Treatment begins and a word from Susan

Treatment has begun.

After the rapid-fire diagnosis, lumpectomy, recovery and port-insertion, Mom began radiation treatment today. The process is quick: an x-ray (to make sure the balloon is still in place) and she begins, under the watchful eye of her radiation oncologist (Dr. Albritton), a radiation tech (Mark) and a radiation physicist (Mom can't remember his name today. I think we'll forgive her). The radioactive seed is inside the balloon for nine minutes. She goes twice a day.

Tonight she is tired, but glad that it's finally done: She knows what it's like now. But that's enough from me. Mom sent me this e-mail to post on Sunday morning--apologies that I'm just now getting to it. Without further ado...

Dear Strangers, Friends, and Family,
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for sharing this journey with us. I continue to be encouraged by the words, thoughts, and deeds of all thosewho read this great blog. (Okay, so I am partial!!) I have laughed, cried, smiled, and wondered at the comments, stories, and words of encouragementyou have offered. God bless all of you! Please keep reading, sharing, and taking part in the various activities that Matt mentions here. I'll write again on the other side of this adventure.--Susan of Susie's
Fight

So far, so good

It's rainy, cold and all-around depressing here in SWMo, but things are looking sunnier overall (and not just because the baseball season is right around the corner...though that's a plus, too). No, Mom is doing well. We had breakfast and did some cleaning for her this morning, and she's in a very good state of mind, even though she has two tubes sticking out of her side...but more on that later.

Again, apologies for the lengthy wait between posts. It's been a busy week for everyone around here, especially for Susan.

To bring you up to speed, on Wednesday the family had a second consultation with Dr. Buckner (a.k.a. Superman) who examined the lumpectomy site and pronounced her 80 percent likely for MammoSite, the newfangled treatment I told you about in this post. The concern: that the cavity where the tumor was removed was too close to the skin, this making internal radiation too dangerous. Immediately following that appointment was a meeting with her radiation oncologist, Dr. Michael Albritton, at Hulston Cancer Center. It was essentially a get-to-know-you session and a chance for the staff to explain to mom the potential side-effects of radiation treatment.

Then came the big news: on Friday (yesterday) we were again on the fifth floor of the Ferrell-Duncan clinic to meet with Dr. Buckner. By the time we left the office, mom had had a balloon inserted in her breast, filled with 40 cc's of saline (she said it was the closest she'd ever come to a implants!), and two catheter tubes sticking out of her side! The entire contraption looked kind of like this (sorry for the fuzziness of the image). They put it in Friday to make sure MammoSite would work. The concern: If the expanded balloon stretches the cavity too much, leaving too little tissue between the cavity and the skin, MammoSite would be a no-go. Fortunately, it was perfect: A full 9 millimeters of tissue between the cavity and the skin, which is pretty much ideal.

The upshot: This weekend Mom's walking around with bandages covering a not-so-tiny hole in her side (it was quite an invasive procedure, though thankfully pain-free), and will begin MammoSite on Tuesday (Monday will be a trial run...a "dress rehearsal" if you will). The tubes are catheters that connect to the balloon in her breast, where a small radioactive seed will be placed, working from the inside out rather than outside in (much fewer side effects and shorter treatment time, doc says). This will happen at the Hulston Cancer Center twice a day for five days, beginning Tuesday and ending the following Monday--only 26 days after her diagnosis. A miracle if ever I've seen one. After that, there will be frequent checkups, but hopefully no more procedures.

This is not to say this hasn't been a draining experience so far--even though it's been best-case scenario all the way, it's still a big deal, and mom has handled it like a trooper, as has my wife, Nichole, who along with help from one of mom's close nursing friends (Thank you, Cheryl!) is handing the bulk of the bandage-changing and home-nursing duties--the dressing over the catheter site currently needs to be changed twice a day, and mom can't do herself since it's on the side of her breast, almost under her arm, and she can't see it. My wife has been a godsend in this. (Watch a KOLR-10 story about her awesome high school journalism program here.)

Mom has promised a personal note for tomorrow's post, so I'm going to hold her to it--unless, of course she doesn't want to do it. She's overwhelmed (and bit humbled) by all the love and support. Our hope is that when this fight is over--or at least on a long, long, long timeout--you'll turn that support and love to others with cancer who need it, or at least to a charity to help find a cure.

Have a happy and safe Saturday.

