Cary's Breast Cancer Fund
Donation protected
Hello, my name is Beth Hardin and I am here to share my sister's story to hopefully help many others and to help raise money for her journey.
Cary needs fincancial help for medical bills, living expenses and a divorce. ASAP. I humble myself to ask this of you for her. This is when the help of God and community pull together. Your support, no matter how big or small, is greatly appreciated and will be put to a great cause for one of God's children on earth. Thank you from my whole heart and hers.
Please read Cary's story below posted by Cary on her Facebook page around January 25th.
A lot has happened since her post.
She had a left-side partial mastectomy, full left armpit lymph node removal, surgery to have port put in for chemo, surgery for lung collapse with pneumonia, and her first round of chemo on March 8th. She has 5 months of chemo to go with 3 months of radiation to follow.
Cary's going to kick cancer's ass.
With our help.
Thank you and God bless you,
Beth
Here's Cary's Facebook post from around January 25th:
Many people have asked me how I knew I had breast cancer.
Did I find a lump? No.
Was it found during a routine mammogram? No.
Did the doctor(s) find the lump? No.
How did I know?
One day, approximately 5 weeks ago, I got out of the shower and noticed the nipple on my left breast had started receding. Overnight. I watched it for the next 3 days and it continued to recede. I went to my Primary Care Physician, who ordered a Diagnostic Mammogram, STAT (that's when a radiologist is right there, on-hand, to look at the mammogram and determine further immediate testing).
On December 18th, I opted for a 3-D, not regular, mammogram, which still didn't pick up the mass because I have very dense breast tissue.
The radiologist ordered an immediate ultrasound to be done right then & there, because she was concerned due to the nipple inversion.
Boom. There it was. A spiculated, malignant mass, right underneath the nipple, pulling the nipple inward. 'Spiculated' means it has tentacles, which is indicative of a metastatic cancer. Which I have. It had spread to my lymph nodes in my left armpit.
After 3 weeks of a multitude of doctor's visits with oncologists and a host of huge tests, I had surgery to remove the cancer on January 17th, last Wednesday. The doctor said the mass had become much larger since he saw me 10 days prior.
The cancer is at pathology, so I'm STILL waiting for MORE testing to come back to determine if I have to do chemotherapy (then radiation), which means it is a cancer that has the propensity to spread even farther. If not, I will go straight to radiation, sans chemo, for 6-8 weeks.
Amazingly enough, I was EXTREMELY fortunate, in that the breast oncologist was able to save my left breast and it looks almost completely normal, sans the 4-inch scar I'm going to have there and the 3-inch one in the left armpit.
I can, quite literally, live with that.
I don't care anymore if this seems like 'Too Much Information.' This is real-life and it's life or death. If it were cancer on someone's leg, it wouldn't be a taboo subject. I don't believe it should be taboo just because it's a breast.
Cancer can kill and sharing my details may prevent someone else from having to take a very different path.
I want you all to know this because if you (woman or man) or someone you love experiences nipple inversion, get thee to a doctor. Immediately. This isn't a joke. It's life or death.
I caught it in Stage 2 (out of 4), grade 2 (out of 3).
I still have a shot to live.
If I had waited or blown it off, I would be having a very different outcome and prognosis right now. Very.
I don't mean to be TMI with my situation. Never mind; I do indeed mean to be TMI, concerning what can be a deadly disease.
If Facebook is good for some things, one of them is that it gives us the venue and opportunity to inform others and let them know of a tenuous situation that has arisen in our lives so that we may help others. If anything good can come out of this, and perhaps incredulously to some, very good things have come out of my situation, it is that I hope I can help even one person by sharing my story.
Thank you to all of my amazing family and friends for their support and all the beautiful Breast Cancer Survivors who have shared their experiences with me to better guide and assist me on this unknown, frightening, and humbling journey.
