January 26th Update from Beth

-Breast Cancer Journey Update-

First I want to say thank you to everyone who has sent us cards, gift cards, donated to the Go Fund Me, or sent us meals/groceries these past few months. I’m so thankful to have such a large support system through all of this. Cancer is expensive and time consuming. It’s also an emotional rollercoaster. So to know so many people are in my corner…I feel incredibly lucky.

Looks like there were a few surprises from pathology. The first is that one lymph node came back with small amounts of cancerous cells. The second is that my tumor flipped from HER2 negative to positive-which the doctors say can happen, but they usually only see that in patients who have had chemo before surgery.

This means that my cancer is now considered triple positive-not as common, a little more aggressive, higher reoccurrence rate, but also more treatable. This also means that I will be getting the whole kit and caboodle treatment wise.

I will be doing 6 rounds of chemotherapy starting Monday into May, 17 rounds of HER2 infusions through the end of December, 15 rounds of radiation given over 3 weeks this summer, and then once that is all done I will resume hormone therapy for the next 5 years to lower my chances of reoccurrence. The first of a few reconstruction surgeries will hopefully be next February.

This is definitely more than we had been expecting, at least before learning the pathology results. But, I said it from the beginning that I will do whatever I have to do to never have to do this again. I’ve also had such a great support system along the way that I know we will be fine So if you feel up to it, send some positive vibes my way Monday or this next week. And if you have any good book/tv show/movie recommendations send those too as infusions days are loooooooong!

Dec 27 Update from Beth

One week since my double mastectomy and I’m finally starting to feel a bit like myself again. The pain is lessening each day. Starting to use my arms a bit more, walk around a bit more..I feel like I can do more every day now. Showering however, feels like running a marathon so that always brings me back to reality. But, it’s nice to see a glimmer of normality coming back each day.

My family, Brenda Berg Korbi and Jesse Krzenski have been my saving grace through all of this. The last week would have been a disaster without them. My kids wouldn’t have had as happy a Christmas without them. I wouldn’t be able to recover without them. I don’t even know where to begin with Jesse…he has had to bathe me, keep track of my drains and medication schedule day and night, change my bandages, help me dress, comfort me as I cry, basically help me with literally everything all while still working, taking care of our three small children, our dog and our house. I am so, SO lucky to have him. He deserves the world and more than I will ever be able to repay him.

So far the visual change hasn’t bothered me at all. I’m just grateful to have the tumor taken from my body. My chest and I always had a pretty contentious relationship with each other anyways. Harrison has asked me a few times through this journey if the doctors had taken the cancer out and I was finally able to tell him “yes” the other day. That was the best feeling, better than saving a part of my body would ever feel.

There were no surprises during surgery-only good news. Hopefully biopsy results will match. Results will still take a few more days, and I will then find out what my next step in treatment will be. Luckily I haven’t stressed at all about this. This journey is definitely teaching me to take life day by day. Whatever is next is another step towards being done and I will meet it with gratitude, optimism and determination.

Update-

When I started this go fund me for Beth her diagnosis was still very new. Beth's doctors were trying to figure out the best treatment plan for her breast cancer. They went the route of doing a clinical trial of hormone therapy to try and shrink the tumor. Unfortunately after a month they didn't see much progress along with the terrible side affects of the medication Beth and her team made the decision to pull herself out of the clinical trial and start treatment. Her double mastectomy is scheduled for December 20th. She will have 4-6 weeks of recovery after that then she'll jump into Chemo. If her lymph nodes are clean it will be 3-4 months of chemo but if they are not clean there will be more. I'm asking us to come together and help raise funds for Beth and her family so she can take the time off that she needs to rest and recover without the stress of finances. Also the importance of not having to work while she's going through chemo with a weekend immune system during the peak of cold and flu season in a busy salon environment. Thank you so much for your time and hope you can help donate in anyway that you can. <3

Friends, family, coworkers, and beyond-

I'm here writing this today to reach out for my beloved friend and co-worker Beth. Beth is a wife and mother to 3 beautiful children. This past month, Beth's world was turned upside down when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Since then Beth has had to miss numberours days of work in order to get the help she needs. Beth will be meeting with her care team this week to determine the best plan of action as she begins this fight. Anyone who works with Beth, knows that she's a numbers gal and even if she does decide to take some time off work and use short term/long term disability, it doesn't pay nearly what being behind the chair would. With all that is going on in her life, I want to help her and her family feel comfortable taking the time off that she needs. This way she can focus on taking care of herself and fight this so she can return to life behind the chair.