
5/20/09- I was discharged from the hospital at 1:00 pm and we got to bring Matilda home!!!!
5/22/09- Will, Mom, Lola and I took Matilda on her first walk in her stroller today! She loved every minute of it. Matilda is doing so great, she is a PERFECT baby. I have only heard her cry a handful of times, and that is when I change her clothes. She is the most awesome baby ever, I just love her to pieces! Onto other things, I had to resume chemotherapy today. My oncologist added another chemotherapy drug to my Taxol treatment; it's called Carboplatin. The side effects are nausea, fatigue, and hair loss...AGAIN. I am bumbed about that, I was just getting excited about my new hairdo. Oh well, I can't not do this new chemo because I will lose my hair, that's silly. Baldness, here I come, for the second time this year. :(
5/23/09- Will and I took Matilda for her second walk today! She loves to go for walks just like her mommy and daddy! She is so cute! Matilda experienced a couple of firsts today. She got her first sponge bath today and she also went to church at only 4 days old! Matilda was the most popular girl at church, everyone wanted to see who they have been praying for these past 5 months. Father Davis blessed her twice!
5/26/09- First of all, HAPPY 1 WEEK BIRTHDAY, MATILDA!!!! Will's brother, Matt, took Matilda's first photo shoot yesterday. At 6 days old, it was very hard to get her to be still, but I am hoping that he got a few great shots of her. As soon as I can, I will post some pretty pics of her. Things here are good, I feel wierd not going to work, but for now, Matilda is my job (and Will's too). I will be going for chemo this Thursday again, and will be on a Thursday schedule until I complete treatments. Only 5 more to go...please continue to pray for us, as you know, I still have a long road ahead of me and with a newborn it's going to be tough. I know I can do it though, I am a tough girl. ;)
5/31/09- Chemotherapy last Thursday went well, but these days it is much harder to go. I absolutely hate leaving Matilda at home, but daddy Will does a great job taking care of her. I am just so used to her going everywhere with me, and I miss her when we are apart! Since the last update, nothing else is really new, we are just keeping busy with sweet little Matilda. I can't believe that she is already 12 days old.
6/11/09- Okay, call me a slacker if you want, but for all of those out there who are parents (and new parents at that), all of my free time is taken up with taking care of Matilda!!! I don't mind AT ALL, I actually LOVE it and would do ANYTHING for this sweet little girl. Getting on the computer has all of the sudden become last on my to do list. :) As I sit here, I have Matilda sleeping on my lap (she's so cute...). Everything has been going well. My last chemo went fine, but as usual, I was super tired after. I am going for another treatment today, and guess what??? I will only have 2 more treatments left and I STILL HAVE MY HAIR!!!! Please God, let me keep the hair. I really am hoping to prove the doc wrong, for my sake. But still, if the hair does go again, "they" say you can do anything once, so I say, why not do it twice? I CAN DO ANYTHING AND GET THROUGH ANY SITUATION THROWN IN MY DIRECTION. I CAN DO THIS! Thank you everyone for the continued prayers. One more thing, I will try my best to get some more pictures of Matilda on here soon. Today she is 23 days old...wow.
6/14/09- Chemotherapy went well last Thursday, and I continue to feel good. I am, however, feeling more fatigued these days, but what can I expect for a new parent receiving chemo? It no doubt wears on me, but at least I am not having to go to work too. I deserve the break, and I am loving it for the most part. I miss the daily routine of my job, and I miss my co-workers, but before I know it, I will be back to work and done with this whole cancer bit. Yea! I posted some more pictures of little Matilda Rae on here, I hope you enjoy them! Today she is 26 days old.
6/26/09- Yesterday, I COMPLETED CHEMOTHERAPY TREATMENTS!!!!!!!!!! My oncology nurse gave me a button to wear that says, "It was no fun, but now it's done. Celebrate!" I wanted to indeed do just that, and go out to celebrate; however, I usually don't feel like doing anything on treatment days, especially the last few treatments. Fatigue has continued to escalate, because my blood counts continue to decrease. My last treatment has been the worst, so I am so very glad that I am done with all that mess. Now, I just have to recover and get ready for the next hurdle, surgery. My doctors are suggesting for me to take the lumpectomy route, rather than the mastectomy, so I have a ton of research to do to figure this one out. I do know that having bilateral mastectomy will be more painful and I will have a longer recovery time, which means, I won't be able to hold sweet little Matilda for some time (that will be awful...). But, I also know that if I have a lumpectomy, I will also have to go through radiation treatments. Ugh, I don't know, but I will figure it out soon enough.
