4.20.26

2 days after my 3rd liver surgery I did a ctDNA test from Tempus and another from Signatera. About a week later I got the results back from the signatera and it said "Not Detected"- a couple days after that I got the Tempus results back and they also said, "Not Detected."

I had heard a lot of things about the tests not being very accurate right after surgery so I was cautiously optimistic and knew future tests would give us even more accuracy and clarity. 

2 Weeks after surgery we repeated both tests and about a week later we got those results back and they also said, "Not Detected"!!!!

I was up in LA when I got the email from signatera that my results were ready. My friend AnnMarie was still at work and I was SO nervous to open the report. We were planning to go out to dinner to celebrate my birthday with a few other friends so I thought it would be best to wait until after dinner- while surrounded by my friends- to open it.

AND IT SAID, "Not Detected" AGAIN!!!!

I was so relieved.

I'm not sure how many tests it is going to take before I dont feel nervous opening these. 

I don't take this win lightly and will never take the words "Not Detected" for granted. I want to celebrate this win but also stay cautiously optimistic as I have seen zeros and Not detected before.

I am choosing faith over fear and focusing on what i can control- one day, one step, and one result at a time. 

I feel like a weight is beginning to lift and I will continue to do everything in my power to stay as healthy as possible. 

The unknown of this diagnosis made me feel like I couldn't make summer plans but now, I am finally allowing myself to get some fun things booked. Lets make this the BEST summer yet!

While I am so grateful for this moment, my heart is still with those in the middle of the fight. This journey is not always linear- Please know that I am always rooting for you and never loose hope. 

4.4.26

Spring has been busy but in the most fun way! The week after my 3rd liver surgery was Bella's 7th birthday. She had been asking to go to Palm Springs to celebrate and we booked a trip early January before I knew I would have surgery early March. So, I knew she would be heart broken if we canceled the trip- so we went! We left Luca back home with my MIL Cheryl and that was a huge help. 

We stayed at my parents time share that I grew up going to and the weather was perfect. I couldn't get in the water (since I just had surgery) so we adjusted our plans a little. We went to the zoo, spent a little time in the pool and then took the sky tram up to a restaurant for her birthday dinner. 

Mike and I decorated the hotel living room and when she woke up she was so excited and happy to see everything all set up. It was really special. 

A few days later was my 28th birthday! I had a mellow day- I went to yoga at the park in Dana Point- it overlooks the ocean, and then I got a sourdough treat from my favorite organic sourdough bakery. The Saturday after my birthday, Mike and I went out to lunch in Newport at RH kitchen. The restaurant was beautiful and it was so nice to get out. 

The Sunday after was Easter so we went to Church in the morning and then came back home to do an easter egg hunt with the kiddos. 

The following weekend I headed up to LA to stay with my friend AnnMarie for a couple days and we met up with my other friends Alexis and Ashley for birthday celebration dinner at a restaurant I have been wanting to try called Catch. 

Check out this article from People.com

https://people.com/mom-of-3-diagnosed-with-stage-4-colon-cancer-after-symptoms-dismissed-exclusive-11934273

3.17.26
Liver surgery #3 was on St. Patty's Day!!
Surgery was smooth! They were able to do the surgery robotically and they could see that they removed the tumor so that was a huge win. 

When I woke up from surgery I didnt have the shoulder pain so I was much more comfortable. And the plan was for me to go home the following day. The nurses were all incredible as always and I was so comfortable in the hospital.  After waking up from surgery and getting moved to my own room I rested for a while and then I was determined to get out of bed and go on a walk. When I went to get out of bed I was so in so much pain that I had to call off the walk. In the moment I was bummed that I wasnt able to do something I had put my mind to but was reminded that I need to give myself grace and listen to my body. 

The amazing nurses were so supportive of me and kept saying the most encouraging things. It meant so much. 

They had doggie visitors which is one of my favorite things!

MHad to screenshot this pic of my belly from a video I made but I promise I was happy haha. I am still so impressed that they can do such a complex procedure with a robot and make it so minimally invasive. 

