I got my flu and Covid vaccines today. Since I have chemo 107 on Tuesday, I figured this was a better time to do it since my blood count takes a dive each time I get chemo. Please get vaccinated. It helps people like me with severely compromised immune systems. Be a super hero. For me.

Today we left home at 4:30 am. I had a brain MRI and an appt with my radiation oncologist. I extended my streak for unremarkable brain scans – the desired result. It has been well over a year now without any new brain tumors. The new treatment I switched to last summer seems to be working well. We are relieved, as you can see on our expressions.

Madi and I are grieving hard for Indie. She outlived the vet’s prognosis by 9 months and I am so grateful for all that extra time to take care of her and love her. Her osteosarcoma finally made it impossible for her to stand. Cancer is a bitch.

September 27 was the Chicagoland Be a Hero Fun Run for Metavivor in Plainfield, IL. It was a beautiful day. My team at the walk consisted of my husband, Dave, my daughter, Haley, my cousin, Suzi, and my friends, Lila, Patti and Joy. I got a new Wonder Woman costume and had a lot of fun with it. I’m so grateful for my team walking with me. They all live 3 hours from Plainfield. It is so generous of them to make that trip for me. I’ve mentioned that my body cannot regulate temperature well anymore. I became a little too hot before the race started and lost my cookies. Ugh. But I walked the course immediately after that. F cancer. Thank you to everyone who contributed, too.

My family means everything to me. I imagine getting to heaven someday and showing God a photo of these 4 people and telling God this is it – this was my life and these people made me whole. I celebrated their 28th, 24th, and 23rd birthdays with them this year. I never thought that was possible 6 years ago. I watched the second one graduate college. Dave and I celebrated our 31st wedding anniversary.

October is here and the pink-washing is everywhere I look. Please be discerning about where your dollars are going. Many companies put a pink ribbon on their product and vaguely mention that some portion of the cost will go to support something dealing with breast cancer. Please read the fine print.

95% – 98% of all breast cancer deaths are caused by metastatic breast cancer, yet of all the money spent researching breast cancer, only 2% – 4% goes to researching metastatic breast cancer. It is a horrific disparity.

My fundraising campaign is for Metavivor. All money goes metastatic breast cancer research. My life literally depends on this research to keep finding new lines of treatment over time. Please help end the research disparity by contributing to MBC research.

https://donate.metavivor.org/fundraiser/5554408

We are driving home from Plainfield. I’ll tell you all about this fantastic day in a later post.

The scans yesterday showed no new cancer and existing cancer is controlled. I have some lung damage (small collapse) from years of chemo, which is expected. In two weeks I have a brain MRI and meet with my radiation oncologist. A week later I receive chemo 107 and get an echocardiogram. I get those every 3 to 6 months because my chemo drugs are known to cause heart damage. Today I did not get out of bed until 4:30. Tomorrow will be a better day.

As I write this it is 5 am and we’ve been on the road over an hour. Today I have a whole body bone scan, chest/ab/pelvic CT, labs, oncology appointment, and treatment 106. We will likely not return home until nearly midnight. It has been 6 months since my last neck-down scans. That is the longest I’ve gone between scans since I was diagnosed with MBC in 2019. In two weeks I have another brain MRI. I get those every 2-3 months, something that is not likely to change given my cancer’s propensity to grow in my brain. I have been experiencing a great deal of back and hip pain lately. The scans today should be able for us to determine if my pain is due to cancer or degeneration.

Dave and I left at 5 am for St. Louis. It was a beautiful morning and the drive was uneventful.

Heidi’s Fun Fact: I never liked revolving doors. I always wondered if it was related to my extreme motion sickness. Since my brain tumors, though, I cannot use them. They make me extremely dizzy and I bang into the sides. I appreciate the regular doors on either side.

On days I do not see my oncologist they access my port here and draw blood for the lab. We wait for results to make sure I am healthy enough to receive treatment today. Leukopenia and anemia are ongoing problems for me, but not severe enough to prevent treatment today. Once my oncologist sees the lab results she electronically orders the drug to be prepared in the Oncology Pharmacy. It has to be prepared on site and to my weight today. Waiting for pharmacy is usually the longest part of treatment. The nurse hooks up the infusion bag and it takes 30 minutes. Then they flush my port and de-access it. Then we are out the door for the 3.5 hour drive home.

