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Diagnosis Date
- had a discoloration on my left breast after a change in birth control pill. I was taking it to regulate me, not worried about being prego.
- after several exams I went to a breast surgeon for an exam
- on 9/6 the doctor saw me and decided to do a needle biopsy
- on 9/7 the doctor told me that I had cancer
- on 9/26 I started chemo
Hat Party 
Saturday, September 08, 2001. Natalie got a bunch of Marie's friends together for a party to gather head gear for Marie. Friends brought a spectrum of hats from the traditional chemo scarfs to a hat of the MGM Studios on the lid to an electric blue wig About The Cancer - my cancer on the scale for breast cancer is a III-B on a scale of I-IV( 3B on a scale of 1-4)
- on the Bloom Richardson scale I am a 8 on a scale of 1-9.
The biggest change recently was I gave up all sugar and sweets except Dr. Pepper. Also no caffeine.
My body did not like sugar anymore. Instead I eat lots of fruit.
Race For The Cure 5K 
Marie and a few supporters at the Finish Line at "The Race For The Cure" 5K. Sunday, November 4th, 2001 On Sunday, November 4th Marie and a group of 28 supporters participated in the Austin, Race For The Cure 5K. Marie's team was named, "Marching For Marie." The group's team tee-shirt was designed by Natalie. It featured naked pink armadillos marching with the race banner. The team won for best design for a team shirt. November Dr. Visit Last physical exam was very positive and last labwork on 11/21 showed that my white blood cell counts were unusually high (3.5 instead my avg. 1.8). Even the nurse was surprised and told me to keep doing whatever I was doing.
Wed., Dec. 12, 2001
Here is another update. I have been at home trying to get my strength from the last dose of chemo. I will be taking new pics of me on 12/19 to check my lungs and other parts for cancer spread. The obvious stuff looks very good - breast tissue is normal, it was not before, and the lymph nodes show no sign of any cancer - feel normal. The doctor is cautiously optimistic and we are scheduled to start the next chemo drug on 12/21. This will be a weekly treatment every Friday for three hours. The side effects are different and it is difficult to say how much I will feel them. I have been blessed that the current chemo has been less than I ever expected. Thank God.
I will be back at work on shortened hours until the end of this month. I want to get lots of rest and make time for the holiday stuff.
Hope to hear from you soon.
Marie
Deck The Walls!
Sunday, December 16th 2001 Marie's wonderful bunch of friends gathered to string the lights around the Christmas tree while we sent Joe - electrical engineer - to brave the rain and the electrial current of the outside lights. It was a wonderful job.
Sat. Jan. 05, 2002 - official results show spot still on lungs. My oncologist says wait and check in 4 months.
- a doctor friend says he thinks that it is not cancer.. I am cautious and say chances are that it is not. Another unchanged picture will convince me.
- again breast and lymph nodes are normal during exam on 12/21
- Taxol chemo that started 12/21 went very well. They give Benadryl and Tagamet to prevent side effects. Lucky for me it was my recipe for the ZZZZZZZZZZZZ's. I slept through most of the treatment and went home to sleep 4 more hours. I got up and went to dinner with friends. Now that is what I call a good chemo appointment.
They went slowly as the first time and will speed it up as time goes. I have 11 more doses so I need to keep going. Hopefully I will have a smooth ride. The next phase after this is the surgeries. i do mean plural.
I will save that for another email update.
Take Care and thanks for your help!
Marie Feb. 2002
Here is some info that may be of interest
- of the 12 chemo treatments I have scheduled 10 and have rides to all 10. Many thanks to friends and coworkers at AP!I have left the last two open until I see the appt person this week. My doctor says that I am anal to schedule so many already. oh well
- my red blood count (RBC) dropped after the 2nd treatment of this chemo. it was low enough that they started me on iron supplements. If it had been lower then they would give me Procrit(the drug on TV). It is nasty and I am glad to avoid it. Since I started the supplements I went back to my normal RBC. Yippee!
- for the last week i have been dealing with allergies. today i received a cortisone shot in my "hip". it was really the butt. it is interesting that they always tell you that it is the hip. when i asked why i needed it there, the nurse said that there was more tissue to absorb the pain. In my butt I got a WHOLE LOTTA tissue. So that is where the shot went.