Ready to go

In 24 hours we'll know for sure how and when mom will treat her cancer--likely with a short but intense burst of radiation (other methods of treatment are less likely). Talking to her tonight, she's ready to know how it will go, and ready to start. Nichole and I have to say we feel the same way, for what it's worth.

Mom's condition is fine. She's a bit sore from the surgery and struggling with a nasty head cold and (I suspect) the after-effects of the painkillers, but is feeling better each day. Thanks for all the prayers and nice comments. Not unnoteworthy, she and dad celebrated 31 years of wedded bliss today, so congratulations are in order as much as prayers.

I thought I'd tell you about a couple of things that really caught my attention this week:

Gacie's Bridal and Special Occasion, a downtown Springfield boutique owned by friend and fellow Ozark High School graduate (and Tiger Pride Band alum) Andrea Alcorn, is holding a Pretty In Pink Prom Fashion Show to benefit the Breast Cancer Foundation of the Ozarks this Sunday, February 25, at her store at 431 S. Jefferson (that's in the Whilhoit Plaza, just south of the downtown YMCA branch). The shindig begins at 2 p.m. and the $5 entry fee will let you gander lots of great dresses and other pretty things...those of you with juniors or seniors in high school will especially want to attend. Again, it benefits BCFO, a stellar organization.

Also, I hope you'll check out a particularly moving feature by the Springfield News-Leader (I can't believe I just typed those words). It's an online slideshow and conversation with Drury University assistant women's basketball coach Trish Marsh, who I had the pleasure of interviewing multiple times when I was sports editor and then editor of the Drury Mirror from 2000-2002. Trish is fighting the fight against breast cancer, and the story (told entirely in her own words) is moving and heroic. Do check it out.

I'll be back with an update on mom's appointment tomorrow. Love to you all.

ML

Don't worry, be happy!

Sincerest apologies if you were checking in last night to find out how mom did. After getting up at 5:15 and spending a solid (and somewhat stressful) 12 hours at the hospital, it was time to get mom settled and ultimately crash when we got back to Ozark. But, as clearly demonstrated by Biscuit, my parents' overly relaxed dog, there wasn't a lot to get super-uptight about.

As this guy would say, yesterday's lumpectomy/sentinal node biopsy was a "Great Success, yes!" Dr. Buckner says mom did beautifully, that her lymph system looks clean (they're still waiting on some pathology tests) and that the tumor was as contained as he expected. We'll discuss treatment at our appointment on Wednesday, but as of now there's zero reason to think this is still anything other than the best-case-scenario. "Dr. Buckner is greatest man doc in profession of medicine in U-S and A!" Okay, enough with the Borat references.

Mom is doing very well as of this morning. She's up and sitting in the living room. She's a bit sore and still on the pain pills, but she's eating whatever she feels like and is extremely positive about things. Dad is great (he slept in the living room--we both dozed off on this movie).

Thanks for all the prayers, calls, nice comments and good thoughts. This fight isn't over, but this was a big, big hurdle. We know (99 percent) what we're treating, and THAT part of the fight could begin within the week.

Love to you all,

Matt

3rd Shift Bloggin'

It's late, and since we have to be at the hospital early tomorrow for mom's lumpectomy, I'm going to make this sort. The comments here are for the well wishes--all things considered, this is a minor procedure and she should be able to go home later tomorrow (I will be staying in Ozark during the 24-hours the doctor said she needs to have someone with her, which means lots of channel-surfing with Dad :-)

For your clicking pleasure, I wanted to highlight a couple of charitible causes I missed in last weekend's post:

One is the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, it was founded by Nancy Brinker, the sister of Susan Komen, following her fight. Quite progressive and far-reaching.

One of the Komen Foundation's biggest fund-raising efforts is Race for the Cure. 417 Magazine Senior Editor Katie Pollock's mother is a breast cancer survivor, and Katie says her entire family participates in the event every year in St. Louis. Springfield has its own Race for a Cure organization. Do check it out, especially if running is your kinda gig (it's about a decade late for me, thanks). There are races in both Kansas City and St. Louis, and I know a local group trains for the event, even if there isn't a race outright. I'll check into this.

Finally, if you want to contribute to breast cancer research and support the efforts of local college girls at the same time, I suggest contacting the Zeta Tau Alpha sorority chapter at Drury University. I attended two of their annual Komen "pink" suppers while I was a student there, and it's a great event.

That's all for tonight. I'll update everyone on mom's condition tomorrow night. We're expecting everything to go well and, as always, love you all and appreciate the good mojo. Just for smiles, and because I'm obsessed with these here YouTubes, here's a link to the video for the song my mom and I used to sing on the way to school when I was in, like, fourth grade.

