Tomorrow I am 32 with a whole new perspective

I'll start this blog with saying this last week has been a roller coaster. So much has happened but time has also almost stood still while my mind whirls a million miles a minute.

Tomorrow, September 19 I turn 32. As a shock to me I do so with metastatic breast cancer.

Monday September 12 I walked to the ED from my office at work, had a great friend and ED nurse director take my vitals and was promptly admitted in the ED. Within an hour Justin and I were shown results that the cancer had returned but this time also in my lungs and liver.

How did this happen? I don't think we will ever have answers but I'm going to share what I do know over the last few weeks.

Over the last 6 weeks I had what looked like a small bug bite on my left breast (implant) - being aware of breast changes I obtained an ultrasound with <2% chance of cancer. I took 10 days of antibiotics and when it didn't get better I reached out to my plastic surgery team and obtained a referral to dermatology. There I got a scrap biopsy which 2 weeks later path came back benign. I knew something was still off as my implant became harder than my normal (it was radiated my last fight against cancer) and I was having shortness of breath. I really thought (or in hindsight possibly really just hoped) that possibly my implant had ruptured and caused the swelling and pain. I traveled to my plastic surgeon office on 9/9 where he did a punch biopsy and told me it was concerning for breast cancer recurrence. He and his team are amazing and I am so thankful for their help in these steps.

Fast forward to 9/12 Monday after lunch and I can barely walk to the ED. My left lung had collapsed and was completely full of fluid from the new tumor that I didn't know I had.

I can't say enough about my work family at Oviedo Medical Center and my division pharmacy team. All of this was so terrifying and shocking, and each and every provider, nurse, admin and ancillary department member made sure I knew how much they cared for me and were with me each step of the way. I spent the next 2 days in ICU where my Oviedo team continued to do imaging, and we pulled off over 4 liters of fluid from my lung in a chest tube. Thankfully by Wednesday night I was no longer on oxygen nor had a need for ICU as my chest tube could be removed. My OB even came to my room each night to ultrasound Lyla and ensure me the baby was okay. The support was incredible and I am so thankful.

I also can not say enough as always about my family and friends. The prayers, suprise visits to the ICU, flowers etc. just to say you are thinking and praying for us mean more than you can ever know. Your love is infectious and fills me with so much gratitude it makes it almost impossible to be anything but grateful.

Since Wednesday night I have been spending time with my family, resting, working on getting my lung expanded back with respiratory therapy treatments at home, and making a treatment plan with my oncology team in Gainesville. It has been hard and sad to process and I can't imagine doing it without all my family and friends support through the ups and downs that I feel. Here are some photos and videos of the last few days - because you better believe I will make the most of each and everyone for forever.

You can't let yourself get pushed around in a wheelchair at Disney without getting a laugh out of it, right ?

Treatment Plan thus far and Specific Prayer Requests

• Sometime this week I will get a chest tube placed outpatient that myself or Justin will be able to drain fluid off my lung so I do not end up not being able to breathe in the ED again.

• In the next 2 weeks I'll start aggressive chemotherapy, once every 2-3 weeks in Gainesville with my oncology team. It is a safe regimen for Lyla. I am asking for prayers that this chemotherapy results in miracles. I am praying it shrinks the current cancer down tremendously with absolutely amazing response. This is critical in my treatment outcomes. I also ask that Lyla is prayed over and continues to be strong and healthy, protected from my treatments and that I have minimal side effects and can continue to work throughout.

Philippians 4:6

6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

• I am asking for prayer that I have inconceivable strength, peace, and courage through this journey. I want to continue to be known for how much I love Jesus. It is my greatest fear that this battle causes me to be bitter or change my heart. I also ask that this prayer is prayed over my family and closest friends as they also experience this grief.

I want the devil each day of my forever to roll his eyes when my feet hit the ground knowing how much of an impact I am going to make on the kingdom of God each day.

I would like to leave you with a few last asks for my birthday. Please hold questions to me or my family about what is going to happen in further detail. No one knows! I am sharing all that I can through here to best of my ability. It helps me process, and there are a multitude of unknowns. As the plan unfolds I'll continue to ask for specific prayers that match those steps. We appreciate your love and support so much through this challenging time.

This leads me to a last thought. Everyone is heart broken over metastatic cancer, who wouldn't be! Not many of us are told how we are likely going to die. But, I now know - barring some other random tragedy. But that's where it hit me - none of us truly ever know how or when our time will come. So I hope this causes you pause and allows you the opportunity to find ways to spend more time aligning your life with how you can love others better and truly living in the minute, because NONE of us are promised tomorrow. We are just all really good at not accepting that from day to day, because we can and it's way easier.

If you are interested in giving me a birthday present - I would love to have you come join my team walk with me and the Florida Breast Cancer Foundation on October 2nd in Sanford. It may be a day or two after my first chemo but I'll be doing it in a wheel chair if I have too!

Join me in raising money and awareness for breast cancer this October! I hope to have a team of at least 10 friends and family and to raise at least $2500. Last time we did this the year of my first cancer diagnosis in 2019 we raised over $10,000 so I know we can do it!

It’s a run or walk 5k and families are of course welcome 💖💖

https://runsignup.com/Samistrong

Until next time I'll be pouring into my time with Jesus, and loving each moment of each day. I believe in a God that can literally move mountains. Thank you as always for all the love and support 💖