March 2011

Exactly three years ago I started neoadjuvant chemotherapy in my battle against breast cancer. I was scared, but never alone (even when I was by myself).

This systemic neoadjuvant therapy (chemo) is sometimes used in cancers that are locally advanced - where an operation is technically planned at a later stage. For me, the use of this therapy effectively reduced the difficulty of more extensive procedures. Although I still underwent surgery and 33 weeks of radiation therapy.

I am grateful that the use of this therapy turned the tumour from mastectomy size to lumpectomy size by shrinking the volume down. Common tumors that use this concept include:

Breast Cancer
Colorectal cancer
Lung cancer

Every day is a celebratory lap, and I invite you to participate in the HCI “Pride For Pink” team for the 2011 Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure. The Salt Lake City race will be held on Saturday, May 7th, 2011, at the Gateway Mall (downtown).

To register for the race or make a donation for our team visit: http://slc.info-komen.org/site/TR/RacefortheCure/SLC_SaltLakeCityAffiliate?team_id=161684&pg=team&fr_id=2133.

Hope to see you there!