Friday, April 13, 2012

It's over! One tx down and 5 to go of the TCH days! After these 18 weeks, i'll have Herceptin every 3 weeks. Dr.Jani made a change in plans that I will not have to go every week for the Herceptin in these first 18 weeks! Yay! Thank u all for thinking of me though all this and today!!!!
 

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Please support Brittany by Joining or Donating to her "Supporting Brittany", Relay for Life team.  Click here to help (Relay for Life).  Relay is April 20th and Brittany will be on stage saying the Luminary poem that night.  The event starts at 6pm and goes on all night but you do not have to stay the night.  Relay is always a fun event and great to bring the kids too, kind-of like a mini carnival so bring money for food, drinks, etc...

One of the favorite parts of the night is the Mr Relay contest... men dress as women and you vote for the winner with money.  The trick to Mr Relay is to get votes ahead of time.  One of Brittany's friends, Coach Jeremy McKinley from Lake Park Elementary, has agreed to enter Mr Relay on for Supporting Brittany.  Help us get Jeremy the trophy by "voting" for him either that night or through this link. Jeremy for Mr Relay

Thank you for "Supporting Brittany"!
I got my Lifeport cannulated, blood drawn, saw Dr.Jani and now waiting in the infusion waiting room, waiting to be called back for Chemo. Wish me luck!



Wednesday- April 11- Well, TOMMROW is the big day. I take the next step in this journey. I will be officially a "Chemo patient." We check in at 8:30 and will be there ALL day. I will first get lab work drawn, then wait for to see Dr. Jani, then head to the Chemo room. It's gonna be a LONG day for Mark, my mom (my weakest link :) ) and dad and I. They will also be drawing blood to send to for genetic testing for the P53 gene which is also linked to breast cancer. We should have results within a week. This afternoon I went and got all stocked up on hand sanitizer and lysol spray (from now on I will officially be a germafob, but even worse than Mark- HA!) and lots of goodies to snack on for tommrow and the weekend. I would be lying if I did not say I was not afraid- BUT I know that it will be okay in the end. I know this is a bump in the road for me and GREAT things will come out of this. My mind is already a thinkin' of how to make things better for breast cancer patients, especially those who are young (like me). Thank you all for your support through all this and thank you for your continued prayers, faith and steadfast love!

PS: Dont forget to come out to Relay on the 20th. We will have a campsite and I have been asked to read the Luminaria poem that night. I dont care if I am sick as a dog- I WILL be there :) Just look for the big red- PINKED out tent!!!

Monday, April 9, 2012

This week I have another dentist appt on Tuesday, and I start Chemo on Thursday. I have to be @ PPMH @ 8:30. My treatment plan will be Herceptin every week for 18 weeks then every 3 weeks for a full year and Taxotere and Carboplatin every 3 weeks for 18 weeks. They have told me to plan to be there all day on the TCH (big Chemo) days. I will have my bag full of prizes to keep me busy, but it will be a long day for us. My mama and Mark will be there with me. Please pray, I do not have a bad reaction to the Chemo on Thursday. After the 18 weeks I will start radiation. Also on Friday, I will have to go back to recieve a shot called Neulasta which stimulates my bone marrow to improve my WBC count. Thank you all for the calls, texts, cards, donations, meals, EVERYTHING! I promise it does not go unnoticed. Eventually, I will get to the thank you notes. Also, mama is better so thank you for thinking of her. I love you all :)

