Tara's - Just Beat It Fundraiser

Hi!  I’m Tara.  I’m 32 years old and living with Stage 4 Breast Cancer that has metastasised to my bones, but you better believe that is not going to stop me. I’m blessed to have the best thing to fight for: my family.
We’re raising money to help our family pay for my expensive cancer treatments and help fulfill my wish – to see my kids grow up.  My focus is on healing my body and giving it all the good stuff it needs to fight and letting go of all the junk that it doesn’t.
Having to ask for help sucks, but having cancer sucks more. I’ve always been a “do it yourself” kind of girl, but cancer doesn’t work like that; you need the help of family and friends more than ever. 

MY CANCER STORY

It seems like ancient history now… As the New Year was upon us, and as many of us do, I was reminiscing about 2016… It was the best year of my life.  Justin and I bought our first home together and we settled in as quickly as possible to be ready to welcome Ethan into our lives.  Our family of three was now four.  Our family was complete.  My life was finally perfectly in order and I was so excited for what the future held.  Well I guess I didn’t knock on wood.

Not long after, I was lying in bed breastfeeding and found a lump in my armpit.  I made an appointment and went to the doctor to have it checked.  I was told not to worry and that it was probably just milk related.  To be safe, I was sent for an ultrasound of my breast.  I received a call a few days later and was told that the lump was “suspicious” and that I was being referred to a surgeon. In my mind, I never thought it would be cancer… Cyst or a blocked milk duct crossed my mind, but never cancer.

When I went to see the surgeon he referred me to an oncologist.  Then I knew.  It was cancer. The lump I found was in fact a swollen lymph node, but I also had a 5+cm tumor in my breast that I didn’t even know was there. I vividly remember leaving the surgeon’s office with my mother, both of us in shock. Outside the sun was shining bright on the fresh snow from the night before.  It was this moment I knew my life was about to take a very big detour.

 Everything happened very quickly after that. Through more tests and a biopsy, I was officially diagnosed with triple negative inflammatory breast cancer.  My cancer a rare and aggressive case. Within a week, I started neoadjuvant dose dense chemotherapy with treatments every two weeks for 16 weeks.



My hair started to fall out after the first round of chemo and was completely gone after the second. That was hard. I had beautiful hair. However, it was nice to spend the summer bald and hairless. My razor and shampoo budgets got a huge break too.


Mid-July I finished chemo and thought “OK
I got this”. My mastectomy surgery was scheduled for mid-August, so I had some time to throw myself a little “Bye Bye Boobie” party. This was my first surgery.  Not only was I nervous, but I only really had a few months to wrap my head around losing a breast.  Oddly though, I never cried over losing my breast. I sobbed for my hair, but I felt as though my body betrayed me and I was just happy to get the cancer out.

 The surgery went as planned.  My whole right breast was removed along with 29 lymph nodes.  I felt some relief because the cancer was out and I could move on.  I even joked about my post-surgery hospital stay being a nice “vacation”.  I didn’t have to cook or clean and it was a nice break from my every day routine.  

The surgery results were in and the tumor in my breast was actually over 8cm and cancer was in 15 of the 29 lymph nodes that were removed.



 After a month of recovery I was scheduled to start radiation of the breast area as more of a “precaution” to get anything microscopic.  I had been experiencing a nagging back pain for some time, so just to be sure the radiologist recommended postponing radiation until I could get a bone and CT scan.

A week or so went by and I didn’t hear anything, but I wasn’t too worried, because the cancer was out!  I was seeing my family doctor for a prescription refill and asked her if she was sent the results of my tests.  She had received the results.  She put her hand on my leg and said “they’re not good”. That’s all I remember from that visit, the room started to spin and I thought I was going to vomit.

The cancer never left.  It was never out of my body.  It was in my bones.  Until this moment, I always thought I was going to beat it and move on with life.  But here I was faced with my inevitable mortality like a punch to the face. It was a grim few weeks, but slowly I pulled myself back out and started reading about other women in my position, just as scared, but hopeful and that gave me hope. I could start to plan and look forward to my future – my son’s first birthday, my daughter’s first day of kindergarten, expanding my vegetable garden.

I was told I might be a candidate for a clinical trial in Toronto for some new drug, but after five weeks of waiting I found out I wasn’t.  During this time though, I changed my diet radically, started exercising and taking supplements. I was building up my body to heal and halt the spread. So here we are now, I am taking my life into my own hands and focusing on healing my body, living naturally and organically and hopefully one day this will all be behind me just as I thought before. As my therapist says, when people ask how you’re doing, tell them “I’m working on a miracle”.  



ABOUT ME

It’s my family’s dream to someday move out of the city and own a hobby farm. Justin and I both enjoy gardening - well me more so than him, he just likes to enjoy the fruits of my labour.  We want to live out of the city as self-sustained and natural as possible because I feel that this is the path to true health. I love to garden and tend to my house plants as it gives me such a sense of calm and peace, smelling the fresh earth and getting my hands dirty.  Over the last 8 months I’ve also summoned my inner creativity with painting, crafting, drawing and crocheting.  My mother also learned to crochet, which was helpful for both of us to bring to doctor’s appointments.  I became a stay at home mom not really by choice, but I enjoy it nonetheless. If and when this is all behind me, I plan to write a book about my life and experience to help other women facing the biggest challenge they will ever face.


Thank you for taking the time to read my story.  My family and I are so thankful for your help and support.