Support Christina's Crappy Cancer Journey

You're probably like me and thought, despite logic and statistics, that breast cancer wouldn't invade your family's lives. That ended for the Ramsey and Harris clans when Christina was diagnosed with invasive ductal carcinoma - estrogen and progesterone receptor positive and Her2 positive with at least one lymph node involved.

After a routine mammogram, we all calmed Christina's slight anxiety about being called back for an ultrasound, "Oh that happens all the time," "I'm sure it's nothing," etc. But then she was called back for a biopsy and the radiologist's notes stated there was a greater than 95% chance of malignancy. This is when alarm bells started ringing, and the intense waiting for appointments and results began. Christina saw for herself during the biopsy that the imaging of the mass had no distinct borders. The radiologist told her he was certain it was malignant and would have to come out. Finally, on August 8th, we received the official news that it was breast cancer.

It has been preliminarily determined her cancer is stage 1b; fortunately, because it is triple positive, her prognosis is good. This doesn't decrease the intensity of her treatments, only the likelihood of success. There are still pending scans to finalize this prognosis. The Her2 positive means it is fast growing, but there have been breakthroughs in targeted infusions/injections that Her2 positive is very receptive to.

Her treatment plan is:

2+ weeks of prep

18 weeks of chemo + Her2 treatment (TCHB)

surgery

11 more doses of HB

Pathology will determine if more chemo is needed.

Christina has already been preparing for major life changes as she will begin occupational therapy coursework this fall. She has long worked to remove obstacles to learning for children and that journey has led her to this career change. As I'm sure you know, she has a voracious appetite for learning, growth, and trying new things and cancer will not change that core personality trait of hers!

Funds would be greatly appreciated to help her pay her many medical bills, incidental needs, additional uncovered therapies, and ease her way through these transitions. She currently has a high-deductible health insurance plan and we are nearing the end of the year when those start back over.

I know many of you have experienced the kind of friend Christina is and what a difference she can make to a group, an organization, or a project. Let's work together to make a difference for her and her family now.

I am one of Christina's 6 sisters, Melissa Drumeller, and all funds will be given directly to the Harris family. You can also send funds through Venmo @harristina29.