tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38039608285181178592024-03-12T19:57:52.493-07:00Katie's Fight Against CancerKatiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02878503141094189330noreply@blogger.comBlogger28125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3803960828518117859.post-9027933324764233182014-05-29T10:36:00.001-07:002014-05-29T10:36:17.008-07:00cancer free for one yearI honestly forgot today was the day until this fantastic cake was delivered to me this morning.<br />
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The delivery man from the Provo Baker said he had a cake to Katie from Lisa. I looked down at the cake in his arms and viewed one of the strangest looking cakes I've ever seen. A face with a mask on it.<br />
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For a split second it looked like a scary Jason mask… until I read the words "Happy Anniversary!" underneath. Today is my anniversary! My one year being cancer free anniversary. This is a much happier occasion to celebrate than what occurred in January. That scary blue mask on the cake is my radiation mask. My TARDIS. Remember this guy?<br />
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My Aunt Lisa is so loving she remembered this day and sent me this wonderful cake to celebrate.<br />
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I ran to my bedroom and found my journal from last year under my bed. I flipped to Wednesday 05/29/2013, and here is a piece of that journal entry:<br />
"I'm done! I'm done! I'm done with radiation! It is very surreal. Even while I laid on the table with that beam buzzing for the final time I thought, 'This is surreal'. In a way I'm kind of bummed. I really feel like my radiation therapists were my friends and I'm going to miss them. <br />
During the radiation the final song to come on was 'Casimir Pulaski Day' by Sufjan Stevens. It's about a girl who dies from cancer. Oh man. That will not be me!<br />
After radiation they lowered the table and allowed me to try and break my way out of the mask. It's impossible. During my radiation stimulation at the beginning of radiation the techs assured me that I would be able to. Lies. Lies to try and calm me while they strapped my head to a table. At least today I tried… then gave up. Hey! It's not possible. <br />
I said goodbye, hope I never see you again! Had an appointment with Dr. Eisbruch and got outta there. The cookies I made for my techs were a hit by the way.<br />
After radiation I planted flowers and I came home and swam. Now life proceeds…."<br />
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And wow. Life certainly has proceeded since then. I'm so grateful for my life! I'm grateful for being alive and, especially as of lately, for truly <i>living</i> life. <br />
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So, words of advice to myself for the day. Stop being complacent and go live! You are lucky to be alive.<br />
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<br />Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02878503141094189330noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3803960828518117859.post-36039823228642419612014-01-22T07:45:00.000-08:002014-01-22T16:11:42.380-08:00happy cancerversaryOne year ago today I was diagnosed with cancer. Cancer! They didn't know what kind it was when they called me on the phone and said the word, 'malignant', but my final diagnosis was a 'high grade myxofibrosarcoma'. <br />
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After a month of testing and a long Martin Luther King Jr. Day weekend, I found myself in my lab on campus. Finally the call came that I had been waiting over a week for. Surely she was going to tell me I was fine. Surely the bump was benign and I could stick to my scheduled February surgery. And as you know, that was not the case. The nurse practitioner whom I have never met called and said that word, "malignant". I didn't really hear what she said after that. Something about calling her if I had questions. Questions? I had zero questions at the moment. Should I have questions? I surely should. I thanked her… for some reason, and said goodbye. And then I cried. I was in my lab on BYU campus full of people that I love. I went into the back corner by the computer and cried for a bit while I called Julie Hunter, one of my closest friends. I couldn't quite handle calling my parents until I had myself under control. I received a few hugs and "I'm sorrys" from my wonderful lab mates. I called Kaylie and I think my sobbing let her in on the secret of what just happened. She picked me up from school and just let me cry. Because I was scared and sad. The beautiful thing is the trust that I later felt. Trust in God that I had never so tangibly felt before. I've before had experiences where great trust in God was required. I was baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints when I was 17, the only one in my family. That required a lot of trust. I served an 18 month mission for my church where I took school off and wasn't able to talk to my parents on the phone but just spent all day serving. That required a lot of trust. I've had my heart broken and tried to know that it was right. That required a lot of trust. But the trust I felt in God when I was diagnosed with cancer was the greatest trust I've ever felt in Him before. <br />
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It's easy to talk about the should haves and the should have nots. Like I should have been a normal college student continuing in school. I should have not had to pause life and fight my body's fight against itself. But, alas, that is not what life is about. If life were perfect and troubles never beseeched us then it would be kind of boring. And we wouldn't grow in the way troubles allow us to.<br />
I am grateful for my cancer. I feel like I can say that because I have lived through it. It has made me better. More compassionate, more grateful for life, and frankly a bit more interesting. <br />
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Here I am, one year later. Healthy! Still going to my 3 month check-ups. Still a bit frightened they'll find something new. But a better person overall. Because cancer definitely changes you. It may disfigure your body a bit. And even your mind. But I have come to a healthy place with cancer where I'm not embarrassed of it (clearly) and where I can see the good it has brought. <br />
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So…. Happy Cancerversary to me! Amy even got me a present to celebrate!<br />
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<br />Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02878503141094189330noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3803960828518117859.post-27979340830133895972013-09-15T15:07:00.001-07:002013-09-15T15:19:10.488-07:00a life changing week <br />
I really didn't think I would continue this blog. I mean, my fight is over, right? Yet I participated in something recently that helped me realize the life of a cancer fighter/survivor doesn't have to be all about fighting/surviving but rather living and I wanted to write about it.<br />
