We're getting these tumors out!

Someone sent me an amazing rainbow wig, and we don't know who! Reveal yourself! 😀

I'm headed to NYC on Sunday for surgery at Memorial Sloan Kettering on Monday June 6. Dr. Singer, who has 30 years of experience as a sarcoma surgeon and was recommended to me by other sarcoma survivors, is going to remove the 2 pelvic tumors and look for any other concerns. Tessa is taking me for the surgery, and I'll likely be in the hospital for 1 week. Then I'll stay at Siobhan and James' place in Soho, while they go to Ohio to help Liam with the kids and my mom comes up to help me out. Hoping to head back to Ohio Juneteenth weekend!

The recovery for this kind of surgery can be 8-12 weeks, and I can't lift anything over 5 lbs for 6 weeks, but we're hoping all goes well and I'll feel pretty healed by some time in August.

While I've been told I have a very high risk of recurrence (the cancer cells from the original uterine tumor have spread to other places, and it's hard to now contain all of those cells), we are hoping to get some time with no evidence of disease. I'll get a scan 2 month post-op, and in the meantime will likely be on a chemo pill to try to deter recurrence.

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I've been thinking about how unlucky I am to have gotten this disease. Uterine leiomyosarcoma is very rare: 6 out of 1 million women get it. There are instances where people get it after having radiation as young children, and there is some evidence that environmental exposure can cause it, but in my case, it's likely just a random mutation. Mutating cells are the foundation of all life as we know it, and these uterine cells just mutated in a way that makes them want to take over. Cells have to have instructions to stop growing and those instructions are missing (for any science nerds out there, the genetic testing of the tumor indicated the ATRX mutation and the P53 and PTEN deletion). P53 is a common deletion in other forms of cancer and they don't quite know how to fix it. 

It is very strange to confront this level of unluckiness next to the immense amount of privilege I've experienced in my life. I cannot imagine dealing with this disease without the economic resources I currently have: a job with a union and disability insurance, health insurance, a community of friends and family who contribute for expenses that come up, an education that has helped me advocate for myself during the diagnosis and treatment, and being white, which automatically gives me an advantage in our health care systems. Black women, for example, are 40% more likely to die of breast cancer than white women and are twice as likely to die if they are over 50. What an absolutely horrifying statistic.  

We are so grateful for all the support from all of you, and I also would like to add to our request to say that another way people can help is to donate to this community that supports black and brown women who have cancer: For the Breast of US

And if you want to help with leiomyosarcoma research, there is an amazing organization called: LMSDR

Now, some pics from the last few weeks:

Fiona got COVID, likely from school. 😒 She had very mild symptoms and is doing fine now. We managed to distance thanks to our screened in front porch and miraculously no one else in the household got it!

The girls have a special moment with a cougar at the Columbus Zoo.

I went to NYC for the consult visit with Dr. Singer and got to see Tessa and my niece Brooklyn! 

Our friends Doug, Kacey, Evie, and Odi visited from Maryland! 

Liam and I, lookin' hot, per usual.

Sending lots of love and hugs to all of you,

Molly