Well, turns out that I wasn't able to prove my doctor wrong, she was indeed right...I started losing my hair last Thursday (6/25/09). So, for those of you who loved my "new look", I hope that you liked my "bald look" too. I'll be sporting that around for a bit this summer, but not yet- I am still in the "falling out" stage. Like I always say, "GOOD TIMES!"
Onto more awesome things...MATILDA. :) She continues to be the BEST BABY IN THE WORLD, and cutest too! She is still sleeping her days away (for the most part) and she barely ever crys. What a sweet little girl! She must have known what I have been going through and is trying to make this whole new parent thing a breeze. So far, so good. Good girl, Matilda! Today, she is over a month old!!
7/5/09- I wish I could update everyone with some news, but not alot has been going on here. Just hanging out with Matilda, family, and friends. One of my friends threw a "All Done With Chemo" party for me a couple of days ago. Thank you so much!! It was fun celebrating with everyone. Now, back to reality, I am getting ready to face my next hurdle. I am seeing surgeons on Tuesday and Thursday to discuss my options and hopefully set up a surgery date.
7/14/09- News flash!! I actually have something new and exciting to tell you! Let's start with the most important things first, yes I am going to brag on my child :). For the past 5 nights, Matilda (now 8 weeks old), is sleeping through the night, by that I mean 6 hours! Yippie!! Next, My parents, brother, and I, took Matilda on her first road trip this past weekend! We drove up to Michigan to visit family and attend my 2nd cousin's graduation party. Matilda was such an awesome traveler (I already knew that she liked to be in her car seat- I take her everywhere)! Anyhow, the whole way up there (11 hours), she was either sleeping, eating, or "talking" to us. She did just as awesome for the ride home, except for the last 45 minutes- she was finally ready to get out of her seat! Sorry, Matilda, but she's going to have to get used to those loooong trips, we love to travel! Okay, now for the next most important news. Last Tuesday, I went to my appointment with my Surgical Oncologist. After a long discussion, I have decided to have a lumpectomy (just removing the tumor in my breast), instead of having bilateral mastectomies (both breasts being removed). The upside to having a lumpectomy: shorter recovery time, less pain, and I will get to hold my little angel sooner than if I had taken the other route. The downside to having a lumpectomy: I will have to also have radiation therapy treatments (6-7 weeks, 5 days a week), starting approximately 4 weeks after surgery. I haven't talked to my Radiation Oncologist yet, but I have heard that fatigue will be a huge side effect, but hey, I am already fatigued- so bring it on. If everything goes as planned, I will be having surgery on July 24th!
7/23/09- Okay, so this is it. Tomorrow is the day I have been patiently waiting for since December 17, 2008. I am finally going to get the tumor removed!!!!! I am very excited, yet very nervous. Not many people know this, but when I had surgery to get a port placed and have 4 lymph nodes removed on December 26, 2008, I apparantly sang to the surgery crew. Song of choice: Honky Tonk Badonkadonk (did I spell that correctly??). When the resident came to check on me post op, he said, "Nice concert that you put on for us in the O.R.". My reply was, "What are you talking about?" He proceeded to tell me that I sang during surgery and I told him that I don't listen to country music that much so it's surprising that I sang that particular song and he replied, "Yes, we could tell. You didn't know most of the words!" Anyhow, at least that probably gave them all a good laugh on a late Friday evening case!
Not only am I worried about what song I will sing this time, but I am terrifed that I will wake up during surgery (like I did in December). What a drag! It was pretty painful, as you can imagine. Please pray for me that the doc's put me to sleep a little bit better this time! As always, thank you for all of your prayers and support. I appreciate it greatly.
Oh, I almost forgot...Matilda is doing awesome! She has continued to keep sleeping through the night, and this makes me extremely happy. What a good girl! She also had her 2 month checkup this past Tuesday and weighed 10 pounds, 15 ounces! She is growing like a weed- a VERY CUTE weed, that is! :)
7/25/09- I had my surgery yesterday, as you know. It went very well- no singing! I felt great after surgery, I didn't have a whole lot of pain afterwards. That is the good news; however, a couple hours before surgery, we received some bad news: a good friend of ours, Brandon Vickers, passed away that morning, so it was weighing heavy on my mind. He was an awesome, talented guy, and everyone who knew him loved him. He sang and played his guitar for everyone at my wedding reception and at Bre Aid. He will be missed tremendously. Rest in peace, Brandon. Today, in addition to praying for me, please keep Brandon's friends and family in your prayers. Thank you!
