Lets help AM see her kids grow up!

This is a story about my friend Anne-Maree - Lets help her see her kids grow up!

This is Anne-Maree's story:
My name is Anne-Maree Wilson, I’m a mother to two wonderful children, Charlotte (6 years) and Luke (4 years) and I’ve been married to my husband Anthony for nearly 10 years. I work part-time as a secondary Mathematics teacher. I also have secondary breast cancer. There is no cure for secondary breast cancer.

I wish to explore the integrated medicine options in a hope to have the longest and healthiest life possible and I enjoy my lovely little family. I wish to see my two young children grow into young adults.

Integrated medicine combines both conventional medicine and alternative medicine. I see the future of my life being dependent on treating the body as a whole not just the cancer. I currently see a naturopath, reiki healer, acupuncturist and attend yoga. I would like to undergo hyperthermia heat treatment, which internationally has received good results on bone metastases.  There are also a number of other non-toxic treatments that have found to be effective to some patients, which I would like to try as conventional medicine alone is unable to give me any more options.

I have been researching clinics which offer the treatments that I am interested in, however, as these treatments are not subsidised it is not something that we can afford. The full costs have range from $30 000 - $60 000 for a treatment program.

 
Details of my journey are below.

I was diagnosed with breast cancer in May 2013, I had previously felt a lump in my right breast and had an ultrasound with the results stating that nothing could be found and it was most likely from an enlarged milk duct as I was still breast feeding Luke at the time.

The surgeon first did a lumpectomy to remove the tumor and took some lymph nodes to check if the cancer had started to spread into my lymph system. Due to the size of the lump, I had to go back and have a mastectomy on the right side and an axillary clearance, removal of all lymph nodes under my right arm.

I had 6 rounds of TAC chemotherapy which made me very ill and damaged my digestive system greatly. After my last dose of chemotherapy I was airlifted to Darwin hospital. I had developed a blood clot in my jugular vein due to the portacath (a device put into my chest to administer the chemotherapy). I then underwent 5 weeks of daily radiation to my chest and my neck. All my treatment finished a couple of days before Christmas – I had told my children that I would be better by Christmas.

In January 2014 I started daily tablets to reduce the estrogen in my body. Regular scans continued to show all clear. Later that year in also started a monthly implant injection to shut my ovaries down, to ensure that my body doesn’t produce any estrogen.  I started the breast reconstruction progress in June 2014, with doctors using muscle, fat and skin from my back to build a new breast.

In October 2014, two spots of cancer were found, one in my right iliac bone (pelvis) and one in my lower spine. Thankfully both spots were very small and I was offered high dose radiation (SABR) treatment in Adelaide. Doctors changed my tablets.

January 2015: I had SABR to my two spots and scans showed that there were no signs of cancer. Scans continued to show all clear until October 2015. New spots had appeared in my sternum, femur bone and back in my right iliac bone, slightly higher than the last spot.

Doctors changed my tablets again and I now have another monthly injection to strengthen my bones. Although the cancer is still contained in my bones, they are not willing to perform any more SABR as it apparently didn’t work as the cancer came back too quickly. I will be having one dose of radiation to the iliac bone to help relieve some pain.

Doctors are waiting to see if the latest tables work, otherwise there is nothing that they can do.