11.29.25

The last week was crazy busy. I had my colonoscopy booked for about 3 months but the week before I caught a nasty cold and about 5 days before my dermatologist called and said they had an opening for surgery to get a pre cancerous mole removed- so I jumped on it. It was a lot to deal with in just a short amount of days but I am thankful it is all done with.

The mole removal surgery was quick- I was awake for it and they just numbed up the area before removing a 3 inch patch on my lower back. I got about 2 layers of 8 stitches. 

The day after was really weird- I woke up and my back was hurting from the surgery and then I started to get really dizzy and thought I was going to pass out. We took my blood pressure and it was extremely low (69/46). I was starting to worry I might have to go to the hospital. And was even more worried I would need to reschedule my colonoscopy.

Thankfully everything leveled out- I talked with my GI dr and he said I would be good to do the prep a couple days later. 

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11.25.25

This colonoscopy last year (almost to the day) was where they found the mass in my colon that later was officially diagnosed to be colon cancer- so repeating this process brought up a lot of emotions. 

I started the prep drink in the morning and almost threw up after the first gulp. I knew this was something I needed to do so I decided to mix the prep drink with a little gatorade, plug my nose while chugging through a straw, and bite a lemon before I unplugged my nose. I repeated this each time until the jug was finished. It took about 8 hours. 

The next morning Mike and I woke up bright and early and headed to the facility for the colonoscopy. They took be back to get me all ready and I immediately started crying. Being in there was so strange. The nurse gave me a huge hug- we chatted for a minute and I was so comforted in that moment. 

They wheeled me back and before I knew it I was done. My amazing GI said everything was clear- no polyps, no hemorrhoids- and I couldn't be more relieved.  He said I dont have to come back for 3 years for another one!!

11.19.25

Mike and I got to attend the ribbon cutting for City of Hope's Orange County Hospital opening December 1st, 2025. The event was incredible- we were not expecting it to be such a big event but we were so thankful we were invited to attend. They had a few speakers, a musical performance, and after they cut the ribbon, there was a big tented party, followed by a tour of the stunning new hospital. 

This new hospital is going to bring so much hope to our community and I am so thankful to be getting my care from a facility that cares so much. 

Thanksgiving was wonderful. We went over to my brother in laws house in Villa Park. My sister in law cooked a delicious classic thanksgiving meal and the Kiddos got to run around and play with my nephews. 

I am so thankful for how far I have come since this time last year and thankful for everyone who helped get me to this point.  

11.17.25
I got to spend another weekend in Vegas with my amazing Aunt (Marilyn) and my sister Jen. This trip our cousin Samantha was able to join us too. We went to Kelly Clarkson the first night, then had a slow morning, shopped, ate, and went to the disco show the second day. The 3rd day (sunday) everyone had to take off early so I got to relax in the room and I strolled the strip to find an Acai bowl place a few hotels down. It was a much needed quick weekend away.

I got back Sunday night and the next morning I had my 3rd follow up appointment. We did my routine labs- which came back showing my levels to be improving even more but the only thing that was way off was my glucose. I scarfed down some lunch on my way to the appointment so we think that might have caused it. After doing my bloodwork and meeting with the PA I had my first pump refill with glycerin. Everything went smooth.

The kiddos all caught some weird stomach bug and thankfully I did not catch it but I did get a pretty nasty cold.

I am so excited to share that I got to participate in City of Hope's- Generations of Hope event a few weeks ago. I got to share a little bit about my story with a few news outlets and then got a sneak peek of the new hospital!

Check out the article from the LA Times Here:

City of Hope Orange County cancer specialty hospital is poised to open - Los Angeles Times 

11.9.25
These past few weeks have been jam packed!
My last followup was on 10.28.25. We met with Dr Kasi and went over the ctdna bloodtests (Personalis and Guardant Reveal) that we took at the apt before- they both came back undetected. Yay!! And I did my other regular labs- my white bloodcells were really low so Mike and I started getting nervous while seeing the results and waiting for the Dr to come in. We weren't sure if they were going to send me for a shot or some kind of booster but thankfully he was not worried about it.  I also took did another Personalis blood test that we sent out and are still waiting for the results of.

Halloween was a huge hit, the girls are really into this movie called KPop Demon Hunters so we all dressed up as characters from it. We had a blast walking around our neighborhood and the girls ate way too much candy.

We also got to walk as a family in the City of Hope walk. It was a really special day. It was emotional to put on the "Survivor" sash and walk alongside the other survivors and warriors. We brought the wagon and the girls along with Luca got to ride in it. 

Lastly, I got to asked to participate in a really neat event- I am not supposed to share about it just yet but will definitely be making a post about it soon.