Overall I still feel OK from this chemo, this Friday is the 6th dose. the halfway mark!
Take Care
Love YA
Marie Congradulations To Marie!
Today, Friday, March 08th, 2002 is Marie's last chemo session. She made it!
I know I represent the thoughts of friends and family when I say, "Marie, you are an incredible person. You inspire everyone who meets you. You handle obstacles with a smile and that infectious laugh. I love you and I am proud to call you my cousin and friend. Congratulations!"
I would also like to thank Marie's friends, co-workers and Natalie in the Austin area who have been a second family to my cousin. It is hard not to have her near when she faces difficulties but I feel better knowing such loving people are there for her.
Marie's friends will be holding a potluck next Friday to celebrate this milestone.
Update - April 2002
All
I have spent the month of March completing scans to determine the next step
for my treatment. All the scans show that there is no cancer growing
anywhere - this includes my breast, my lymph nodes and my lungs. The chemo
killed it - YEA! In addition the spots on my lungs have cleared. It is not
known whether it was cancer, and we are NOT going to find out right now. I
will not have surgery on my lungs. We will need to monitor it.
In meeting with my oncologist this week he has recommended that I have
another core biopsy done on my breast to determine if there are any remnant
cancer cells. If the pathology for the breast is good (no cancer) then NO
surgery is needed. If they find microscopic but inactive cancer in the
breast tissue, then I need to remove it. Regardless of the surgery I am
starting the pill form of breast cancer chemo tomorrow. it is a daily pill
that I take for the next five years. I also will have 4 weeks of radiation
for five days a week starting after the biopsy surgery. I will plan my
appointments for the end of the day.
The surgery is a day surgery and when I know my appts for radiation, I will
publish them. The treatment is only one hour total - actual radiation time
is 10-15 minutes.
Rather than repeating this, I figured an email would be easiest.
From your shorthaired quality mgr
Marie
Perfromance Benefit
To raise money for The Race For The Cure, the team Marching For Marie got help from some great people. I would like to thank the patrons of O'Neill's Irish House & The Green Room and the fans of The Obvious, Liz Stone and Free- for Sat. Mar. 23rd's performance. We raised $200 dollars to go to the Koman San Antonio Race For the Cure. Pictures will be up from the show soon. Money will be turned in race day, Saturday, April 13th.
San Antonio Komen Race For The Cure - April 13, 2002
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| San Antonio - Marching For Marie |
Saturday, April 13th, 2002 in San Antonio - Marie's Family and friends of the family participated in the San Antonio Komen Race The Cure on behalf of Marie. We will be continuing the Marching For Marie team name that started in the Austin Komen Race For The Cure on November 03, 2002.
Marie's cousin Daniel Martinez and wife Hortense traveled from Houston. They arrive in San Antonio about 12:30 a.m. Saturday morning. Daniel then proceeded to run competitive in the 5K.
The 5K had entertainment along the route. It made for great photos. We had a lot of fun and went to Mi Terra's for brunch.
Click on SA Race to see Participants, Sponsors and Race Information.
Surgery & A lot of Thanks 04/28/02
I do not know where to start since the generosity has been flowing from so many different directions. I guess chronologically is best.
- Many thanks to Melissa, her mom Norma, Sarah, My mom, my brother Mike, Catherine Vaughn, Reverend Steve Sheely, Camille Miller, Kim Moritomo, Mary Smith, Dwayne and Fran Poteet and mostly importantly my girlfriend Natalie Vaughn(no relation to Catherine) for being there prior to the surgery. The prayer from Steve was just what the doctor ordered.Things are so much easier when you do not face them alone.
- Natalie gets the extra special recognition for being there in the pre-op room (thanks to the Seton NW nurses), meeting me in recovery and spending the night to be at my side every step of the way. She is my angel on earth.
- Thanks to friends like Kim and Coleen for coming into the recovery room and reminding me what it means to have GREAT friends.
- Thanks to the wonderful work of my surgeon Dr Tim Faulkenberry who has been the best throughout this process.
- Thanks to Wendy and Amber, nurses at Seton NW, For making my stay so pleasant and not kicking anyone out for making too much noise.
- Many thanks to all the friends who visited me - Robin, Jeff, Jody, Bill and Jane, Vickie, BJ, Chris G
- Again special thanks to my mom and brother for staying until I was out of the hospital on Saturday.
