Hi everyone!!
I raised a total of $1,555 and was able to donate 3 large baskets of goodies this year! The facilities I gave baskets to are Norris cotton cancer, Lahey hematology/oncology and Elliot Solinsky center! Thank you Alyssa, Eliza and Becca for accepting these baskets and sharing with your patients! Thank you to everyone who donated.. this fundraiser would not be possible without you!!!
See photos below!!
Love, KPOW
Family & Friends!!
How is it possible an entire year has gone by!!? I hope everyone is doing well!! I am so sorry I have been MIA this year. I learned that in order to fully heal I needed to take a step back from social media, my blog and well…. all the “cancer related stuff”. I feel so refreshed and really enjoying just being Kelly!!! Not Kelly the breast cancer survivor 🙂 With that said I still love helping close family and friends and breast cancer patients in the community (so NEVER hesitate to reach out if you know a loved one who is struggling and could benefit from talking to someone)!!! I love being that person!
Its official…. Kpows 2nd annual run-raiser has begun!!!! I will be raising money through the month of October (Breast Cancer Awareness Month)!
Details: This year I’ll be running the Gobble Wobble 5 Miler in my hometown on 11/19. I haven’t kept up with running so another half marathon was out of the question!! I think I can bust out 5 miles…. and if not I’ll be the one “wobbling” down the road trying to make it to the finish line hahah!! Anyone interested?!! My husband and I just signed up today. Feel free to join us if you’re interested!!
The fundraiser will be exactly like last year! I will be purchasing items I feel cancer patients might need or benefit from during treatment. Placing those items in large baskets and donating them to cancer centers. Patients will be able to pick an item from the basket that best fits their journey and needs. Examples: warm blankets, headscarves, hats, water bottles, things to do at chemo, meal/gas gift cards, etc. Last year was a huge success!! I raised $4,157. Made 6 large baskets for 6 cancer centers and donated $1200 to METAvivor organization (100% of their funding goes directly to stage 4 breast cancer research).
Click on the link below to donate and help cancer patients throughout their journey and hopefully find a cure to this horrible disease!
PS. This fundraiser would not be possible without your help!!!! THANK YOU!!!!!
K-POW
WE DID IT! Jamie and I ran a 1/2 marathon and I completed my very first fundraiser called “Kpow’s Run-raiser”! It feels SO GOOD! Everything about it…. from giving back and donating huge baskets of goodies to infusion centers to crossing the finish line at our race. It all feels like a dream. The crazy part is none of these events would’ve happened if I wasn’t diagnosed with breast cancer 3 1/2 years ago. Cancer has made me so strong and I feel like I can conquer anything after going through what I went through! Get ready for K-Pows 2nd annual run-raiser in October, 2022!!! 🙂 I am thinking about doing another 1/2 marathon!!
Fundraiser details:
A HUGE thank you to all my family and friends who donated. This fundraiser would not have been possible without you!! Thank you Kim for the beautifully handmade comfort pads!! Thank you to the cancer centers who accepted my baskets and the nurses who were a huge help …Alyssa, Becca and Eliza 🙂 Truly blessed to have so many amazing people in my life!!
I posted a bunch of photos of my fundraiser and run below 🙂
Hope everyone has a safe and wonderful Thanksgiving!!
Love you all!
KPOW
Hi guys!! I am so excited to announce that my fundraiser is officially launched!! Its called “KPOWS RUN-RAISER”. I wish I came up with the name but it was actually Jamie! And yes… I totally laughed at him at first and then was like wait… this is actually a pretty clever pun lol! As most of you know we will be running a 1/2 marathon on November 7th. I thought this was a great opportunity to do some fundraising especially heading into October which is breast cancer awareness month!
I will be using the donations to make large baskets of goodies which will include items I feel cancer patients might need or benefit from during treatment. Examples: warm blankets, socks, headscarves, hats, makeup, things to do at chemo, grocery & gas gift cards, etc. Patients will be able to pick an item from the basket that best fits their journey. Being my first year I wanted to make my goal realistic. I would like to raise $1,000 and make 3 large baskets and deliver to 3 local cancer treatment centers.
