Lauren and I just learned that she has invasive ductal carcinoma (breast cancer) this week. It was discovered during her annual mammogram, so the doctor took tissue biopsies from her right breast and axillary lymph node (under her right arm). The pathology report we received last Thursday stated that there is a grade 3 tumor in situ and some poorly differentiated cancer cells in some of the ducts in the right breast, with probable spread to her lymph nodes. While they have not formally staged the cancer yet, it's looking like it may be at Stage 3.

We have a consult with Lauren's breast surgeon this Tuesday (3/22) to go through the pathology report in detail, discuss her treatment options, and ask questions. Lauren‘s surgeon has recommended a local oncologist that he thinks she will be comfortable with.

In between surgeries, her surgeon called her once he received the pathology report to reassure her that he will make sure she is well taken care of. While the surgeon noted that each case is different, he said that he just operated on a woman who is 10 years older than Lauren this past week and had a slightly more advanced case of the same type of cancer that she has. He felt good about the lady's prognosis, so he wanted to let her know that it is possible to have a good outcome after treatment.

However, it is still a more advanced cancer, so the treatment is likely to be fairly aggressive. The doctor said that she will need a PET scan to make sure the cancer has not spread to other parts of her body. She will likely have a port put in for chemo. He said the treatment will probably involve a chemo protocol with infusions every 3 weeks to shrink the cancer, along with targeted cancer meds, a double mastectomy, and a lymphadenectomy. Unfortunately, she will not come out of this physically unscathed.

Lauren is 43 years old, and it's been a year and a half since her auto accident. Her pelvis has since mended from the accident, and we finally settled with the insurance company. She has always been the healthy one between the two of us, so this latest news came as a shock… especially because her last mammogram was clear and the cancer grew so quickly within a year's time. 

We have discussed the possibility of going to Houston to have Lauren treated at MD Anderson Cancer Center, which is the top cancer research hospital in the world. Houston is a 6.5 hour drive from where we live. We have never sought treatment out-of-state, and don't exactly know how to practically arrange such treatment in terms of how that works with local doctors being involved, so there are questions that we would have to find the answers out on.

Lauren's health insurance should pay most of her tests and treatments. It still will cost several thousands of dollars out-of-pocket to meet her deductible and coinsurance, however. We don't know what she will be able to handle work-wise when treatment starts, so we are taking each day as it comes.

We trust God to provide, protect, and heal. However, it still is scary for us. Please pray for Lauren's healing. I know of a couple of people in my past who have been healed between their first scan and second scan, without medical intervention. The cancerous tumors just disappeared. So I know it is possible with God. If that should not happen, however, then in addition to healing, we ask for peace of mind, comfort, and strength. Also pray for our respective families, as this affects them emotionally as well. 

If anyone wants to help Lauren in a tangible way, we have set up this fund to help defray some of the out-of-pocket costs that will be associated with Lauren's treatments. Thank you for your consideration.

We will post updates here and on social media, since that is easier for us to keep everyone in the loop. Please direct your communication to Lauren through social media, as it will be too overwhelming to answer everyone personally.

We appreciate your love and support.

Thank you,

Jason Catlin