8/7/09- Once again, I appologize for the delay in updates. It has been a busy time for me. Anyhow, I had a follow up appointment with my surgeon this past Tuesday. He told me that he got confirmation that the whole tumor was removed! Yea for me! I was not wanting to have a yet another surgery. Next hurdle: radiation. I will see a Radiation Oncologist in a couple of weeks to discuss the plan of treatment. Not looking forward to it, but I have to do what I have to do. Man, I am ready to be done with this whole cancer thing!!!
Exciting news: Matilda has continued to sleep through the night! Most nights she sleeps 8 hours, but she has slept as long as 11.5 hours! I can't believe it! I am loving every second of it though. She must know that Mommy needs a break. What a good girl. :) Matilda is already 11 weeks old...time has flown by.
8/20/09- Yesterday Matilda turned 3 months old!! Wow, time really does fly by. Before we know it, Matilda Rae will be going to college!
Since I haven't updated in a while, let me catch you up to date. Last week, my parents, my brother, Matilda, and I, all went to Gatlinburg for a few days. We rented a cabin and got to spend some great quality family time together. Unfortunately, Will had to work and was unable to come. It was a very relaxing vacation, and we were all needing it.
On August 11th, my friend, Shabahn, had her baby- welcome to the world, Kendall Reese Massey! Congratulations, Shabahn and Brad, Kendall is soooo cute!
When the weekend arrived, my parents took Matilda home with them, while Brent and I headed to Knoxville to visit some friends, and then headed onto Boone, North Carolina, to attend a friend's wedding, where I cut a rug all night! All I can say is, "Good Times!!!!!!!"
Monday, the 17th, I had a consult with my Radiation Oncologist. The following day, I went to the hospital to begin the radiation planning. I am hoping to start radiation treatments next week.
8/26/09- My friend, Ashley, delivered a healthy baby boy today! Welcome to the world, Trenton Davis Waller, and congrats Jd and Ash!!
9/2/09- Today, I went for my 6th radiation treatment...only 27 more to go!!! I have been doing great, radiation is a breeze so far. I saw the Radation Oncologist yesterday and he asked if I had any questions or concerns. I said what I usually say, "No, I'm good!" After he told me that I could go, I ran down the hallway to leave the hospital. I heard him saying to a Radiation Therapist, "It's always nice to see a nice, healthy, patient running down the hall!" I figure that he hasn't seen that much in his career. :)
I celebrated my 29th birthday this past weekend, I am pretty pumped to have gotten through my 28th year pretty easily. I had a great weekend, and I look forward to celebrating my 30th birthday next August!!
Matilda continues to be just perfect. I love that little angel more than anything. She saved my life, and in return, I am being the best mom that I can be. And to be honest, I am pretty great at it!
Oh, I almost forgot-----August 12th, 2009, I started to grow my eyebrows back! A week after that, my eyelashes appeared, along with "some" hair on my head! I was so excited, and with each passing day, my hair appears to be growing a little bit!! YEA FOR ME!!!!!
9/21/09- Today was my first day back at work- it went well, despite not sleeping well! I was so nervous that I wouldn't remember how to do my job, I tossed and turned all night. Once I arrived at work, it all came back to me...so far! :) Radiation is going well also, minus a little soreness from the burn on my chest, and being extremely tired. I am sure that will triple now that I am getting up at 5:00 am for work. I haven't had to wake up that early since Matilda was 7 weeks old! I am used to waking around 10:00 am, so this new schedule will take me some time to get myself back in the swing of things.
Matilda Rae turned 4 months this past Saturday- I can't believe it. She's such a doll!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
10/05/09- My friend,Carmen, delivered a healthy baby boy today! Welcome to the world, Michael Porter Ford, and congrats Jimmy and Carmen!
After today, I only have 4 radiation treatments left. I will be so glad when those are over...I have been super worn out. This past Saturday/Sunday, I slept for 14 hours! Now, I am feeling great!
Matilda has been perfect as usual, do you expect anything different? :)
10/12/09- I FINISHED RADIATION TREATMENTS ON OCTOBER 9, 2009!!! I AM ALL DONE WITH MY CANCER TREATMENTS!!!!! YEA!!!!! I celebrated with some friends and family on Friday night, and on Saturday I participated in the Susan G. Komen Race for a Cure. I ran 2.5 miles!! Life is good and I have the most perfect child in the world. THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR ALL OF YOUR SUPPORT AND PRAYERS. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!
12/10/09- Friends of ours welcomed a baby girl today, Addisyn Rose (Addi) Azar. Welcome to the world, Addi, and congrats Shan and Mandi!!
12/21/09- On December 8th and 16th, I had follow up appointments with my Oncologists. All tests turned out negative...yea! I will go back to the docs in January, March, and June. I will post updates then. Oh, by the way, Matilda turned 7 months! Can you believe it??? To see pictures of her growing up, please scroll down tho the bottom of this page and then for other pictures of her, click on the 'Matilda's Photos' link on the top left of this page. I was running out of room on this page!!!!