The Chicagoland Be a Hero Fun Run is set for Saturday, September 27 at Settlers’ Park in Plainfield, IL. Check-in starts at 10:30 am and the race at 12:00 pm. This will be my third year participating and it is truly a joyful event. There are vendors, raffle items and food. No one runs and no one times you. We just walk around the park. It is JUST FOR FUN and raises money for Metavivor. MBC Thrivers are honored in a brief ceremony at the end. I have a brand new Wonder Woman costume for this year’s event. When you register, join my team (simply my name).

Here is a link to register and join my team:

http://raceroster.com/events/2025/101592/chicagoland-be-a-hero-fun-run/register?team=845772

Here is a link to donate to my team:

http://raceroster.com/events/2025/101592/chicagoland-be-a-hero-fun-run/pledge/team/845772

Life has been a whirlwind of activity lately. I celebrated my birthday and took a day trip to New Harmony, Indiana with one of my kids. Despite the heat it was a lovely day and I intend to go back when I can spend at least two days there and also when it is at least 20 degrees cooler. There are numerous historical sites and a natural museum – all things near and dear to my heart. I especially enjoyed the Cathedral Labyrinth and the Roofless Church. We had car trouble coming home and ended up catching a ride home with a very friendly tow truck driver. Angels appear in many different forms.

Two of our kids are staying with us temporarily in between apartment leases and I am loving it. On the days it has not been excessively hot we’ve gone for long walks. On the beastly hot days we go to town for coffee and tea. The labs are definitely loving having ALL their kids home to love on them.

Our farm is now a Sesquicentennial Farm, signifying family ownership for over 150 years. We were recognized at the Illinois State Fair on August 8. We also got to spend time with some dear friends and watch their daughter show her heifer. It was an extremely hot day. A side effect of my cancer treatment is a lack of temperature regulation. The heat got the best of me. I’m grateful for the TLC from my family and friends.

We have a new baby calf in the pasture. She is doing well and loves to frolic.

I found a barn swallow nest in one of our sheds. This was taken the day they hatched.

I took a class at a community college on barn quilt painting. It was a lot of fun and I hope to make a large one to hang on our big, red barn.

I had treatment 104 on August 12.

This was Darrin’s first time coming with me to treatment. It was so nice having him with me.

Madi missed me while I was at treatment so she decided I needed help resting.

So how is my life as a cancer patient? I try to put a lot of life into living and I try to spend as much time as I can with the people and dogs I love. I do all these things with a digestive system that gives me a lot of trouble most days. I carry a change of clothes with me almost everywhere I go. But I still live.

I am relieved that July is almost over. (If the extreme heat and humidity would also disappear in 4 days, that would be another relief.)

July 24 was my 6th Cancerversary. It was a difficult day. Many thanks to those of you who reached out. I covered Oreos in candy melt the colors of the metastatic breast cancer ribbon – pink, teal and green. Dave helped me deliver them around the area. The final stop was my primary care physician’s office – the place where I received the devastating news on July 24, 2019. “There is never an easy way to say this…” On that day I learned I had breast cancer that had already spread to my bones and liver (innumerable masses on my liver). On that day I shared the diagnosis with my elderly mom and my three children. It was the next day that I learned it had also spread to my adrenal gland. It was another 16 months before I learned it had spread to my brain.

Today is my 56th birthday. Six years ago my birthday became a sad occasion. I didn’t allow it to be mentioned for a couple years. Now I can manage a subdued remembrance. This was my first birthday without my mom Six years ago no one thought I would be alive to see 56. So I’m thankful, sure, but I want more.

In January we learned my best friend, Indie, had osteosarcoma. They said she would be lucky to last a month and definitely no more than 3 months. She is still hanging on, 6 months later. She isn’t well and struggles with mobility but is still the best nurse. She and I (along with our other lab, Madi) spend almost 24/7 with each other. She is happy and always perks up when there is an opportunity to beg food.

I’m going to leave you with a quote I’ve shared before:

“You don’t have to like it or want it or approve of it; simply allow it to be there – because it already is.”