I have been asked this question in various forms more than any other question since my diagnosis. When doctors diagnose breast cancer at earlier stages, they often encourage their patients to get a mastectomy because the procedure promises to remove most if not all of the breast cancer cells from the patient’s body. Because my cancer was diagnosed after it had metastasized (the cancer cells from my breast tumor had moved into my blood stream and travelled all throughout my body), surgery would provide me with no substantial benefit. Even if the breast tumor was removed, a whole army of tumors would remain in my bones and liver. There was no stopping my cancer through surgery by the time we knew it was there.
And if I went under the scalpel today, I would also risk my cancer growing because I would have to stop all other treatments for weeks prior and after surgery. We don’t want to risk letting my cancer grow unchecked for any prolonged period of time.
What Do Your Children Know?
Our children were ages 1, 3 and 5 when I was originally diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer in 2019. We…
Do You Have A Support System?
We live in a unique age of history with the ability to communicate with friends (and strangers) all over the…
Why Keep the Faith
Some have wondered why I didn’t abandon my faith after receiving my diagnosis. On the one hand, I like the…
How are you coping?
Near the beginning of my cancer journey, both Peter and I were studying the Bible and came to realize that…
Will You Run Out of Treatment Options?
The short answer is no. Most likely my body will wear out before we can exhaust all the various treatment…
How Many More Chemo Treatments Do You Have?
I don’t know. I started chemotherapy (Abraxane) in May 2021. I had my last infusion the last week of January…
Why Did Your Hair Only Recently Fall Out?
At first, I did not lose my hair because my treatment consisted of two hormonal therapy drugs. While the medicine…
Could You Have a Liver Transplant?
Just as cancer is a tragic diagnosis, there is tragedy involved in the liver transplant process. One life is given…
Do You Have Different Types of Cancer?
Though cancer has invaded my breast, spine, lymph nodes, and liver, I only have one type of cancer, ER+PR+HER2- breast…
Why Didn’t You Sue Your Doctor?
We chose not to sue because of our spiritual convictions and my desire to devote my emotional energy to my…
Did You Feel A Lump?
I first felt a lump in my left breast while breast feeding our youngest daughter during the last months of…
Witkowski Blog 