Whitney's fight against cancer.
Donation protected
UPDATE 2/15/2019
Whitney had her second chemo yesterday ( yes on Valentine's day). She did really well! So far no major side effects, except little nausea!
We have confirmed the spaghetti feed will be on March 30th at The Presbyterian Church in Nipomo. We have a lot of raffle prizes!! Tickets are being printed and will be on sale hopefully by the end of next week!
We are still trying to get the food products for the feed, and have a few options in the works, in the meantime, we have set up an Amazon wish list in the form of a wedding registry for some of the items we still need: https://www.amazon.com/wedding/jeni-blue-whitney-redd-arroyo-grande-march-2019/registry/1ZFB91S1VJF7E
if you feel so inclined, you can also purchase gift cards to go towards these purchases!
Stay posted for more info! Much Love!
UPDATED 02/04/2019
It has been ten days since Whitney's first Chemo. She has the port put in on Wednesday of last week. It went smoothly and was pretty quick. If you have never seen how a port is out in, Google it. I did not and was surprised to find out it actually goes through the jugular vein in her neck and is connected to her heart. She has posted photos on her blog page.
Whitney had been feeling pretty good since the port was placed in. Until yesterday. She got pretty ill, and it might have been from over-exertion. ( Her daughter turned 13 yesterday and she had to spend the day in bed. Luckily Lydia is easy going and was very helpful to her momma.
next Chemo treatment is on the 14th of this month. Her hair has not fallen out yet, but she is ready when it does. The cancer center gave her a $200 credit so she was able to pick out a few bright colored fun wigs!
We have a spaghetti feed fundraiser in the works for late March, and will be selling tickets soon! We will also have a raffle drawing, Local businesses have donated gift certificates for dinners and more! We are still collecting donations. if your business would like to help out you can contact me direclty at [email redacted] .
We appreciate your support!Much Love!
UPDATED 1/25/2019
Whitney has started Chemotherapy. On Wednesday she went in for the injections of the HER2 blockers, and on Thursday she started the Chemo infusion. She has a very bad allergic reaction to it, and had to be injected with a LOT of Benadryl. Although it helped with the allergic reaction to calm, it made extremely drowsy and a bit "lost". Today she is doing a little better and has been resting but still feels groggy and puffy. She will go back in today for one more shot and then next week she will get her port put in. Chemo will be done every 3 weeks. She is continuing to post on her blog on the progress as well as the Facebook page "onetitwhit" we are also shooting a video journal.
We are still trying to raise money and can still use any help!! Thank you for following- much love!
UPDATED:
We had some devastating news today. The doctors found that Whitney is HER2 positive-not good news. This was from the 2nd mass. The original nipple cancer was removed.
She will be doing chemo for at least 4 months. This was just not expected at all..we went in this post-op appointment thinking the worst was over only to walk out in tears. Its especially confusing to Lydia and we are trying to explain as best as we can for her. We will need more help and love and prayers! I am going full force on the benefit slated for March. For now we are just trying to wrap out heads around this whole thing. Here is more information on HER2: HER2-positive breast cancer is a breast cancer that tests positive for a protein called human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2), which promotes the growth of cancer cells.
In about 1 of every 5 breast cancers, the cancer cells have a gene mutation that makes an excess of the HER2 protein. HER2-positive breast cancers tend to be more aggressive than other types of breast cancer
Friday, October 12th Whitney was diagnosed with Ductal Carcinoma in situ or DCIS. From what we know so far it's in the early stages and that it's caused by a mutating gene in the DNA. Our family does not have a history of breast cancer so her outlook is good. However, she is going in for more testing of the surrounding cells and tissue. From there, her doctor will figure out the next step in the process. Whitney is an advocate for early detection and if you feel like something is "off" don't wait to get it checked! Mammograms are suggested yearly after the age of 40. But you are the only one who knows your body! Don't hesitate and don't take no for an answer just because you have no history in the family. We are raising money to cover expenses for the time off she will need from work, as she is raising her 12-year daughter on her own. We have no idea what the medical expenses will cost at this point, or whether her insurance will cover all of it. So the number above is just a guess. I'm working on being there for her during this process because I feel its necessary to be there for Whitney, after all, she is not only family but also my best friend!