I will also be donating a portion of the funds to an amazing organization called “METAvivor”. 100% of their funding goes directly to stage 4/metastatic breast cancer research. This is the only stage of breast cancer we can die from. 30% of lower stage breast cancers will become metastatic later on. There are so many fundraisers this time of year which is wonderful, but only 2-3% of funds go toward research for stage 4. Stage 4 needs more!
FUNDRAISER LINK BELOW!
…….I ran 5 miles yesterday and had one of the most enjoyable runs yet. I kept a slow pace, listened to country music, and breathed in the crisp fall air. Tears ran down my face as I started to think about the meaning behind this fundraiser. It is so much more than just handing out goodies to cancer patients. I know and understand the emotional and mental struggles they are facing as well as the physical pain. It is brutal. They need a smile, they need hope, they need to know that they are not alone. That’s my mission and my goal of this fundraiser. I just want these patients to have a moment of happiness and bring a smile to their face.
If you can’t donate at this time I totally understand! No pressure!! But if you could please spread the word and share this fundraiser with friends and family I would greatly appreciate it.
I will be sharing my fundraiser journey on Instagram under my stories, so feel free to check it out and see how your donation helped! Instagram I will also share updates on my blog and post pictures 🙂
Thank you so much for taking the time to read about my fundraiser!!
Love you all,
Hi guys!! I hope everyone is doing well 🙂
The past month was mentally EXHAUSTING. I found a new lump in my right upper chest over a month ago. At the time I was seeing my PCP for a physical so I had her take a look at it. She didn’t seem too concerned but wanted to get an ultrasound. The ultrasound showed nothing so she felt a breast MRI would be the next step due to my history. Ugh… I started freaking out. My cancer is back… I am 100% sure… its probably traveled to my organs by now and I am going to die LOL! These are normal thoughts of a breast cancer survivor who finds ANY lump or bump. Its terrifying and consumes your life, brain, and whole being!!!
I agreed to do the MRI but called my oncologist to inform her of what was going on. I must have sounded a little panicked on the phone because she started using her therapist voice on me hahah. She’s like Kel… I am confident this is just fluid or tissue build up, especially because the ultrasound didn’t show anything. Talking with her made me feel SO much better. And I may or may not have called her like 2 other times during this scare. Everyone needs a therapist/oncologist like her 🙂
So a few days go by and the prior authorization for my MRI is still not done (you can’t schedule it until this step is complete). So I decided to advocate for myself and call the insurance company myself. They stated “well we are still waiting for clinical notes from your PCP’s office”. I asked for the name of the nurse who was doing my prior auth and the lady was AWESOME and gave me so much info!! I then called my PCP’s office and asked for this specific nurse…. she was totally rude and was poo-pooing me and brushing me off saying “I am working on it”. So…. I started crying lol!!! I said this is urgent and the insurance company is waiting for you to send the clinical notes. Like…. do your job lady and I wouldn’t be bugging you!!!! Guys…. I was HEATED. It finally got authorized after I annoyed a LOT of people that day!! Honestly I would do it all over again… I have learned that if you want to get ANYTHING done in this world you have to be a pain in the ass!!
Of course scheduling the MRI wasn’t any easier. Every facility was booked weeks-months out! I had to make several calls and finally got in at Dartmouth Hitchcock in Nashua on September 7th. This was 2 weeks out from when it was originally ordered. The waiting was BRUTAL. Finally got the MRI done and the radiologist ended up spotting something. He was pretty confident it was just a cyst. To confirm this they wanted me to go back for another ultrasound. So 2 days later I went back… and wait for it…. they couldn’t find ANYTHING. The ultrasound tech AND radiologist both looked. The radiologist suggested doing a biopsy of the lump. I really wasn’t sure what to think at this point. I went home SUPER disappointed!! It had been almost 3 1/2 weeks since I felt this lump and STILL no answers. WHYYY!!!??
