Donate to Lori's Fight for Health and Hope

Lori and I have been married 32 years. She is 55yrs old and we have three children. Matthew, Katie and Sarah. They are currently in college with two at Lori’s alma mater, the University of Kansas and one going to a local junior college. Matthew is a grad student in Aerospace Engineering, Katie just received her associates degree and has applied to KU to pursue a biological sciences degree. Sarah is studying Film and Media.

Our story begins in 2020 during the Covid pandemic. After a standard breast exam and mammography, a small mass was detected, and Lori was diagnosed with estrogen positive stage 1B breast cancer on the right side. She elected to have a mastectomy based on the options given. The operation was a success and the lymph node on that side was also removed and clear of cancer. We were relieved and celebrated the success of that procedure and looked forward to her continued health. The doctors said there was only a 5-10% chance of it coming back. The only medicine she was prescribed was Tamoxifen. Lori continued to work as an Account Manager for a Health Insurance Company. Life moved on like nothing happened. She was doing great, and we were doing great.

She loves spending time with the kids, traveling as a family and hanging out with friends. We were enjoying life. She had regular checkups over the next couple of years with her Oncology team and they said all markers looked normal. For some reason they never requested any further body scans other than a standard mammography. She was told all is good.

In November of 2023 she went in for a procedure to address some issue with her breast reconstruction and came out fine but very sore. During her recovery process she was starting to feel more and more fatigued and sore in her lower back and hip area. She was still able to go into work on a flex schedule but was still fighting the soreness and fatigue. We thought it was a result of the last procedure. We decided to schedule physical therapy to see if that would help.

During the PT session in early Feb of 2024, she got very faint and nauseous. Her heart rate and blood pressure started to drop. They got her stable and she was able to drive herself home. They called shortly after and recommended we go to the closest ER as a precaution.

During her exam they ordered a PET scan due to her medical history and symptoms. After the scan the doctor came in and told us he was sorry, but she had cancerous lesions in her bones, ribs, lower vertebra, hips and femur. The breast cancer had come back and had metastasized into the bone. We were devastated. She was transported that evening to another hospital with a well-known and respected cancer team.

While she was being stabilized with transfusions, they also discovered her left femur was weak and was starting to get more painful while walking. As a precaution, to prevent a break, an orthopedic surgeon pinned the femur and hip joint. They were also very concerned about the condition of the lesion on her lower vertebrae and its proximity to the spinal cord. Radiation was recommended once she was discharged. She was in the hospital 2wks and then went to a medical rehab facility for another week before coming home. She needed a walker to get around and we struggled with the stairs in our house. We were unprepared for what was happening but working thru it as family and glad to have her back home. Our journey was just beginning, and it was scary. I became a caregiver to my wife and continued to work from home. I would typically travel a few times a month but that was not feasible with her current condition.

Now that she was home the recommended treatment plan was two parts. 1 - Target and radiate the lower back vertebrae lesions to kill them and stop any further progression that could impact her spinal cord. 2 - Get her on an oral chemo drug along with Letrozole (anti-estrogen). We were told this was the best combo going and felt like things were heading in the right direction. The radiation was very fatiguing, but her pain was getting much better. She was on the oral chemo med for two weeks before she started having breathing problems. She was admitted to the ER after a normal blood transfusion with breathing problems. They determined it was chemical induced pneumonia. She was in the hospital for two weeks before coming home.

The doctor stopped the oral chemo and advised she should go on an IV chemotherapy called Abraxane. We started that a week after she got home. After the 1st round she was very fatigued and tired. She was having a hard time getting around, had a poor appetite, nausea and needed lots of assistance. During her second infusion she had a seizure in the chair and was immediately sent to the ER and then the ICU. They were concerned about a blood clot but found no evidence of one after an MRI. They did an EEG, and it came back normal. We were told it was probably due to dehydration, lack of sleep and the chemotherapy. They got her stabilized and she came home after another 2wk stay in the hospital and was on oral antibiotics for 10 days.

During a follow up visit the doctor recommended a new treatment that had been approved that would target a genetic marker her cancer biopsy tested positive for. It was an oral drug called Trucap. We started that within a week. We made it thru one course of 4 days on and 3 days off before she started getting the cold sweats and light fevers. She started feeling severe back pain and was beginning to get disoriented. We were scheduled to visit the doctor on a Thursday, but her pain and condition was so bad I had to call 911 to have transported back to the ER. It was determined she had a staph infection that had also spread to her bladder causing the back pain and disorientation. They determined it was probably coming from her port and removed it. It was positive for staph. The Oncologist said he was running out of options, but we pushed back and said it was the infected port that was causing the issues not the cancer. The infectious disease doctor indicated she could start chemo again after she came home, and her infection was under control. She was in the hospital for 2wks and another week in the rehab hospital. She came home in late July very weak and needing to continue her IV antibiotics until Aug 6th to ensure the infection was completely gone. We needed to do this every 8hrs.

Lori is back on the oral chemo drug now that she is doing better. So far, she seems to be tolerating it well. We currently have home care coming in on a weekly basis for PT and to change her Picc line dressing. Lori is getting around better but still needs portable oxygen to keep her blood 02 above 90. She is currently on short term disability which has reduced our income by 40%. Our friends and family have been fantastic and provided much tangible (meals, mowing the grass, etc.) and emotional support.

We are not sure what the future will hold but are taking things day by day and week by week. It has been very stressful the last few months, but she has inspired us by her strength and outlook. She is a fighter.

We have never had to ask for anything like this and never thought we would. It is very humbling. If you feel compelled to help, thank you very much. If not, please pray for her and our family.

Sincerely

Lori and Dan Turner