CHR Gives - Karen Zummo
Donation protected
This beautiful mother of three young adult children is fighting breast cancer for the second time. See her story here, provided by one of her daughters:
As many of you know, my mom was diagnosed with stage 2 triple-negative breast cancer back in 2013. During her first surgery to remove a mass and the 2 affected lymph nodes, there was a patch of tissue removed that, unintentionally, contained 25 lymph nodes, affecting her lymph system and leaving her with lymphedema in her right arm. After a year of treatment (surgery, chemo, and radiation), she went into remission and, aside from the lymphedema, has been healthy and doing well for the last 5 years.
Earlier this year my mom started noticing some changes and abnormalities that we initially thought were symptoms related to the lymphedema; a rash appeared and a couple of lymph nodes in her neck became enlarged. After a few weeks of monitoring these symptoms and seeing no resolution, she went to the doctor for an exam and was immediately scheduled for further testing. On May 16th she had a biopsy done on a suspicious mass and received the results on May 17th confirming our biggest fear, the cancer had returned.
On May 30th, she went in for a PET scan, a full-body scan that shows exactly where the cancer is and if it has spread from its primary site. The following day we met with the oncologist to review the scan and extent of the diagnosis: Stage 4 Triple Negative Breast Cancer with multiple affected lymph nodes throughout her lymph system, metastases to the chest wall, nodules in both lungs, spots adjacent to the spinal column, multiple lesions throughout her liver, the left adrenal gland and multiple bone metastases to the right hip, left and right femur, scapula, and 6 different vertebrae. The oncologist who reviewed her scan believes that the cancer returned sometime within the 3-6 months prior to her diagnosis, proving this to be an extremely aggressive recurrence.
Since then it has been a whirlwind of doctors, treatment options, research and trying to figure out what the next steps and best treatment options are for her.
She was pursuing treatment through a clinical trial and took a pretty big emotional blow when her plans were derailed due to the discovery and treatment of a lesion on her brain, which ultimately disqualified her from the program. Over the following three weeks there were a lot of hurdles she had to overcome; more unreturned phone calls from doctors and programs than we can count, having a severe reaction after she had her port placed, causing what should have been a 3 hour trip to the hospital to turn into a 12 hour stay at the hospital, developing a blood clot in her lung which hospitalized her, developing pneumonia (which she is continuing to try to fight off), and once she finally started chemo, she had a severe reaction to the treatment she was receiving, considered to be the most severe side effects one can have, which ultimately has led her to discontinue this treatment.
As she continues to fight this disease, the side effects of the treatment she had received, along with the pneumonia she has developed, her energy levels have taken a drastic toll along with her ability to continue working and completing everyday tasks. We are continuing to seek other alternative treatments, that target more of the cancer cells and less of her healthy cells and wouldn’t take such a debilitating toll on her as she continues to focus and fight to get better. We believe that she can overcome this with the right combination of treatments, the clean diet she has been maintaining since before diagnosis, and the support of our faithful community. Any donations mean the world to us, and pushes my mom that much closer to beating this disease! We can’t do this without your help and support! If you have the ability to donate, our family will forever be grateful for you and your generosity!
As many of you know, my mom was diagnosed with stage 2 triple-negative breast cancer back in 2013. During her first surgery to remove a mass and the 2 affected lymph nodes, there was a patch of tissue removed that, unintentionally, contained 25 lymph nodes, affecting her lymph system and leaving her with lymphedema in her right arm. After a year of treatment (surgery, chemo, and radiation), she went into remission and, aside from the lymphedema, has been healthy and doing well for the last 5 years.
Earlier this year my mom started noticing some changes and abnormalities that we initially thought were symptoms related to the lymphedema; a rash appeared and a couple of lymph nodes in her neck became enlarged. After a few weeks of monitoring these symptoms and seeing no resolution, she went to the doctor for an exam and was immediately scheduled for further testing. On May 16th she had a biopsy done on a suspicious mass and received the results on May 17th confirming our biggest fear, the cancer had returned.
On May 30th, she went in for a PET scan, a full-body scan that shows exactly where the cancer is and if it has spread from its primary site. The following day we met with the oncologist to review the scan and extent of the diagnosis: Stage 4 Triple Negative Breast Cancer with multiple affected lymph nodes throughout her lymph system, metastases to the chest wall, nodules in both lungs, spots adjacent to the spinal column, multiple lesions throughout her liver, the left adrenal gland and multiple bone metastases to the right hip, left and right femur, scapula, and 6 different vertebrae. The oncologist who reviewed her scan believes that the cancer returned sometime within the 3-6 months prior to her diagnosis, proving this to be an extremely aggressive recurrence.
Since then it has been a whirlwind of doctors, treatment options, research and trying to figure out what the next steps and best treatment options are for her.
She was pursuing treatment through a clinical trial and took a pretty big emotional blow when her plans were derailed due to the discovery and treatment of a lesion on her brain, which ultimately disqualified her from the program. Over the following three weeks there were a lot of hurdles she had to overcome; more unreturned phone calls from doctors and programs than we can count, having a severe reaction after she had her port placed, causing what should have been a 3 hour trip to the hospital to turn into a 12 hour stay at the hospital, developing a blood clot in her lung which hospitalized her, developing pneumonia (which she is continuing to try to fight off), and once she finally started chemo, she had a severe reaction to the treatment she was receiving, considered to be the most severe side effects one can have, which ultimately has led her to discontinue this treatment.
As she continues to fight this disease, the side effects of the treatment she had received, along with the pneumonia she has developed, her energy levels have taken a drastic toll along with her ability to continue working and completing everyday tasks. We are continuing to seek other alternative treatments, that target more of the cancer cells and less of her healthy cells and wouldn’t take such a debilitating toll on her as she continues to focus and fight to get better. We believe that she can overcome this with the right combination of treatments, the clean diet she has been maintaining since before diagnosis, and the support of our faithful community. Any donations mean the world to us, and pushes my mom that much closer to beating this disease! We can’t do this without your help and support! If you have the ability to donate, our family will forever be grateful for you and your generosity!
Co-organizers (2)
Karen Gilmore
Organizer
Littleton, CO
Karen Zummo
Beneficiary
Pete Ambrose
Co-organizer