That night I received a phone call from my breast surgeon who wanted to take over the case. UGH… why didn’t I think to call her in the first place?? She spoke with my team and they felt a biopsy was not necessary at this time. Instead they wanted to do a mammogram/ultrasound. Within DAYS everything was authorized and scheduled. Mammo went well (I was a little nervous these babies would pop LOL but they barely pressed down and it didn’t hurt at all). From there I went to ultrasound and my favorite tech named Brittany walks into the waiting room and immediately gives me a huge hug. She found my cancer 3 1/2 years ago with my radiologist Dr. Noche. I LOVE this duo…. they are truly something special. We ended up chatting and getting caught up on life and within seconds she’s like “yup… I can see the spot”. WHHHHAT?? ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!!? This was my 3RD ultrasound and no one could find anything up until now!!! Unreal!! She grabbed Dr. Noche to take a better look and when he walked in I felt so at peace. I knew they were going to figure this out and take good care of me. He confirmed that this lump I have been feeling is actually a prominent part of my costochondral junction of the chest wall… I know that’s a mouth full lol… AKA an area where the ribs and cartilage meet in the upper chest. The MRI finding that looked like a cyst (different area) was actually a small area of fat necrosis. Fat necrosis is basically dead fat tissue and very common after radiation and surgery. (Insert HUGE SIGH OF RELIEF here)!!! Ughhhh… I was so happy to hear this news and never been so happy to add dead fat to my body and have weird bony junctions in my chest wall LOL! From there my Mom ended up meeting me and we went to see my breast surgeon to go over everything. It was a major lesson learned to call my surgeon first whenever I feel a lump or bump… I mean they literally got answers within HOURS. I feel like I wasted a month SO worried and stressed out for nothing. But all I can do is move forward and learn from this.
Overall I feel so good and so blessed! I am excited to move forward and put all my energy into the things I want to do and accomplish. Speaking of…. I haven’t yet shared on my blog but I will be running a 1/2 MARATHON on November 7th!!! EEEEEEK! A friend of a friend told me about the race and at first I was like oh hell no… there’s no way I could do that. And then I was like… Kel… this has been on your bucket list for a long time…why not? So I signed up!!! And my amazing husband did as well 🙂 So thankful for him… he is such a trooper and supports me no matter what (even if it consists of running a 1/2 marathon by my side). So lucky! I honestly don’t think I would’ve signed up if it weren’t for my breast cancer journey… which is so crazy to think about. My cancer has truly changed me and my life in so many ways. One of the biggest things is living life to the absolute FULLEST! Complete those goals and dreams NOW because if not now… then when? Who knows how much time we really have… ya know?
I am also thinking about starting a fundraiser for my 1/2 marathon. The donations would go toward buying items for patients who are actively going through cancer treatment. So kind of like care-packages but instead I would put a large variety of items in a box that the patients can choose from. Hats, scarves, blankets, makeup, wigs, adult coloring books, cozy socks/outfits, gas/grocery gift cards, etc! I am hoping to launch this idea on October 1st (breast cancer awareness month) and hopefully help cancer patients in our community which would be SO awesome!! I will keep everyone updated!
Love you all!! Thank you so much for your support (especially during this tough month). I appreciate it so much!!
KPOW BABY
First of all… HI!!! I hope everyone is doing well and having a great summer! The kids and I have been BUSY… our weeks get filled up quickly with playdates, playgrounds, farms, pool time, berry picking, exploring, the lake and camping on the weekends! I feel SO fortunate to be able to spend the summer with these two humans! Gahhhh… I love them so much! I am also LOVING the fact that things are pretty much back to normal. I was in such a funk that past year (who wasn’t) and I’m just really grateful to be able to see friends and family again and give them all hugs. My family is like really big on hugging… at the end of a family party we all go around and hug one another…. but then we all start chatting again and 30 minutes pass…. which then makes it necessary to hug everyone all over again before we say our final goodbye hahahah! I love it ❤ I will never take a hug for granted EVER again!
Can you believe its almost August…. whhhhat? I took a look to see when my last blog post was… thinking it had been a month or so and it’s been 3 MONTHS! How did that happen?
LETS TALK BREAST CANCER!! ….here we go guys! I haven’t had a physical in a few years because my previous PCP left the practice. I established care with another APRN a few weeks ago and during my visit she asked about my plan going forward in regards to screening/scans. I explained to her that my team has suggested not doing any further imaging at this time and to just monitor for symptoms. I have been told this is pretty standard for a patient like me who has had a bilateral mastectomy. You could tell she wasn’t thrilled at all with this approach and felt like I could be doing more. I told her I have always thought it was CRAZY… I mean stage 3, grade 3 and being young when diagnosed are all things that put me at a much higher risk for reoccurrence than others (especially during these first 5 years). It doesn’t make any sense to me to just “wait and see”. Like… lets just see if it travels to your entire body and end up being stage 4 and terminally ill…. WHHHHAT?!! After making it clear I was also feeling the feels she had lol she suggested meeting with their breast cancer specialist for a second opinion. I was totally on board and anxious to get someone elses opinion!
