Caroline's Breast Cancer Blog

     Earlier this week I had my monthly appointment with my oncologist, Dr. O.  Since things are going well for me, the appointments over the past several months haven't been very news worthy.  At this appointment, however, I told Dr. O. about my mom's recent stroke.  All of her testing results are telling my mom's doctors that her elevated cholesterol level is likely the greatest contributor to her event.  I have the same lipid profile as my mom and up until I was diagnosed with cancer, had been taking a cholesterol lowering medication, a "statin," for over 20 years.         Cholesterol is a fat, a lipid, manufactured in our bodies.  It's necessary for normal body functioning, such as cell membrane growth and maintenance, and it plays an important role in the manufacturing of hormones.  Most of the non-dietary cholesterol in our body is made in our liver.  Most cholesterol lowering medications wor...

I received this, (below), in an email a few days ago.  It's addressed to me, but I want to share it with my friends, family, friends of family and friends, acquaintances - anyone who was generous enough to make a donation to Cycle for Survival for my team, TEAM SHEADE , and me.  Look what you've helped make happen!  Across the nation, the 2014 Cycle for Survival event raised $20 million...let me repeat that a little louder... $20 MILLION!   Luna, You rode at Cycle for Survival in 2014 because you wanted to fight back. Thanks to your passion and dedication, we�re excited to announce that every dollar of the $20 million raised by Cycle for Survival has now been allocated to pioneering research led by Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Click here to learn more about these efforts ...

It's been a challenging week.  A little over a week ago my 85-year-old mother experienced a stroke.  Actually, it's unclear if she had a TIA, (transient ischemic attack), or a small stroke because her clinical course and brain imaging are inconsistent.  I suppose it doesn't matter much.  Either way she's facing a recuperation time.  Following a short stay in the hospital, there has been a steady stream of appointments, small setbacks, more appointments, and lost work time for me.  My mother immigrated from Japan in her 20's, following my father's dream of working as an architect in the U.S.  I've gathered, over the years and through her stories, that she never wanted to leave her family in Japan.  When she did, she did not expect to be here permanently.  The year I started elementary school, she got a job and worked straight through retirement. She's always been independent with a "can do" attitude about life.  This spirit served her wel...