Who will you save?
Hello
I'm glad you're here. My name's Lindsey and as I mentioned, I'm a breast cancer survivor. I had some 'shit bad luck' according to my doctor and was diagnosed when I was 37. No family history, no genetic mutation, nope just shit bad luck. I learned a lot as I went through my treatment, and I created this site to share what I learned with others.
I also know cancer treatment itself can be scary and hard. I wanted to share my story so women (and men) starting their journey can have a friend. Maybe my experience will make theirs a bit less scary.
My Story
Well, I cover my story in depth, so I'm not going to rehash it here. The summary version is that I was diagnosed with breast cancer at age 37. We only found it because I was paying attention and proactively went to the doctor to get help. I was diagnosed with estrogen receptor (+), progestogen receptor (+), HER2u (-), mix of lobular and ductal invasive carcinoma. It had spread to 6 lymph nodes by the time I did surgery and the oncologist said it was best to assume it was in my blood.
The good news, is this is a treatable form of breast cancer. The bad news is I would need to do A LOT of treatment. One day my medical oncologist told me she thinks of patients in two categories, those who minimize the side effects of treatment and those who maximize the impact of treatment. She said I was an Uber Maximizer. She said it was easy to know what I would pick because I always did everything within my control to minimize the risk of recurrence. (Which by the way is often times the same things that prevent it in the first place.)
I also learned there was more I could do after my conventional treatment ended. I am very inspired by the power and impact my own daily choices have and I wanted to share that with others.
After two years, I don't really worry about dying of breast cancer anymore. I've done the back of the envelope math and with my diagnosis and everything I've done I estimate the likelihood of recurrence for me is less than .5% per year. To worry would be irrational. However, I am only human and sometimes I worry again anyway.
“Oh my gosh, this is exactly what I need. Yes I will read the blog. This is so cool and this is what he needs to recover, so thank you, thank you, thank you.”
Jess, Washington DC
My Treatment Plan
I am incredibly thankful that I have had access to some of the best health care in the world via my amazing team of 6 doctors (all specialists) and innumerable nurses and care givers. I also had access to a care specialist via my insurance company that cross-validated all my treatment plans to ensure I was getting the best care possible. I also do my own research and have a very high tolerance for complex models and scientific information.
Unfortunately I know not everyone has access to that. I have a family member who may have died prematurely due to poor care. So, I feel strongly that this information is out there for those who have to advocate for themselves.
Please understand. This was my treatment and it was personalized to my cancer's biology and my physical health. If you've been diagnosed, talk to your own doctor about your situation. If you need to, get a second opinion. Every cancer is different. But, do ask questions. Do advocate for yourself.
"When I first sit down with someone to consult on how to integrate complementary therapies into their cancer care, I remark that cancer is like a weed in the body's garden. I say that their conventional oncologist is focused on ridding them of the weed through conventional means (such as surgery, chemo, radiation), while my job, as their integrative oncologist, is to work with their garden to make its soil as inhospitable as possible to the growth and spread of the weed."
-Donald Abrams, MD, Chief, Hematology-Oncology, San Francisco General Hospital, Professor, Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco; Integrative Oncology, UCSF Osher Center for Integrative Medicine
Leave me a message and I'll get back to you.