I promise more pictures in the coming days.

Matt

This train is a-moving...

UPDATE: Sorry I screwed up the formatting on this post. Ignore the bars on the sides of the text--it's not your computer.

[Begin original post]

Well, we met mom's surgeon, the famed Dr. Buckner (my bosses inform me he's a past winner of 417 Magazine's Top Docs award...so there's that), and we couldn't be more impressed. No-nonsense, but extremely reassuring, he made us all feel better about this journey. Here's what the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce had to say about Dr. Buckner on its website. Don't confused: He was in Iraq when this appeared--and will be returning to Iraq in a few months.

"Dr. John W. (Bucky) Buckner, a CoxHealth surgeon now serving in Iraq with the U.S. Army. Dr. Buckner is known for bringing improved cancer diagnostic techniques to the Springfield community. Since early 2005, Dr. Buckner has been part of a forward surgical team in Baghdad where he is serving as a major in the U.S. Army reserves."

Seriously. Dude goes to IRAQ. AND he ran the Boston Marathon. Mom is going to be operated on by Superman.

The big news: The action will begin on Friday, when mom has her lumpectomy, which is the first and most important step for two reasons: 1. It's gets what's left of the tumor out of her body and 2. What they find around the tumor and in the neighboring sentinel cells (basically a lymph system test) will tell us if the cancer has spread. Doc says all indications are it HAS NOT.

If that's the case, mom will begin radiation. Here's where things get exciting. Can I use that word in relation to breast cancer? Maybe. Dr. Buckner is one of a few local doctors who offers the MammoSite treatment. That's where, instead of a external ray of radiation beamed into the breast, a balloon is placed inside the cavity where the tumor used to be. Then small radioactive beads are placed inside the balloon, treating the surrounding cells from the inside out. Side effects are fewer and less pronounced, treatment time arrives sooner and is shorter in duration. The official website is here, with more information than I could ever conceivably explain.

Of course, the lumpectomy and lymph test has to come back clean (we'll know sometime next week), but having this new-ish but very very successful new technology at her fingertips is something mom is excited about--and so are we.

Finally, a word about the blog. Thank you to all who have left posts: old friends, family, friends we see every day, friends we haven't seen in years, people we've never seen at all. It's all so appreciated, and no doubt has helped fuel the successes we've had already. Also, feel free to start leaving comments on this post--no need to scroll all the way to the bottom unless we're going for some kind of record (which is fine by me).

ML

Help is out there

Hey everyone. Sorry for the depth and length of the first post. It pretty much violated very rule of good blogging that I've learned in my journalism career, but I thought the full picture was important.

As you see, I was able to add a photo! It's not the best picture (smile dad, sheesh!) or, from Christmas 2005, the most recent, either. But it's all I had on my computer. More to come.

Thank you (from Susan as well, if you haven't read through all the comments, hers is about halfway down) for your wishes and participation so far. I know the community will continue to grow. It's quickly become clear to me that this will be place for everyone to share their experiences with cancer--as well as their support for mom--and that's perfect. I'll try to keep the content fresh, interesting and, ahem, brief when possible.

On to the useful portion of today's post: There are lots of businesses and local organizations that raise money and awareness of breast cancer, including:

The Breast Cancer Foundation of the Ozarks: BCFO was founded by Mary Beth O'Reilly here in Springfield, and is one of the Ozarks most successful local charities. You can read their website, which is flush with support groups, interesting links and fundraising opportunities, at bcfo.org.

Cancer101 is a not-f0r-profit I came across in the latest issue of New York magazine. It's got all sorts of helpful tips and, while not a local group, has some big-time sponsorship clout. Boo-yeah!

The American Cancer Society's Relay for Life is, of course, the most well-known cancer fundraiser. Susan has participated in this for years (her mother is a survivor) and now has extra reason to walk some laps. One Central High School Relay team, made up of Nichole's students, has already adopted her as their "name." More on this as details emerge. Those kids, they love their Mrs. Lemmons!

For those into viral networking (it's not as dirty as it sounds), there's a Facebook group already formed in support of Susan (those Central kids again:-) You'll have to search for it, but those of you who know how will find it, I'm sure.

Kaldi's Coffeehouse in Springfield (900 E. Battlefield Rd., 417-881-5466) sells bags of coffee and mugs that benefit breast cancer research (as evidence by the pink ribbons...at least I think it's not for Valentine's Day). Either way, the coffee is delish.

