Triple Negative Breast Cancer, "I Won't Back Down!": Adventuring Out Again To Meet Another Triple Negative Breast Cancer Survivor Sister, Rachel In Maryland.

What is TNBC

WHAT IS TRIPLE NEGATIVE BREAST CANCER?

Just in recent years, Triple Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC) has sparked interest in the news where instead of calling the tumor as ER-negative, PR-negative, and HER2-negative; researchers began using the shorthand term, "Triple Negative," dubbed the "new type" of breast cancer. Being Triple Negative, you don't have a targeted therapy and your only treatment option is chemotherapy.

Triple Negative Breast Cancer is seen in about 15% of all breast cancers. TNBC is a very aggressive cancer that tends to strike younger women, pre-menopause, especially among African-American women and women who have BRCA1 mutations. The tumor tends to be fast growing and is less likely to show up on an annual mammogram. TNBC is more likely to metastasis early on; has a high rate of recurrence in the first 2-3 years from diagnosis and has a poorer prognosis than other types of breast cancer due to lack of specific, targeted treatment for TNBC.

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Adventuring Out Again To Meet Another Triple Negative Breast Cancer Survivor Sister, Rachel In Maryland.

On April 8, 2012, I rented a Camry for the week and set out for another road trip with my son heading east to Maryland to show him the sites of Washington DC and to meet and stay with my Triple Negative Breast Cancer survivor sister, Rachel in her hometown. Rachel and I have met online in our TNBC support group about 1½ year ago and had become great friends. We shared some good laughs within the group as well as support as to where we were in our journey, finding our new normal after treatments were over. One night we were poking fun at what we looked like with our new hair growing back after chemo. Rachel posted a pic of a baby monkey and said that's what she looked like and I posted a pic of a baby owl as to what I looked like. We talked often on the phone over the months and talked of getting together, HERE WE ARE!
Rachel is so sweet and fun to hang out with, I just love her bunches! Don't laugh, but Rachel taught me how to make hamburgers... I don't cook! We did shots of fish oil with beer chasers! We took walks, and walked some more in DC and in Baltimore showing my son Fort McHenry. My son really enjoyed his stay at Rachel's too. Loved it when we get lost while she's driving, it was really funny, all I could do is laugh about it... Oh, and can't forget Happy Hour!