Everything Happens for a Reason

Four weeks ago yesterday I set out on a 6 hour ride with my dear friend Ran, as part of my training for Ironman Lake Placid — my 13th full distance Ironman. Not sure if I should consider 13 as lucky or unlucky. An hour into the ride we were in Long Branch and turned to the ocean, something I’ve done more times than I can count. I’m not quite sure what happened but one minute I was enjoying the beautiful day and he next minute I was on my back on the ground. Ran wanted to call my husband, I said call 911. Fast forward to the emergency room – turned out I had an open fracture in my left wrist which required surgery and apparently any surgery requires a routine chest X-ray.

On Friday morning the surgeon came back to fill me in on my surgery (a 15 cm plate and 10 screws) and he mentioned he saw something on my lung. Since I had a history of cancer he suggested I follow up promptly with my doctors at Sloan Kettering. I did that the same day. Fast forward through lots of tests, turns out my cancer is back. Recurrent. In my lung and in my lymph nodes and some other “suspicious” spots.

I’ve still got lots to work out, and my medical team is very positive they can arrest this. I’m getting a port on Tuesday. Chemotherapy treatment starts maybe the end of July. A long haul that could go through the end of April.

So, send prayers and good wishes. TNBC sucks. And thank you God and my mom for shoving me into that barricade. I still have no symptoms.