That's all for now. If any of you know other groups or places to support breast cancer research, do let me know by commenting below. I'd love to get those groups active in this blog, at least as commenters/guest contributors.

And, as always, notes of support for Susan can be left as comments, as well. I'm also interested in your personal stories--everyone has been touched by this disease (the boobie kind or otherwise), and this is a place to share. If you would rather send me an e-mail than leave a comment, just send it to matthew.lemmon@gmail.com.

Love to all!

ML

I wish to God this blog didn't exist

But, much like the Chicago Cubs (that link is no accident), this blog does exist, and it exists for my mother, Susan Melanie (Grubaugh) Lemmon. Those of you who manage find your way to this site early in "Susie's Fight" will know all about her—the kind person she is, the helpful, cheery, out-of-control sweetheart she is...the wonderful friend and mother she is. You may not know exactly why you're here.

Susan was diagnosed yesterday (February 7) with breast cancer...a very small tumor, very early in its existence. It is, however, invasive, and surgery and/or treatment will indeed be needed (we meet with the surgeon on Monday at 9:15). Honestly, I hope to God that this blog lasts about a month, that radiation and a lumpectomy and Vigilant Prayer by the Christian Women's Fellowship at Ozark Christian Church are enough to beat this. But I'm not naive—I can see many of you, veterans of the cancer, shaking your heads (this kid is sooooo disillusioned). Cancer's a bitch, tough to beat. I don't pretend otherwise; but Hope, it is a pill we all take from time to time, especially in choppy waters.

For those of you who don't know Susan, she is a 54-year-old Kindergarten teacher from Ozark, Missouri. She is short, round, sandy haired (going gray—please ma, don't hate me), prone to Christmas sweaters and hugs. On the day we found out she had cancer (Yesterday? Just yesterday?) she wore a pink shirt, pink "Find a Cure" socks, burgundy corduroy pants and a smile that only disappeared for about 15 minutes. That says everything you need to know about Susan.

Here's a quick breakdown of our family: She's been married for 31 years (on February 20) to Curt, my dad, also 54, who suffered a massive stroke in 1998. He thankfully survived and thrived, with an iron will and a soft heart, but his speech and mobility are limited. He cannot work or drive. That Susan has only gotten nicer and sweeter in the eight years since the stroke is to her credit, as well as my dad's. But this is not my dad's blog.

I am Susan's only bouncing baby boy, Matt. I'm in journalism (bolder readers may check out the fruits of my labors here), and my wife of four plus years, Nichole, is a teacher at Central High School in Springfield, Missouri. We are busy, with no children, and only a (right now) ridiculously annoying Yorkie to offer as grand-uh, dogs. This is most certainly not our blog.

Susan's parents, Neal and Betty Grubaugh, live across the street from Susan and Curt, still in the house Susan grew up in (it's all a bit Everybody Loves Raymond, yes). They are 84 and 80...something, respectively. Neither is in good health, and Susan has been their primary caretaker, especially since the onset of Parkinson's in Neal and the discovery of cancer in Betty's lung just last April, which against all odds she has survived to this point. But this is not their blog, either, though anything that brings awareness to untreatable diseases will bring them joy and (fingers tightly crossed here) some help.

My dad's mother, Geri, lives in a retirement apartment here in Springfield. She's an independent, slightly hobbled (but very healthy) woman who set aside moving to a new condo so as not to worry mom. That doesn't mean she won't move in June, but we love her for the gesture just the same. She's never owned a computer, and it's not her blog.

Susan's two brothers live on the east coast: Myron near Philadelphia and Tom near Richmond, Virginia. They would kick my ass if I tried to make this their blog. Seriously. Kick my ass.

So those are the major players. I'll try to introduce other people to you in context when they surface during Susie's Fight.

So that's the background, as if most of you didn't know. I hope this site will serve as a "home base" of sorts for all of us to talk about mom, for me to share news from the doctors, updates on her progress and maybe some photos and funny anecdotes. Mostly it's to support Susan/Mom/Mrs. Lemmon...Susie...whether she reads it or not, whether she ever even needs all the prayers that will surely be offered up to whatever gods are worshiped out there. It's here, we're here, and she's here.

Let's lift her up as she's lifted up all of us.

Leave your comments/wishes/questions below. I'll work on getting this site updated with recent photos, and hopefully a link to a worthy organization so we can donate our money—as well as our thoughts and energy—to fighting cancer.