This is not the update I hoped to write—but it’s the one we’re living! I seem to have developed a not so great secondary disease to the cancer.

Over the last 8 years, I’ve been fighting Triple Positive Stage IV Metastatic Breast Cancer—and for a while, it finally felt like things were turning a corner.

My bone metastases became inactive. Lymph nodes were shrinking. For the first time in years, my treatment was working, and we dared to believe we were reaching steadier ground. Recently, that ground shifted again. New brain metastases were discovered, and with them came additional treatment, more uncertainty, and a lot of unanswered questions. While some areas of my disease have lifted, this progression with my brain has changed the path forward, and we are now navigating a more complex and fragile chapter. I now also have an another brain metastasis that is blocking my pituitary gland. This spot is sitting and taking up space in my pituitary stalk! This means, I am not able to process the hormones being delivered in my body. Because of this, I will now require complete hormone replacement on going. This will help keep my body alive and functioning. Alongside the cancer itself, I’ve been dealing with seizures, blood pressure instability, tachycardia, lymphedema, digestive complications, and other issues from treatment and disease itself. The new disease causing the brain metastasis and rapid decline is called Leptomeningeal Disease. I can’t drive, we experience frequent hospital stays and specialist visits. This has meant significant time off work for not only myself, but my husband as well. We are still advocating fiercely and doing everything possible to make thoughtful decisions in the middle of uncertainty. We don’t yet know exactly where this new development puts us—but we do know we can’t do it without support. Thank you for standing beside us. Thank you for praying with us. Thank you for believing in my fight—even when the path changes. With love and gratitude, Monica