I met with the specialist today and she was really nice and very informative! She made it clear that if I were her patient she would’ve done a baseline PET scan when I was first diagnosed. (This is a full body scan that detects cancer in the body). She said anyone stage 3 or higher is qualified for one. Well that’s awesome…. minus the fact my old oncologist never informed me of this (I guess that’s why he is considered my OLD oncologist lol). I yi yi! She said it might be a good idea to have one done now though even if its just for peace of mind. Ugggghhh…. peace of mind… something I have struggled with since day 1. My mind has been at war with myself for the past 3 years and I am exhausted. Constantly worrying about every ache or bump. I also still haven’t heard the words “you are cancer free” from any of my team members yet. I think I just made it up one day LOL …. pretty sure it was after my double mastectomy when they confirmed I had clear margins (which I was also told looked sketchy) but I was like that’s good enough… I will take that as I am cancer free now hahah! But I guess there is no possible way of knowing for sure unless I get this PET scan done right?? This has been weighing me down for the past 3 years now and I just don’t see it getting any better until I do something about it. This is my opportunity…. but I AM ALSO SO SCARED. Like I am already getting sweaty palms and heart palpitations thinking about it hahaha! But I think I made up my mind and know what I need to do. The specialist said I will need to reach out to my oncologist as she will be the one that will order it. I hear its VERY expensive and often not covered by insurance. I will need to figure that all that as well! I am going to take the rest of the week off and start phone calls next week 🙂
Thank you as always for riding this CRAZY journey with me! The love and support from my family, friends and the breast cancer community is UNREAL! So grateful for all of you!!!
KPOW
Monday was a busy day! I had lab work, appointment with my oncologist and my third Zometa infusion! These days end up being so LOOONG but I am thankful for my Mom who comes to every single one of them. She’s so cute… the night before she texted “Ill see you at 8:30am with coffee in hand”. SO lucky to have her! My amazing in-laws watched the kiddos all day which I am also VERY thankful for!
When we got to the hospital they told my Mom she couldn’t come in. Ugggghhh… I was afraid of that and was so upset she had to wait in the car for me! I was also understanding as I know they are just trying to keep their patients safe. I checked in and got my labs drawn right away. They wanted to draw from my hand so the infusion nurse could use my arm. Ewwwww…. I’ve been poked a prodded A LOT but theres something about a needle going into my hand that I’m not a huge fan of… like I’m pretty sure I would’ve preferred my head instead of my hand hahaha! Luckily she was able to get it on the first try and I looked away 🙂
I then had a follow up appointment with my oncologist. God I love her… she confirmed that all those lumps and bumps I have been feeling in my armpit are completely normal and just scar tissue. You would think the ultrasound I had done a month ago would’ve convinced me lol… but it was nice to hear it from her as well! Sitting and talking with her is like a legit therapy session. I often question if I made the right decisions and if theres anything else I should be doing to prevent Fred from returning. I am SO thankful for my team to build me back up and remind me that what I’ve done and what I am doing is just right and more than enough.
After my appointment I headed to my 3rd Zometa infusion! The nurses treated me like a queen and spoiled me rotten!! Infusion life can actually be quite amazing lol! I ordered a Cobb salad and watched HGTV 🙂 Due to being really sick in the past they infused Zometa over an hour instead of 30 minutes. This seems to work really well!! I was extremely tired and nauseas after my infusion but when I woke up the next day I was completely fine!!! I couldn’t believe it!!
“Be kind, for everyone is fighting a hard battle. And if you really want to see what people are, all you have to do is look”. I stole this quote from the movie Wonder. I was watching it while writing this blog tonight and… WOW… I had a hard time watching it without tearing up every 5 minutes!! … its about a young boy with facial differences and his experiences in everyday life dealing with the condition. Its not even comparable but it reminded me of my chemo days…. no hair on my head or face… looked so sick… and any confidence I had was ripped away from me… I felt different…I felt like I was constantly being stared at (because I was). I only had to experience these feelings for less than a year. (I can’t fathom how someone might feel like this their entire life). Reminder to be kind ❤️❤️❤️ Its so important.
