Tag: cancer

Lymphoma Visionary of the Year Claire Benway: Cancer Thriver & Jesus Loving Thespian Extraordinaire

"Let's try to jump up and down for a photo!"

This post is a post celebrating a friend of mine I met at Maple Plain Community Church in 2020: Claire Benway! Claire loves Jesus and is a cancer thriver like me–instead of breast cancer, though, Claire is a non-Hodgkin-lymphoma thriver. Claire was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins-lymphoma in March 2024, finished intensive chemotherapy 6 months ago, and… Continue reading Lymphoma Visionary of the Year Claire Benway: Cancer Thriver & Jesus Loving Thespian Extraordinaire

My Breast Cancer Journey Part 44: My Twin Sister’s 36-Week Pregnant Breast Biopsy is “All Clear!” & Baby Harold Robert is Almost Here!

This blog post is the 44th in a series about my (and twin sister’s) breast cancer journey that began when we were 30 years old in July 2019. In 2019, I also started documenting our younger sister’s breast cancer previvorship journey. Here is a list of all of the posts written about our journey at Mayo Clinic’s Breast Clinic… Continue reading My Breast Cancer Journey Part 44: My Twin Sister’s 36-Week Pregnant Breast Biopsy is “All Clear!” & Baby Harold Robert is Almost Here!

My Breast Cancer Journey Part 40: Plastic Surgery Graduation, Pregnancy, and Previvorship, Oh My!

Here we are with the best plastic surgeon at Mayo Clinic Rochester!! My twin sister and I "graduated" from regular checkups with her until 2024 because we're doing so great after our double mastectomies with direct-to-implant reconstruction!

This blog post is the 40th in a series about my (and twin sister’s) breast cancer journey that began when we were 30 years old in July 2019. In 2019, I also started documenting our younger sister’s breast cancer previvorship journey. Here is a list of all of the posts written about our journey at Mayo Clinic’s Breast Clinic… Continue reading My Breast Cancer Journey Part 40: Plastic Surgery Graduation, Pregnancy, and Previvorship, Oh My!

My Breast Cancer Journey Part 39: Babies & Breast Cancer Biopsies, Oh My! (I’m Pregnant & All Clear!)

Here is my husband and me with our baby announcement!

This blog post is the 39th in a series about my (and twin sister’s) preventative breast cancer screening journey that began when we were 30 years old in July 2019. Here is a list of all of the posts written about our journey at Mayo Clinic’s Breast Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, to date. To keep tabs on new posts, sign… Continue reading My Breast Cancer Journey Part 39: Babies & Breast Cancer Biopsies, Oh My! (I’m Pregnant & All Clear!)

My Breast Cancer Journey Part 38: My Twin Sister’s Corneal Cysts Are GONE & Her Hip Pain is (Just) Torn Cartilage!

Here goes my twin sister into a MRI tube to take images of her hip which has been hurting her for a month!

This blog post is the 38th in a series about my (and twin sister’s) preventative breast cancer screening journey that began when we were 30 years old in July 2019. Here is a list of all of the posts written about our journey at Mayo Clinic’s Breast Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, to date. To keep tabs on new posts, sign… Continue reading My Breast Cancer Journey Part 38: My Twin Sister’s Corneal Cysts Are GONE & Her Hip Pain is (Just) Torn Cartilage!

My Breast Cancer Journey Part 37: My Twin Sister is All Done With Chemotherapy & is in REMISSION!!!

Here is the happy couple after defeating breast cancer with 20 chemotherapy infusions totaling 43 hours of infusion / chair time! My twin sister is now in Remission!!!!

This blog post is the 37th in a series about my (and twin sister’s) preventative breast cancer screening journey that began when we were 30 years old in July 2019. Here is a list of all of the posts written about our journey at Mayo Clinic’s Breast Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, to date. To keep tabs on new posts, sign… Continue reading My Breast Cancer Journey Part 37: My Twin Sister is All Done With Chemotherapy & is in REMISSION!!!

My Breast Cancer Journey Part 35: My Twin Sister’s 12th T-DM1 Infusion & Oncology Update!

Here is my twin sister and her husband waiting to see her oncologist to talk through the rest of her breast cancer treatment plan!

This blog post is the 35th in a series about my (and twin sister’s) preventative breast cancer screening journey that began when we were 30 years old in July 2019. Here is a list of all of the posts written about our journey at Mayo Clinic’s Breast Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, to date. To keep tabs on new posts, sign… Continue reading My Breast Cancer Journey Part 35: My Twin Sister’s 12th T-DM1 Infusion & Oncology Update!

My Breast Cancer Journey Part 33: My Twin Sister’s 10th T-DM1 Infusion & She Doesn’t Have Ovarian Cancer WOOHOO!

Here is my twin sister with her husband, all smiles after her 10th infusion of T-DM1 / Kadcyla at Mayo Clinic Rochester and after finding out her ovarian cyst is "shrinking / resolving on its own" and is not ovarian cancer / does not require surgery!

This blog post is the 33rd in a series about my (and twin sister’s) preventative breast cancer screening journey that began when we were 30 years old in July 2019. Here is a list of all of the posts written about our journey at Mayo Clinic’s Breast Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, to date. To keep tabs on new posts, sign… Continue reading My Breast Cancer Journey Part 33: My Twin Sister’s 10th T-DM1 Infusion & She Doesn’t Have Ovarian Cancer WOOHOO!

My Breast Cancer Journey Part 32: My Twin Sister’s 9th Infusion of T-DM1 & Baseline Ovarian Cancer Screening Results (prayers please!)

Here is my twin sister and her husband at Mayo Clinic last week where she had her consultation with a gynecological oncologist in addition to a survivorship consult at the Breast Clinic and her 9th infusion of T-DM1 / Kadcyla!

This blog post is the 32nd in a series about my (and twin sister’s) preventative breast cancer screening journey that began when we were 30 years old in July 2019. Here is a list of all of the posts written about our journey at Mayo Clinic’s Breast Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, to date. To keep tabs on new posts, sign… Continue reading My Breast Cancer Journey Part 32: My Twin Sister’s 9th Infusion of T-DM1 & Baseline Ovarian Cancer Screening Results (prayers please!)

My Breast Cancer Journey Part 27: My Baby Sister’s Baseline Breast Cancer Screening at Mayo Clinic

This story has a happy ending: My 25-year-old baby sister successfully completed her preventative baseline breast cancer screening at Mayo Clinic in Rochester last week and doesn't have breast cancer!!! YAY!!!

This blog post is the 27th in a series about my (and twin sister’s, and now, baby sister’s) preventative breast cancer screening journey that began when we were 30 years old in July 2019. My baby sister began her preventative baseline breast cancer screening at age 25 at Mayo Clinic in Rochester in October 2019. Here is a list of all of… Continue reading My Breast Cancer Journey Part 27: My Baby Sister’s Baseline Breast Cancer Screening at Mayo Clinic