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Follow my unexpected cancer journey...the good, the bad, and the ugly!
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​CANCER CHRONICLES

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What Are The Odds

1/20/2019

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Next time you think you're having a bad day...think of me, I'll trade you lives

First, if you don't have a dog you might as well stop reading now. Secondly, if you have a dog but also have a kid (with 2 legs) you probably won't get it either. 

Brodie has been my baby for a third of my life, actually I can't really remember life without him. He's always been there. Especially during my cancer journey.

Last week after I got home from my IVIG infusion he wasn't doing good...at all. My parents brought him to the emergency vet who after some tests and x-rays found a mass in his chest and fluid in his lungs. Sound familiar?! Yes, its exactly like what happened to me. He got his lungs drained and some medicine to help internal bleeding since they found blood in what was drained. They then sent the scans to get read and the next day my mom got the call that it was more than likely a cancerous tumor. He then needed to be brought to a special vet oncologist in San Antonio who did a cat scan and later confirmed it was cancer....literally the same spot as mine. He is going back tomorrow for surgery to hopefully remove the tumor...if it's possible. 

Brodie IS my kid so I don't expect anyone to understand or relate to thinking your kid having cancer when mine just has 4 legs instead of 2.
To be honest, I only did my million cancer treatments, procedures, medicines, hospitals etc FOR HIM. Why? People know you died and will eventually accept it and move on...animals think you just left them, didn't care and never came back. Do I care about my family and friends having to go thru me dying....of course....but I could never just leave Brodie and never come back and he think I left him. 

So yes, it might sound crazy to most that I care more about a dog than anyone else....but unless you've had a pet that's been your "child" for 13 years I don't expect you to understand.
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What are the odds my dog and I would end up having cancer together in the same spot? 

Just so we're clear, I'd pick him over me any day.
Keep him in your thoughts Monday

Brodie Update (if you didn't see it on FB): He went in a puppy and came out a tiger one day then a giraffe the next! BUT he’s home! He was in an incubator at the hospital bc he needed oxygen. They had to break his breast bone to get to the tumor. It was pretty good size for his little body. He also had to have a drain to get fluid out. Supposedly there were no “tentacles” formed so they said they got it out. That’s the “good” news....
Unfortunately, the cancer was however attached to his lung so they had to cut that part, remove it, and put staples in. It’ll probably be a minimum 3 week recovery. I’ve had a lot done to me with my cancer, but I can’t imagine having my bone broken, tumor taken out, staples in my lung, and stitches down the majority of my chest. Hopefully he has a quick recovery and will be back to the old Brodie soon! I couldn’t emotionally handle seeing him there so thankfully my parents did it all. We’ve officially had enough cancer between the two of us so hopefully we’re done now! 💕
"My update": my first PET scan (the post 3 month scan) is scheduled Valentines morning...this will show if the CAR-T worked at all and how much etc. It usually takes a few days to get results so Im assuming the following week I should hear. 
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    "You either get bitter or you get better. It's that simple. You either take what's been dealt to you and allow it to make you a better person, or you allow it to tear you down. The choice does not belong to fate, it belongs to you."
    ​~Josh Shipp

             

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    When Cancer Comes a Knockin'

    Timeline

    On August 2, 2017, Brianna was diagnosed with Mediastinal Large B-Cell Lymphoma. Beginning Monday, August 14, 2017, Brianna will begin chemotherapy treatments. She will be commuting to Austin for 18 weeks to receive treatments. This site is set up as a donation page to help Brianna and her family cover medical costs and living expenses, as well as a one stop shop to get updates on how chemo is going and even buy a shirt or two in support!

    UPDATE:
    After getting her final PET scan to confirm the aggressive chemo did it's job, we got the news that it hadn't and that the tumor was still active when it shouldn't of been. Brianna is now undergoing radiation for 5 weeks, everyday in Austin. 


    UPDATE March 2018:
    Brianna begin having the same cancer symptoms as she did this past summer during spring break, except more painful this time. She was sent to get a CT scan which showed her cancer had returned. She then met with her oncologist who planned the next steps which include to do more chemo (a differnt regimen this time) followed by a stem cell transplant. 
    She thought she was done....she was done.....and now she is having to start the cancer journey all over again...including losing her hair that had just start growing back.


    UPDATE
    END OF MARCH - JUNE 25th
    ​(at the moment....things have yet to even begin apparently.)

    If I didn't feel like I was really dying or truly out of options to live....I do now. Remember  I was basically on our plan F and everything was just getting worse instead of better. I really thought I was done these last couple weeks and being in the hospital for another little week vacay. I finally updated by blog since so many people were asking, so you can read the detailed updates.

    October 2018 Update:
    Insurance has finally approved all of the CAR-T procedure and I will be getting my T-Cells retrieved from my body next week. (Oct 10th if all goes as planned)


    MARCH 2019
    The first post CAR-T pet scan showed the main mass has shrunk in size, even though still active. Hopefully, the CAR-T will continue to work its magic over the next few months before the next scan.


    To donate to Brianna's GoFundMe page, please make sure the donation is made on the GoFundMe Page found here:
    ​
     https://www.gofundme.com/teambonnet
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