Janet's Story

As if being diagnosis at 31 with stage 3 breast cancer wasn’t enough.  As if 2 rounds of chemo, 38 radiation treatments and 9 surgeries wasn’t enough.  Janet was 9 days away from her 5 year anniversary of being diagnosed for the first time when she received the news she had cancer again.

The call came in just as Janet and Dave were dropping off borrowed children from a movie adventure.  The news from the doctor on the line was “You have breast cancer again, but it has mastesized into your lungs.”  She held it together and stood strong till the last child was out of the van, as she said good by and was left alone she crumbled.  She asked her self, how much more the good lord would deal her, how many more trials must I endure.

Janet has been under direction of Dr. Mary Cianfrocca at Northwestern Memorial Hospital and her Medical Team. In her absence the news came from Dr. Kaklamani and Regina Uthe in a conference room knowing the news couldn’t be good.  They had found a lesion just outside her lungs, this would help explain the major cough Janet had that was original suspected as remains from pneumonia. Janet was told the breast cancer had advanced into the lungs and was not curable, slow tears filled her eyes as she listened to the remaining details the doctor had to say even though she hung on the words “NOT CURABLE.”  She knows she’s in the largest fight of her life but she just can’t get past the words “not curable”, Just like Janet she wanted to know the details.  The doctors informed her that in a rare case a woman had survived 10 years, but the average for her diagnosis, she has was 1 to 3 years to live depending on how she would respond to treatment.  That is the key phrase, how she responds and finding the chemo that is going to work for her cancer.

Janet has completed just over three months of treatment at IVCH and was rescanned and put through tests only to find out that the chemo was not working. The cancer had in fact grown. Taxol & Avastin just had not attacked the aggressive cancer that Janet has.  I know this makes her wonder and if it does lessen her chances of making the 1-3 years. We know this wasn’t the news we thought we would hear but Janet knew that the cough hadn’t subsided and was just as bad as when we started. Since this news the doctors have changed her medicine for 2 months to an oral chemo treatment called Xeloda-Capecitabine. The $200.00 per pill medicine is known to treat Colon Cancer or non responsive breast cancer. Janet has been told to find an Oncologist and prepare for the next step. Janet would find out this would be another battle in itself. Janet turned down B&B’s insurance when she started her employment and relies on Dave’s insurance. This would pose an issue since there is a medical group out of Peoria that does not accept the insurance, even our new cancer center here in town. She can go to the hospital and be in network but can’t seek treatment at the cancer center because they are part of the medical group from Peoria. I am sure she will be writing her congressman to get this changed. If she doesn’t have enough on her plate or struggling to fight for longer life she is still focused on making things right for others journey.

Janet doesn’t say much but those closest to her know that part of her spirit crushed with her diagnosis and struggles to understand her pain. Although she struggles, she tries to help her family and friends with their pain and try to help them understand “Good faith and that an angel never stays in one place to long, but touches many lives in their journey”. 

Last Updated Feb 20th, 2009

May 9th isn’t just a day to help her with her medical care and bills, but it’s a day to help her say the things she needs to say and gather with those she has touched and enjoyed her 38 years with.
Join us and help her celebrate life and make another memory with her.