Traveling down this path, I have kept, and will continue to keep, my faith in God, which, predictably and very gratefully, has become much stronger and greater, and know that
His Will, Not Mine, Be Done, no matter what.
xoxo,
Cary
Cary needs fincancial help for medical bills, living expenses and a divorce. ASAP. I humble myself to ask this of you for her. This is when the help of God and community pull together. Your support, no matter how big or small, is greatly appreciated and will be put to a great cause for one of God's children on earth. Thank you from my whole heart and hers.
Please read Cary's story below posted by Cary on her Facebook page around January 25th.
A lot has happened since her post.
She had a left-side partial mastectomy, full left armpit lymph node removal, surgery to have port put in for chemo, surgery for lung collapse with pneumonia, and her first round of chemo on March 8th. She has 5 months of chemo to go with 3 months of radiation to follow.
Cary's going to kick cancer's ass.
With our help.
Thank you and God bless you,
Beth
Here's Cary's Facebook post from around January 25th:
Many people have asked me how I knew I had breast cancer.
Did I find a lump? No.
Was it found during a routine mammogram? No.
Did the doctor(s) find the lump? No.
How did I know?
One day, approximately 5 weeks ago, I got out of the shower and noticed the nipple on my left breast had started receding. Overnight. I watched it for the next 3 days and it continued to recede. I went to my Primary Care Physician, who ordered a Diagnostic Mammogram, STAT (that's when a radiologist is right there, on-hand, to look at the mammogram and determine further immediate testing).
On December 18th, I opted for a 3-D, not regular, mammogram, which still didn't pick up the mass because I have very dense breast tissue.
The radiologist ordered an immediate ultrasound to be done right then & there, because she was concerned due to the nipple inversion.
Boom. There it was. A spiculated, malignant mass, right underneath the nipple, pulling the nipple inward. 'Spiculated' means it has tentacles, which is indicative of a metastatic cancer. Which I have. It had spread to my lymph nodes in my left armpit.
After 3 weeks of a multitude of doctor's visits with oncologists and a host of huge tests, I had surgery to remove the cancer on January 17th, last Wednesday. The doctor said the mass had become much larger since he saw me 10 days prior.
The cancer is at pathology, so I'm STILL waiting for MORE testing to come back to determine if I have to do chemotherapy (then radiation), which means it is a cancer that has the propensity to spread even farther. If not, I will go straight to radiation, sans chemo, for 6-8 weeks.
Amazingly enough, I was EXTREMELY fortunate, in that the breast oncologist was able to save my left breast and it looks almost completely normal, sans the 4-inch scar I'm going to have there and the 3-inch one in the left armpit.
I can, quite literally, live with that.
I don't care anymore if this seems like 'Too Much Information.' This is real-life and it's life or death. If it were cancer on someone's leg, it wouldn't be a taboo subject. I don't believe it should be taboo just because it's a breast.
Cancer can kill and sharing my details may prevent someone else from having to take a very different path.
I want you all to know this because if you (woman or man) or someone you love experiences nipple inversion, get thee to a doctor. Immediately. This isn't a joke. It's life or death.
I caught it in Stage 2 (out of 4), grade 2 (out of 3).
I still have a shot to live.
If I had waited or blown it off, I would be having a very different outcome and prognosis right now. Very.
I don't mean to be TMI with my situation. Never mind; I do indeed mean to be TMI, concerning what can be a deadly disease.
If Facebook is good for some things, one of them is that it gives us the venue and opportunity to inform others and let them know of a tenuous situation that has arisen in our lives so that we may help others. If anything good can come out of this, and perhaps incredulously to some, very good things have come out of my situation, it is that I hope I can help even one person by sharing my story.
Thank you to all of my amazing family and friends for their support and all the beautiful Breast Cancer Survivors who have shared their experiences with me to better guide and assist me on this unknown, frightening, and humbling journey.
Traveling down this path, I have kept, and will continue to keep, my faith in God, which, predictably and very gratefully, has become much stronger and greater, and know that
His Will, Not Mine, Be Done, no matter what.
xoxo,
Cary
Organizer
Cary Hardin
Organizer
Seminole, FL