Thursday, March 15, 2012

Thursday; March 15:  Update: GOT the JP DRAINS REMOVED!! I feel like a NEW woman! I have to follow up with him in 10 days. He said I am healing well. Tommrow we have a MUGA scan @ PPMH. We have to be ther bright and early @ 6:45. It is a test of my heart to be sure it's strong enough for the Chemo. Also, my first official day of Chemo will be April 10th. I have an appt with Dr.Jani on the 22nd (next week) and Dr. Tongol (Dr.Jani's request since he will be out of town) on April 2nd. Thanks again for all of your prayers!
Here are Brittany's recent Facebook posts for those that are not on Facebook:
Wednesday; March 14: Update: Today I met with Dr.McAffee. We found out that in the mastectomy he removed a total of 33 lymph nodes, of which 2 were cancerous on the right side. He said that Dr. Vildibill did training @ the Mayo clinic, where radical lymph node disection is the standard (wow! GREAT pick in a surgeon- Thanks Dr.B!). He recommended 7 weeks (35 days) of radiation after chemo since the cancer was in the lymph nodes. Also from the pathology report, there was widespread cancer in situ (pre-cancerous), so pretty much my right breast was a ticking time bomb. Per the pathology report the left was completely normal. Tommorow, I have an appt with Dr. Vildibill and hopefully will get these JP drains removed ans schedule my lifeport insertion day. The JP drains have been SO annoying! I want to take a moment to say a BIG thank you to Melissa Goodin (The "Brittany Board!" and all her marketing!), The Junior League of Albany (They raised enough money for my wig, not any wig- a real hair wig!- WOW!), Picnic Pizza, Livi and Company, Then and Now and Southern Elegance (All for graciously giving part of their sales to us), those bringing meals to us, Dunia Edwards, Leah Sewell and EACH and EVERYONE one of you for your prayers and sweet comments on this page. The PRAYERS ARE WORKING! It really brightens my day! I love you all!!
Tuesday; March 13th: From Mark- Another answered prayer/prayers ... It sounds as though Brittany is negative for BRAC I and II which likely means she will not have to get a hysterectomy! Thank you Jesus Christ and thank all of you for your prayers again!
Monday; March 12th:  Update: This week I have a Dr appt with Dr.McAfee my Radiation Oncologist on Wednesday morning and an appt on Thursday afternoon with Dr.Vildibill. Hopefully, I will get these JP drains removed. My mom has been amazing! It's been nice having my personal nurse next door (she has not left my side...meow..meow!) and find out my plan for the coming months of Chemo and Radiation. THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR SHOWING YOUR SUPPORT FOR ME!! I love you all!
You Guys are gonna LOVE this one!  If you order a cancer ribbon door hanger from Doorgeous, they are giving a portion of the proceeds to Brittany.  Choose your colors and a name or initial can be added to the heart. 
Click here to go to Doorgeous
Choose your colors- $25
Choose ribbon and heart colors and style.  Add an initial or name to heart $30.

Saturday, March 10, 2012

These Women are AMAZING.  Junior League opened their pockets and made a HUGE donation to Brittany.  As a member of the Junior League, Brittany is one of them and these women are behind her all the way! 



Supporting Brittany Wrist Bands available here and we will ship them to you.  For every $5 donation, we are offering a wrist band as an appreciation gift.
If you are local to the area, please come to Make Room for Baby, Picnic Pizza, Then and Now Boutique, U-Save-It on Dawson Rd.  Brittany and Melissa Goodin have them and Jade Kavanaugh will have them at First Baptist Church of Albany, GA.  Cash or Checks to "Supporting Brittany". 



Wrist Bands
Name

Thursday, March 8, 2012

Brittany is AMAZING.  She is doing wonderful just hours after her surgery.  The family is amazed and overwhelmed at the support that has come through for them.  Tonight, her Junior League friends made donations together to present her with a HUGE donation, putting much needed smiles on their faces.  

Mark is pretty sick with what seems like a respiratory infection so keep him in your prayers as well.
Surgery is complete and she is on to recovery. The pathology results will not be in until Monday at the earliest. The surgeon felt good about his ability to take all of the cancer but they will know more when they get the pathology. They did keep the lymph nodes on the left but removed all of them from the right side. He also had to go a little deeper into the muscle around where the initial mass was found. Pray for clean margins on the path and clean lymph nodes from that right arm.
With her husband Mark
With her friend Melissa
With her surgeon Dr Vildibill
With her mommy before going to surgery
Heading into pre-op in good spirits. 
I check-in tommrow @ 8 am. Per Dr.Vildibill's office I will be injected @ 9:30 for the sentinal node biopsy and surgery @ 11. I will spend at least one night in the hospital, maybe 2. Thank you all for your kind words and mist if all prayers! I got this and READY for tomorrow :)

Thursday, March 1, 2012

Businesses give back to Brittany:
  • When you buy Scentsy from Amanda (see link) during the month of March, she is giving her commission and earned product back to Brittany.  Shop for Scentsy at www.amandabarfield.scentsy.us 
  •  
  • Dine at Picnic Pizza on Archwood from March 12th-18th and when you tell them that you are     "Dinning for Brittany" they will give a portion of the sale back to Brittany.

Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Other Links to Help:
Join our Relay for Life team

Sign-up to bring meals
IF you are wanting to send a donation to the family you can use the pay-pal link below or send money to "Supporting Brittany" at Colony Bank; 2609 Ledo Rd; Albany, GA 31707 (229) 430-8080

Pay-pal donations
We are taking pre-orders for shirts for Supporting Brittany.  The shirts will be black with white and hot pink writing (has to be pink for breast cancer).  If you know Brittany, they will be super cute but we will post the art-work when it is available.  The back of the shirt will say "Stronger than Yesterday" and will have a dominate pink ribbon.  

We will be wearing these shirts the night of Relay for Life on April 20th.  Orders will be placed March 30th so order your today!

Sizes are Youth XS, S, M, L and Adult S, M, L, XL, XXL and XXXL.


Supporting Brittany Shirts
Sizes ordering
Name & ph#