My mom battled breast cancer for 20 years, she was diagnosed when she was 42 and died at the age of 62 in February 2009.
After my mom passed in 2009, I moved to Canada to start my life here in Calgary. In September, 2009 I became pregnant with my daughter, Sofia. When 6 months pregnant, I noticed a small lump in my breast but both my doctor and Ob Gyn told me it was likely just milk ducts and not to worry. I was 31 at the time.
After Sofia was born, the lump was forgotten, until almost 2 years ago on Feb 19, 2011 when I started experiencing extreme abdominal pain and nausea in the night. It appeared to be a gallbladder infection. It didn't take too long before the pain was so great that an ultrasound was done. Not a gallbladder infection - when all was said and done, I was told that I have stage 4 breast cancer, with lesions on my liver and mets all over my bones. After nursing my mother through this terrible illness, and at such a young age, it was an unbelievable diagnosis for me to face.
Chemo was begun in Mar, 2011 and it has been up and down since then with various drugs, some helping more than others. In September of this year I was hospitalized for a week and had to stop working. In the midst of all of this, almost a year ago during a visit to the Philippines we fell in love with a newborn baby, Logan, who was in need of a loving family and decided to adopt him. While most families would be closing in and protecting what financial and emotional resources they have, we opened up their arms to another child.
That's our story in a nutshell. Through all this cancer journey, I am blessed to have a very supportive family, friends, a husband, and a lovely daughter Sofia, she is 3. Logan will be 1 year old in a few days.
Currently, I am still on chemo treatment (XELODA), this has been the 3rd chemo since my diagnosis, and 2 hormonal treatment which failed. I know that one day they will stop working for me, or be too toxic to continue, which leads me to go for alternative treatment.
I am hoping to do a fundraising online to help me with alternative treatment (My account for the fundraising is still being setup, I will go live once everything is confirmed), and it is my hope that friends, family and people with good heart will be able to help me prolong my life.
I feel now that putting in effort to prolong my life, as well as creating an environment for potential healing using both conventional and alternative treatment, emotional, spiritual and physical, along with acceptance of the outcome of life, which is death, can only make my journey more rewarding..
Thank you and God Bless,
Jenifer Chavez
After my mom passed in 2009, I moved to Canada to start my life here in Calgary. In September, 2009 I became pregnant with my daughter, Sofia. When 6 months pregnant, I noticed a small lump in my breast but both my doctor and Ob Gyn told me it was likely just milk ducts and not to worry. I was 31 at the time.
After Sofia was born, the lump was forgotten, until almost 2 years ago on Feb 19, 2011 when I started experiencing extreme abdominal pain and nausea in the night. It appeared to be a gallbladder infection. It didn't take too long before the pain was so great that an ultrasound was done. Not a gallbladder infection - when all was said and done, I was told that I have stage 4 breast cancer, with lesions on my liver and mets all over my bones. After nursing my mother through this terrible illness, and at such a young age, it was an unbelievable diagnosis for me to face.
Chemo was begun in Mar, 2011 and it has been up and down since then with various drugs, some helping more than others. In September of this year I was hospitalized for a week and had to stop working. In the midst of all of this, almost a year ago during a visit to the Philippines we fell in love with a newborn baby, Logan, who was in need of a loving family and decided to adopt him. While most families would be closing in and protecting what financial and emotional resources they have, we opened up their arms to another child.
That's our story in a nutshell. Through all this cancer journey, I am blessed to have a very supportive family, friends, a husband, and a lovely daughter Sofia, she is 3. Logan will be 1 year old in a few days.
Currently, I am still on chemo treatment (XELODA), this has been the 3rd chemo since my diagnosis, and 2 hormonal treatment which failed. I know that one day they will stop working for me, or be too toxic to continue, which leads me to go for alternative treatment.
I am hoping to do a fundraising online to help me with alternative treatment (My account for the fundraising is still being setup, I will go live once everything is confirmed), and it is my hope that friends, family and people with good heart will be able to help me prolong my life.
I feel now that putting in effort to prolong my life, as well as creating an environment for potential healing using both conventional and alternative treatment, emotional, spiritual and physical, along with acceptance of the outcome of life, which is death, can only make my journey more rewarding..
Thank you and God Bless,
Jenifer Chavez
This was taken during my chemo treatment (taxotere) last year, with my daughter Sofia.
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