Much love to my family, friends and breasties ❤
KPOW
On April 16th, 2018 I heard the words “its breast cancer”. My entire world crumbled and within days my body went to war with this horrible disease. Chemo infusions, a double mastectomy, fat grafting, radiation, removal of my ovaries, menopause, medications, being poked and prodded a million times. I never thought I would have to fight for my life at such a young age. I was only 31 at the time with an 8 month old and 2 1/2 year old. I was terrified. I had a lot of fear and anxiety that my babies would grow up without a Mom. These thoughts were so debilitating at times and took over my every thought. I learned quickly that this journey wasn’t only going to by physical but mental. 3 years later the pain, anxiety and fears have slowly faded and my happiness shines a little more each day ☀️…but it took time, patience and being kind to myself to get here. I learned that it’s OK to not be OK. Its ok to ask for help. It’s ok to heal at my own pace. Life after cancer can be really tough, but it can also be incredibly beautiful. I am so blessed for each day that goes by being cancer free and being able to spend it with my kids, husband and people I love.
I am so grateful to be alive 💖
Kpow
Last Tuesday was such an emotional day for me. It brought back the most terrifying memories and I wasn’t sure how to deal with it. I was really calm and confident the lumps were nothing weeks before, so when I woke up that morning with HIGH ANXIETY I was taken back a little. I wasn’t expecting to be such a wreck….
My Mom came to my appointment with me and kept me distracted which I desperately needed. We were sitting in the waiting room and my name was called… I start walking toward the door and noticed the tech looked familiar. Within seconds I was like…. OMG its Brittany…. the tech who did my first ultrasound 3 years ago. When we got in the room I noticed she didn’t have a name tag on and I was debating on asking if it was her or not. But I was like HECK I need to know now! So I asked if her name was Brittany and sure enough it was her!!! She said she didn’t recognize me with my mask on but was so happy I said something as she never gets to follow-up with her patients. She starts the ultrasound exam and we catch up on the past 3 years. She had me show her the lumps I was feeling and checked everywhere in the armpit area. She said, “Well I have good news Kel… I don’t see anything… looks like scar tissue”. She wiped off all the goo from my pit lol and sat me up. I couldn’t help but burst into tears!!! She gave me a long hug and started tearing up herself. I am so glad she was there with me… it was one of those moments I won’t forget.
Not even 2hrs later Dr. Patel leaves a voicemail stating the ultrasound results showed scar tissue only. I HAVE THE BEST SURGEON EVER!! Its pretty rare a doctor will call with results (not to mention 2 hours later). Really thankful for my amazing team!
SO thats it guys…. FREDS NOT COMING BACK!!!! (For those who haven’t followed me from the beginning… I named my cancer Fred hahaha). I wonder if other women have named their cancer? Probably not…. lol
Now I can continue “my life after cancer” without being so paranoid. My advice for anyone in a similar situation is to get ALL suspicious areas checked. You just never know…. and its worth getting checked for your peace of mind!
All my love,
KPOW
So I felt a pea sized nodule below my incision line under my armpit early fall. Dr. Brower felt it and was confident it was just scar tissue. I followed up with Dr. Patel, my breast surgeon a few weeks ago and she also felt the nodules (theres 2 now). Dr. Patel agreed they felt like scar tissue. She then said, “do you feel this?” She placed my fingers underneath my armpit/pec area and I felt this really thin flat lumpy thing hahah (so hard to describe). I couldn’t believe I missed this area considering I do self exams like every day! At the end of the appointment I asked if we could do an ultrasound now versus waiting. Dr. Patel agreed due to my age and how aggressive my cancer was….
So my ultrasound is today at 3:30pm. I’ve been super calm with good vibes…. until this morning. I was snapping at the kids for no good reason, my heart was racing, ughhh IM SO NERVOUS all of a sudden. I think it’s a PTSD moment.. I mean the last ultrasound I had was 3 years ago and they found a huge ass breast tumor that was either benign or cancerous. It was the scariest day of my life not knowing if I had cancer or not.
I need to get it together and stay positive. Worrying is not going to help anything.
Please say a prayer for me!!! I would greatly appreciate it 🙏
Love you all!
KPOW
Kelly’s Breast Cancer Blog 🎀