- Thanks each to Kent Douglas, The Poteets, Active Power, Active Power Marketing and Camille and Lisa for all the flower arrangements. I still have them all.
- BIG THANKS to my weekend nurses Robin and Natalie with multiple friends dropping by! Robin and Natalie have given me a gift that is difficult to repay. They took care of everything including answering the phone.
- Thanks to Jeff and Jody for the 1st chocolate cake, and for Vickie for the 2nd one
- Thanks for Gay and the fantastic ice cream - new favorite Carmel Sundae Crunch from Blue Bell
- Since I have been home I have had food delivered to my home almost every evening from my neighbors and friends. It started with Coleen bringing a outstanding turkey tetrazinni, Amber with lasagna, taco soup and chinese chicken soup
- Thanks to Active Power for providing my lunch all this week
- Then the neighbors organized by my next door neighbor Karrie Kubala. Karrie, Kate, Nick and Faith(3 yrs old) brought a feast of chicken pasta,salad, bread and chocolate cake, Juli brought breaded italian chicken breasts,salad, potato casserole , Bill and Margaret(Lady Longhorn buddies) brought steaks with mushrooms, asparagus, mashed potatoes and cornbread, and tonight Cindy two doors down brought chicken vegetable pasta and cookies. WOW! I mean WOW!
- Also another extra special thanks to my Aunt Anna who stayed with me from Monday to Friday. She cleaned my house, did my laundry, answered the phone, ran errands and took me to work and the doctor. I could not have done it without her.
- Thanks to Professor Janet from UT for sharing her celebration of full professor this past week and bringing wine for dinner
Thanks for all the phone calls from friends and family including my Aunt Mona who called from England earlier today.
If you get nothing else from this message - get this - it only takes a phone call, email or visit at the house to make someone's day a little brighter. Do it. It is the best gift to receive.
My surgery went well. The biopsy shows that there are clear margins on my breast. YEA! No more cancer but no more boob either. I have great rotation on my arm for one week after surgery. Besides the stomach problem, I have been OK. Resting alot. The next step is 6-7 weeks of radiation for 5 days a week starting May 6th. I will have recontructive surgery after the radiation. Don't worry I will not glow.
The surgery will be performed by two surgeons, breast surgeon and plastic surgeon, and together when the time comes will reduce the size of the remaining breast, do a tummy tuck to build the new one and create the new one. I am thankful that I have great doctors.
I hope that everyone counts their own blessings every day. I do.
Love Marie
I was not certain if I had sent anything since radiation started.
I took dose number 12 of 33 today.Almost half way and my radiation doctor says I look great. As good one can look when you get cooked like a baked potato every day. I have going alone to my appts so I can everyone the trouble of driving. So far I am OK. Still cutting the grass and cleaning the house.
Take Care
Marie
Update - June 2002
This past week has been absolutely tremendous for health news. I saw my radiation oncologist, and he said that since my blood results have been so strong, they are cancelling my other blood tests. They are not needed.
Then I saw my regular oncologist yesterday and he said that I am doing so well that he does not to see me for THREE MONTHS. I am canceling an appointment with him in two weeks since he has told me to see him in October. In addition to that great news he has approved me to travel wherever and whenever I want - SO NOW I CAN FLY!
Radiation will not end until July 2nd, but I feel liberated today.
Marie 06/14/02
Update - July 2002
I have now completed all the radiation that I am going to receive. I was able to complete 31 of 33 sessions before my skin became too irritated from it. When I asked the radiation oncologist to see me, he decided to cancel the last two sessions. I can hardly believe it. Also the radiation staff and doctor gave me a certificate for being a good patient - It reads:
Marie Cunningham has completed the prescribed course of radiation therapy with the highest degree of courage, determination and good nature. We appreciate the confidence placed in us and the opportunity to serve you.
Signed
Texas Oncology Cancer Center
Radiation Oncology Department
Physicians and Staff
HOW COOL IS THAT!
I am very lucky to be where I am. I thank God everyday.
I had a lunch with a bunch of people, about 14, on the scheduled last day, today. They all signed a shirt and we took pictures. I will send them when I have them.
Thanks for the wonderful support!
Marie
07/02/02
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