Katie's (literal) Breast Cancer Treatment Journey
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1 in 8 women get breast cancer and this past September my sister Katie was the one. Katie is a talented teacher of tiny humans, a hilarious friend, and a caring sister - and this came as a complete shock.
During the summer Katie found a lump in her left breast which a biopsy proved to be Stage 2 Invasive Ductal Carcinoma. The day after her 36th birthday, she had surgery to remove the tumor that she’d dubbed “Earl” - after the Dixie Chicks’ seminal 90s hit “Goodbye Earl”. As the story goes, Earl had to die - and he did. However, during the surgery her doctors found that a suspicious mass in her right breast (named Felicia, as in “BYE”) was also cancer. They also found a second Stage 2 tumor directly underneath Earl (we were too surprised about this one to give it a name). After a second surgery to check lymph nodes on her right side (all clear!) Katie is now tumor free and preparing to embark on the next stage of this wild journey - radiation treatment.
Katie and her doctors had planned for traditional photon radiation treatment which would take place near her apartment in Chicago over four weeks. This would have allowed her to continue to work and stay at home for the duration of treatment. However, when her doctor ran a simulation of treatment he found that photon treatment would deliver radiation to her heart which would increase her risk of developing chronic heart problems, dying of a heart attack, or developing secondary cancer later in life. He asked a colleague to run a simulation with proton radiation, a newer technology that is more targeted and precise, which found that protons would deliver almost no radiation to her heart or lungs…but was only available a couple of hours away in Warrenville IL. Katie made a tough decision to take treatment with proton radiation and avoid the potential risks of photon treatment.
Proton radiation is only available at about 22 locations in the United States and Katie’s treatment will involve commuting 1.5 hours to and from Warrenville five days a week for 6.5 weeks during a particularly gnarly Chicago winter. She will also need to take a leave of absence from work and her beloved class while she is being treated.
To support Katie in getting through this, we have set up this fund to help with her expenses. Everything that is raised will be put toward covering the considerable cost of commuting, loss of salary during her work leave, and to defray other out of pocket costs associated with treatment.
Please know that anything you can donate—even $5—will actively go toward helping my badass sister navigate this leg of treatment and allow her to focus on healing and moving forward to the next season of her life come springtime.
During the summer Katie found a lump in her left breast which a biopsy proved to be Stage 2 Invasive Ductal Carcinoma. The day after her 36th birthday, she had surgery to remove the tumor that she’d dubbed “Earl” - after the Dixie Chicks’ seminal 90s hit “Goodbye Earl”. As the story goes, Earl had to die - and he did. However, during the surgery her doctors found that a suspicious mass in her right breast (named Felicia, as in “BYE”) was also cancer. They also found a second Stage 2 tumor directly underneath Earl (we were too surprised about this one to give it a name). After a second surgery to check lymph nodes on her right side (all clear!) Katie is now tumor free and preparing to embark on the next stage of this wild journey - radiation treatment.
Katie and her doctors had planned for traditional photon radiation treatment which would take place near her apartment in Chicago over four weeks. This would have allowed her to continue to work and stay at home for the duration of treatment. However, when her doctor ran a simulation of treatment he found that photon treatment would deliver radiation to her heart which would increase her risk of developing chronic heart problems, dying of a heart attack, or developing secondary cancer later in life. He asked a colleague to run a simulation with proton radiation, a newer technology that is more targeted and precise, which found that protons would deliver almost no radiation to her heart or lungs…but was only available a couple of hours away in Warrenville IL. Katie made a tough decision to take treatment with proton radiation and avoid the potential risks of photon treatment.
Proton radiation is only available at about 22 locations in the United States and Katie’s treatment will involve commuting 1.5 hours to and from Warrenville five days a week for 6.5 weeks during a particularly gnarly Chicago winter. She will also need to take a leave of absence from work and her beloved class while she is being treated.
To support Katie in getting through this, we have set up this fund to help with her expenses. Everything that is raised will be put toward covering the considerable cost of commuting, loss of salary during her work leave, and to defray other out of pocket costs associated with treatment.
Please know that anything you can donate—even $5—will actively go toward helping my badass sister navigate this leg of treatment and allow her to focus on healing and moving forward to the next season of her life come springtime.
Organizer and beneficiary
Maureen Edmonds
Organizer
Chicago, IL
Kathryn Edmonds
Beneficiary