Hi, my name is Julia. In 2021 I had just discovered my love of travel nursing, having completed three contracts, when a little thing called cancer got me. I went through all the treatments and am now figuring out this thing called survivorship. I’m in the place between safety of being cancer free and a 40% 5 year reoccurrence risk, tip toeing back into life post active treatment.
My Diagnosis
After ultrasounds, MRIs, CTs, PET scans, mammograms, and biopsies I was diagnosed with Stage 3B Grade 2, estrogen very positive, progesterone little positive, Ki-67 highly positive, BRAC 2 positive, HER 2 negative inflammatory breast cancer.
Active Treatment
I did 4 cycles of Adriamycin/cyclophosphamide followed by Paclitaxel weekly for 12 weeks. I had a very radical double mastectomy, single lymphovenus bypass, oophorectomy, and 54 lymph nodes removed. There were a few rare cancer cells hanging out in the lymph space but other than that I was cancer free. I did 34 rounds of radiation, five of those being just to my scar.
Survivorship
In January 2022, after active treatment was over, I started a year of oral chemotherapy on Lynparza and ten years of endocrine therapy on Letrozole. I went back to work, as a school nurse, while dealing with long term effects of treatment including lymphedema and brain fog (which you can read all about on the blog). After my year of oral chemo was over I switched to Verzenio, which I will continue on until May 2025.
Currently
Now I’m traveling America with my husband Mitch and our therapy dog Oliver. My goal is to attend as many cancer camps, conferences, and events as possible. I want to learn what resources are out there and identify any gaps that exist. I am doing this to become a well informed patient advocate and leader in the AYA/IBC communities.