Whitney had her second chemo yesterday ( yes on Valentine's day). She did really well! So far no major side effects, except little nausea!
We have confirmed the spaghetti feed will be on March 30th at The Presbyterian Church in Nipomo. We have a lot of raffle prizes!! Tickets are being printed and will be on sale hopefully by the end of next week!
We are still trying to get the food products for the feed, and have a few options in the works, in the meantime, we have set up an Amazon wish list in the form of a wedding registry for some of the items we still need: https://www.amazon.com/wedding/jeni-blue-whitney-redd-arroyo-grande-march-2019/registry/1ZFB91S1VJF7E
if you feel so inclined, you can also purchase gift cards to go towards these purchases!
Stay posted for more info! Much Love!
UPDATED 02/04/2019
It has been ten days since Whitney's first Chemo. She has the port put in on Wednesday of last week. It went smoothly and was pretty quick. If you have never seen how a port is out in, Google it. I did not and was surprised to find out it actually goes through the jugular vein in her neck and is connected to her heart. She has posted photos on her blog page.
Whitney had been feeling pretty good since the port was placed in. Until yesterday. She got pretty ill, and it might have been from over-exertion. ( Her daughter turned 13 yesterday and she had to spend the day in bed. Luckily Lydia is easy going and was very helpful to her momma.
next Chemo treatment is on the 14th of this month. Her hair has not fallen out yet, but she is ready when it does. The cancer center gave her a $200 credit so she was able to pick out a few bright colored fun wigs!
We have a spaghetti feed fundraiser in the works for late March, and will be selling tickets soon! We will also have a raffle drawing, Local businesses have donated gift certificates for dinners and more! We are still collecting donations. if your business would like to help out you can contact me direclty at [email redacted] .
We appreciate your support!Much Love!
UPDATED 1/25/2019
Whitney has started Chemotherapy. On Wednesday she went in for the injections of the HER2 blockers, and on Thursday she started the Chemo infusion. She has a very bad allergic reaction to it, and had to be injected with a LOT of Benadryl. Although it helped with the allergic reaction to calm, it made extremely drowsy and a bit "lost". Today she is doing a little better and has been resting but still feels groggy and puffy. She will go back in today for one more shot and then next week she will get her port put in. Chemo will be done every 3 weeks. She is continuing to post on her blog on the progress as well as the Facebook page "onetitwhit" we are also shooting a video journal.
We are still trying to raise money and can still use any help!! Thank you for following- much love!
UPDATED:
We had some devastating news today. The doctors found that Whitney is HER2 positive-not good news. This was from the 2nd mass. The original nipple cancer was removed.
She will be doing chemo for at least 4 months. This was just not expected at all..we went in this post-op appointment thinking the worst was over only to walk out in tears. Its especially confusing to Lydia and we are trying to explain as best as we can for her. We will need more help and love and prayers! I am going full force on the benefit slated for March. For now we are just trying to wrap out heads around this whole thing. Here is more information on HER2: HER2-positive breast cancer is a breast cancer that tests positive for a protein called human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2), which promotes the growth of cancer cells.
In about 1 of every 5 breast cancers, the cancer cells have a gene mutation that makes an excess of the HER2 protein. HER2-positive breast cancers tend to be more aggressive than other types of breast cancer
Friday, October 12th Whitney was diagnosed with Ductal Carcinoma in situ or DCIS. From what we know so far it's in the early stages and that it's caused by a mutating gene in the DNA. Our family does not have a history of breast cancer so her outlook is good. However, she is going in for more testing of the surrounding cells and tissue. From there, her doctor will figure out the next step in the process. Whitney is an advocate for early detection and if you feel like something is "off" don't wait to get it checked! Mammograms are suggested yearly after the age of 40. But you are the only one who knows your body! Don't hesitate and don't take no for an answer just because you have no history in the family. We are raising money to cover expenses for the time off she will need from work, as she is raising her 12-year daughter on her own. We have no idea what the medical expenses will cost at this point, or whether her insurance will cover all of it. So the number above is just a guess. I'm working on being there for her during this process because I feel its necessary to be there for Whitney, after all, she is not only family but also my best friend!
Organizer and beneficiary
Jeni Proft
Organizer
Santa Maria, CA
Whitney Redd
Beneficiary