3/5/10- I am so sorry that I have not posted anything since LAST YEAR!!!!! I have been busy being the most awesome mom in the world and making sure that Matilda doesn't bump her head on the floor! That's right, my big girl Matilda Rae is almost offically walking by herself! She is 9 months old now, and is crawling and cruizing all over the place. She has 3.5 teeth (and she knows how to brush them), and is oh so pretty! She looks nothing like me I am told, and most everyone says, "She looks like her Daddy!" She has his big blue eyes, his looooong eyelashes, cute cheeks, and my olive complexion. I wish everyone could see her in person, pictures do not do her justice. Anyhow, the Andrews family is doing great, I am doing great, and life is pretty good! :) Oh, my hair is almost 4 INCHES LONG NOW!! It has come in curly, which I am having to get used to! If you can't remember, I had the straightest hair ever! Not anymore! I can't wait for it to get longer...I have always wished for curly hair! BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR!!!!!
I had a check up in January and that went well. I will see my medical oncologist this month for blood work and a breast exam. I expect that will go well to! Thanks again for continuing to check this website, sorry I haven't posted recent pictures of my beautiful baby. I will do so soon! Much love to all! God Bless.
5/29/10- Well, it's official. Matilda is a toddler now!! Last week, as you all know, she turned the big 1!! She was so cute and had so much fun with all of her friends, or should I say, Mommy and Daddy's friends and their babies! Anyhow, we threw a small party for her on the 16th, and she had a big time. She didn't enjoy her cupcake too much, but if she has a sweet tooth like me, she'll start to enjoy sweets too much! Life is grand and My Sweet Matilda is THE BEST THING THAT COULD'VE EVER HAPPENED TO ME. She is my guardian angel, that's for sure. Check out updated photos of her on the "Matilda's Photos" Tab. God bless.
7/3/10- Matilda and I recently went to Michigan to visit relatives, we had a blast. It is always great seeing my family. :) A few days before we left, I had another fun checkup...mammogram time! It didn't hurt too bad---I'm getting used to it---but the best news is that I am still doing well! I have a check up with my other doctor later this month for blood work, so I will let you all know how that goes. I don't expect to have any bad news! Anyhow, have safe and fun 4th of July weekend! Love you all.
8/30/10- I turned the BIG 30 this past Saturday! I danced all night long at my party, and you know I had a blast!!! Matilda is growing like a beautiful weed, and is a such a joy. I love love love her! Other than that life is great. I love my life! :) Please view all of Matilda's pics!
7/14/11-
Oh my goodness gracious! I am so sorry that I haven't kept you updated! Busy as a bee, you know me! Well, all of my checkups have been great- no news...which is good news! I am doing awesome and so is Matilda! She is potty trained, speaking like a little adult, and bringing a smile to our faces daily! Speaking of her, I need to get her up from a nap, so I must go. I uploaded some more pictures, I will put more recent ones soon! Love you all.God Bless.
12/13/11-
Merry Christmas everyone! I am doing great, and my little baby girl is getting so big!!!!!!!!!!! I have my 6 month check up in January, but I am sure everything will go well!!!!!! Please check out the recent pics of matilda!! xoxo
My treatment plan in a nutshell:
After I received my diagnosis, I had many doctors working together to figure out the best way to go about treating me. I was told that chemotherapy would be first, because that was safer for the baby than having major surgery, and when I finished chemo, then I would have surgery to remove the tumor. So, on December 26, 2008, I did undergo minor surgery (safe for Baby Andrews) to have a port placed in my chest (for chemotherapy), and had 4 lymph nodes removed. On December 30, 2008, I started receiving 4 rounds of Adriamycin and Cytoxan. When those were completed, I received 6 rounds of Taxol. Baby Andrews, was due on June 3, 2009, but I was induced on May 18, 2008, at 38 weeks pregnant. I delivered my sweet surprise, Matilda, on May 19, 2009, and 3 days later I resumed my last 6 Taxol treatments, and had another drug added (Carboplatin), to those last 6 treatments. I finally finished chemotherapy treatments on June 25, 2009 (yea!! 6 looooong months!!). I will undergo lumpectomy surgery on July 24, 2009. At the end of August, I will begin radiation therapy, which will be Monday- Friday, for 6-7 weeks.
Company Name: Bre Strong
Contact Name: Chris Woo or The Nuclear Medicine Department
Phone number: 931-381-1111 Ext. 1376
Fax number: 931-490-7101
City: Columbia
State: TN