April 18, 2009 at 11:30 am, my mother finished her last Herceptin treatment.  This was the last treatment to help reduce the reoccurrence of the cancer.  It was a joyous morning and we were sad to see the ladies at The Joan Karnell Cancer Center at Pennsylvania Hospital for the last time.  It still amazes me that we have been travelling to the hospital every three weeks for the past year.  Wow!

She had a great group of people to help her navigate the treatment this past year and we are so thankful to them.

Dr. Mintzer was so great with each visit.  He listened to all concerned, told us some symptoms to be aware of so we wouldn’t panic when it happened.  He made sure we were at ease and knew everything about the treatments and the process.  He was great.

Millie was his right hand and also a great person to have on this journey.  She’s Dr. Mintzer’s nurse and we met with her for most of the earlier visits.  We got along great when we found out she and mom shared the same name.  Her beautiful personality is evident is the smile on her face.

The team over in the treatment center made the needle sticks and hours for treatments go by with a laugh.  They’re wonderful, bright personalities made coming every three weeks a fun trip.  A big Thank You to Jill, Michelle, Chrissie and the rest of the gang over at the treatment center.  You ladies are awesome!  Last but not least, thank you to the valet service.  Toure thanks for the conversations and great service.  We really appreciated it.

To all of you, from all of us, thank you, thank you, thank you!  May God continue to bless you and the work that you do.

December 31, 2008.  This day turned into a reflective day for mom and me.  It was a day of being thankful, relaxing and remembering how truly blessed we are.  It was on December 31, 2007 that mom got the phone call from her doctor with her test results.  She tested positive for breast cancer. We had a road ahead of us and we knew it could get a little shaky at times.  Nothing was guaranteed, but I had peace of mind knowing she would come out of this ok.  This peace was giving to me before we went to her first appointment.

Me and mom at Christmas Eve family dinner

It was also during this time that I found out the depth of my mother’s faith.  She faced the challege with a smile, and a wonderful positive attitude, standing on the word of God.  She decided to only tell those that would keep her lifted in pray, support her and give her their positive energy.

Mom with Aunt Glo holding a picture of grandmom & grandpop

She astounded her doctors during her recovery because she was doing so well so quickly.  When they asked her how she was doing, the answer was always the same.  “I’m doing great!”  She became their model patient and she would leave each doctor with a hug and the knowledge that she prayed for them and they were her gift from God.

Mom and Holy Temple Church of God and Christ family

Today she looks great and feels even better.  She’s looking forward to an even better 2009.  We both know that with the grace and blessings from God, it wiil be.

The month of November and early December brought a new round of followup testing and doctor appointments for mom. One after the other said the same thing. “You’re do great and you look wonderful”.

Throughout this whole experience mom has kept such a positive outlook and attitude.  If someone were to ask her how she does it, she would have one answer.  “It’s not me, it’s God.”  Her faith never wavered and I thank God everyday that the road to recovery was not a bumpy one.

For now, she will still need to get the Herceptin treatments until April and take a pill once a day for five years.  Not a bad payoff when you’re given back your life.

I humbly thank you God.

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