Now that I am home healing, my pain level is pretty well managed. I am trying my best to rest as much as possible although it has its challenges when all of the kiddos are home and need help. 

We were so blessed to have Mikes step mom Susie in town to help over the week and are always so thankful for Mikes mom Cheryls help. We have also been so blessed to have had meals sent to the house so Mike and I didnt have to think about what to cook or worry about cleaning up dinner messes. 

Thank you to everyone for following along and for all of your support and encouragement. 

​www.healthline.com/health-news/colon-cancer-symptoms-misdiagnosed-pregnancy-related#Tips-to-help-reduce-colorectal-cancer-risk-in-young-adults

Spreading awareness about colon cancer and colorectal cancer is so important to me. I had the opportunity to share my story with Michele Gile for cbs LA and KCal News. 

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DUufDUKjzx1/?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==

March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month and I had the incredible opportunity to represent the young faces of colon cancer on a panel with my doctors (Dr. Melstrom and Dr. Kasi) as well as Dr. Fakih and Dr. Goel. 

Full video can be found here- 
https://www.cityofhope.org/about-city-of-hope/newsroom/younger-faces-of-colorectal-cancer

3.5.26
Unfortunately I went under anesthesia and was not able to get the ablation. The spot on my liver was too close to the stomach to be able to do the procedure safely. We knew about the potential problem before we tried it but we still wanted to give it a shot. I was definitely bummed that we were not able to do it but am thankful we tried and thankful that they were careful and able to put my safety first. They were able to get a biopsy which is a big deal! I am working with the doctors to figure out the next steps to get rid of the spot. 
​

2.19.26
I headed back out to NY to confirm my eligibility in a clinical trial. Just a reminder to be eligible for the trial you have to have positive ctDNA and nothing showing on your MRI or CT scan. I was so proud of myself to take the subway all the way from the airport to where I was staying. I arrived late on a Wednesday and my appointments started early on Thursday. 

My first appointment was a CT scan and then I was scheduled to have some bloodwork done as well as an ECG before meeting with the oncologist to review.

While waiting for my appointment the results from the CT scan populated into my MYCHART and it said there was something detected on my liver. My heart sunk but I was still hopeful it was surgical changes. 

I went upstairs to meet with the doctor and he said he was going to have one of their surgeons look at the images. The surgeon suggested that they were surgical changes but wanted to do an MRI to be sure.

So I did another round of bloodwork and then took a little ride over to their other campus for the MRI. 

We got the results back the following day (Friday) and it confirmed that it was indeed a tiny tumor. 

I flew home later that day and then got the official call from the doctor on Monday and he said that it was indeed a tumor and that we would need to get it resolved before I would be eligible to start the trial. 

Over the week I worked with my team at City of Hope to collect all of the images from the scans that I did in NY. The options for resolving the tumor were radiation, surgery, or an ablation. Within a  few days I got a call that I could be on the waitlist for an ablation appointment and I had an appointment with the radiologist on Friday to review everything. This appointment was also to confirm what we would be doing. 

On Monday I received a call that they had a last minute cancellation and that my ablation would be on Thursday. 

I can't say enough amazing things about City of Hope and everything they do to help me navigate this journey. 

The pathology from my surgery came back! They sent in a piece of the liver that was taken out from segment 2 (5.8 x 4.6 x 2.2cm the size of a small match box) as well as biopsy of another area that they were concerned about. Both came back with no cancer found! Prior to surgery the PET scan showed a clear area of concern so our hope is that this was what has been causing my CTdna to rise and that my CTdna will start to drop. Only time will tell but I am thankful we were aggressive about it and got it out. 

As far as the trial- I booked an appointment to go back out to MSK in a couple weeks. Once I am out there, I will repeat my CTdna blood test, MRI, and CT scan. If everything meets the requirements (CtDNA positive, and noting on the MRI and CT scan) then I will start the trial shortly after.