To The Fullest

10/12/2023

Forgot to post pictures from the San Diego Rock and Roll Marathon back in June! 4 hours, 16 minutes 💪🏽

No stomach, no problem! 💕

31/03/2023

4 year post-op visit with Dr. Davis and his team! Nikki came along with me again this year 💕

26/03/2022

Three year post-op follow up with Dr. Davis at the NIH!

This year my 19 year old came with me. She hasn’t tested for the mutation yet but will be doing so shortly. We are hopeful that she’ll test negative but she wanted to meet the team and see what NIH is all about just in case she comes back positive.

Racheal, the NIH dietitian, is still waiting on a few of my labs to come back, along with my bone density scan, but the results that have come back so far are spot on, meaning my multi vitamins are sufficient and my body is doing a good job absorbing vitamins, minerals and nutrients.

When your stomach is removed you no longer have the stomach acid and enzymes that aid in digestion and absorption so it’s important that I am monitored regularly for any signs of malnutrition/malabsorption.

3 years post-op, 3 years stomachless, 3 years stomach cancer free!

29/04/2021

Long cross country flight but I was greeted by an absolutely stunning evening in Bethesda so I decided to walk to my hotel.

The NIH has a shuttle that runs from the 3 major DC area airports to NIH so I caught the shuttle from Dulles to NIH then I could catch another NIH shuttle that takes you from NIH to several of the area hotels but after such a long flight, it was such a nice evening I decided to just walk the 2 miles from NIH to my hotel. The white building is part of Walter Reed medical center which is directly across the street from NIH.

29/04/2021

Headed back to NIH for my 2 year post-op follow up!

28/01/2021

No stomach, no problem!

Chocolate Tower Truffle Cake!!! Of course it did take 3 days for me to finish this piece of cake 😃

22/08/2020

https://debbiesdream.org/events/ask/

I’m super excited to attend this. Dr. Davis is the absolute best! He and his team at NIH (National Institutes of Health) take such good care of me. And it’s hard to find anyone who knows more about CDH1 Diffuse Gastric Cancer than he does

Get all of your stomach cancer questions answered by an expert, Dr. Jeremy Davis from NIH Clinical Center.

12/08/2020

I had a wonderful 47th birthday. It was bittersweet because I have now reached an age that my big brother never got a chance to see. But I got to enjoy a birthday dinner from Cheesecake Factory with his wife (my sister in-love) and my niece.

I also got a call from my doctors office letting me know that my biopsy results came back benign. The mass that was seen on my 3D mammogram and follow up ultrasound is the remnants of a ruptured cyst.

Loving this birthday card my sister in-love and niece gave me. A seahorse. Seahorses don’t have a stomach. My sister in-loves strength amazes me. She lost her husband to complications from the same surgery that saved my life. Through her pain she still celebrates my triumphs and milestones with me ❤️

27/07/2020

So Ultrasound this morning confirmed a solid mass in my left breast that does NOT have the typical characteristics of cancer, along with several small “complex” cysts. Doctor suspects the mass is a benign fibroadenoma which is what was found in my right breast last year. I will do a biopsy to make sure and then have a breast MRI to get on my every 6 month surveillance schedule while I decide if I want to pursue a preventative double mastectomy.

Obviously, if my biopsy comes back showing either cancer or atypical cells, my decision will be made and I will move forward with double mastectomy ASAP.

So thankful I’m able to rest knowing that God’s got this!

I’ll keep you all updated.

26/07/2020

Well, here we go again. I had the same issue this time last year. I have an ultrasound scheduled for Monday and I’m really not looking forward to another biopsy if it’s decided that’s what’s needed. I’m not worried, just more annoyed because I really don’t want to deal with this year after year. But I’m not ready to pull the trigger on a preventative double mastectomy yet either.

Through it all though, God continues to remind me how fortunate I am in that I was able to get ahead of my stomach cancer. And breast cancer is something that can be detected early which is why my CDH1 status warrants twice yearly screenings. Not everyone is so fortunate in their cancer journey ❤️

29/05/2020

I did it!!! Thanks to a little push (or actually a pull) from my girls I got my sub 8 minute pace. 4 miles at a 7:56 pace!

13 months post op
No stomach, no problem!

20/05/2020

My coach (aka my 13 year old daughter who runs a sub 5:50 mile 😃) pulled me to an 8:03 pace for 4.71 miles. SOOOO close to a sub 8 pace. Guess I have my goal for next week!

13 months post op! No stomach, no problem!!!