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A couple weeks ago I went on a kayak trip with a group called <a href="http://firstdescents.org/">First Descents</a>. How to describe FD? I think their mission statement from their website is pretty adequate, <b>"FIRST DESCENTS </b>offers young adult cancer fighters and survivors a free outdoor adventure experience designed to empower them to climb, paddle and surf beyond their diagnosis, defy their cancer, reclaim their lives and connect with others doing the same."<br />
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How beautiful is that? An outdoor experience "designed to <i>empower</i> them". Wow. And for free! Before my trip I read somewhere that a First Descents experience would change my life. Did I really expect this to happen? Certainly not, but I was willing to at least go and have fun and see how I could grow from it.<br />
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I was never one for support groups. I'm still not one to go to support groups. I know it is really therapeutic for some and, well, supports them through the trials they are going through, but that's not me. All I can picture is the beginning of <i>Fight Club </i>where Edward Norton's character goes to these groups to cry so he can sleep. Chairs in a circle, people getting up, saying their name, "hi (insert name)", cry sesh, sit down, go home, sleep. Not my thing. And so FD, being the opposite of that situation, was extremely therapeutic for me. <br />
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I think the rest of this blog post is just going to be littered with pictures I stole from our First Descents facebook page and a bit about this amazing week kayaking on the Potomac river in DC.<br />
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Sunday. Fly into Baltimore. Get picked up by one of the camp directors named McStillin. Get to know a few of my fellow campers, Firefly, Shadow, Quiz, Aloha and Gumbo. I get my name of 8 Mile and we proceed to where we're staying for the week. We meet everyone else, namely Patch the other director, Drift, Daizy, Stitches, Turbo, Persimmon, Anonymous, Black Swan, and all the others who helped make the week possible. <br />
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Monday. First day kayaking. I sucked. I could not go straight. But only like 3 of us really could so I didn't feel too bad. Kayaking hurt more than I expected because of my neck surgery. It's a good thing everyone had plenty of medicine to share.<br />
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Tuesday. We did a little stand up paddle board yoga in the morning. More kayaking. I was not as bad as I was the day before. And it was so much fun. Also, Patch and our kayaking director, Outlaw, went down a waterfall called Great Falls. A waterfall! It was pretty nuts. Some other guy watching from the same outlook we were asked in admiration, "You know those guys?" Yes, yes we do. To round out the night we had a little dance party on the school bus we used the next day to go to DC. <br />
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Wednesday. We went to DC in the morning. I have never been this far east before let alone to Washington DC, and it was terrific. And hot. So I was glad when we went back on the bus. We played on the stand up paddle boards all afternoon and just had fun.<br />
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Thursday. Our last day on the water. We did more advanced rapids than we had before and did our "graduation rapid" by ourself. We played around at this one rapid just trying to stay up, but we all eventually got flipped over. There were people there to flip you back so you were just supposed to stay in your boat upside down. I bailed. Immediately. Maybe I should trust more.<br />
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Friday. Goodbye. Which was a lot sadder than I expected for people I had known less than a week. We made a little stop by the Washington DC temple and then got some Chick-fil-A on the way to the airport and then I was home in the mitten once more.<br />
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If there was not money put into cancer research I would probably still have cancer. I am so appreciative of the billions of dollars spent to find treatments/cures for cancer. But it is easy to forget that those that have cancer are people too. We aren't just a diagnosis. My name is Katie, not female with a high-grade myxofibrosarcoma. And that is one of the reasons I love First Descents. I am Katie and I am alive and really trying to <i>live</i> after cancer! Well actually I guess I should be saying "I am 8 Mile and I am alive.. etc." But really, it feels so good to not be forgotten after my treatment is over. First Descents, this beautiful non-profit group, helped to help me to realize how strong I am. It helped me to know what more I want out of life. I want to truly be "out living it" not just being alive. It helped me connect with people that actually know what I went through and what I'm still going through. <br />
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So, did my FD trip change my life? It did. It really did.<br />
If you'd like to donate to First Descents to help make trips like this possible for other young adult cancer fighters and survivors just click <a href="https://firstdescents.org/donate/">here</a>!<br />
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<br />Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02878503141094189330noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3803960828518117859.post-71116802315743253402013-07-23T18:44:00.000-07:002013-07-24T12:10:30.127-07:00another mri and some good updatesIt seems crazy to me but tonight I had my baseline MRI done. This is the MRI the doctors will compare all my future MRI's to. It's kind of surreal to me that I am this far out from when my surgeries were done. And nearly 2 months since my radiation ended. Crazy!<br />
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This past Sunday my mom and I went to Dr. Ward's home for a dinner with his family. The dinner was so yummy and a lot of it came from their backyard. They have a big, beautiful garden. I hope to have a garden one day like that. We had such a good night and spectacular conversation. His family is wonderful and so sweet. Really, at the end of the night I realized more than ever how much Dr. Ward was meant to be my surgeon. The Lord aligned our paths. <br />
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I recently acquired pictures from my surgery. Gruesome pictures of my open neck where you can see my skull and spine. Unfortunately (or possibly very fortunately) I am not allowed to post these online. Something about "property of the hospital", "patient's rights", "hipaa"... whateves. So, you want to see these? You'll have to check them out on my computer sometime.<br />
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I'm going to Washington D.C. this August! There is a group called <a href="http://firstdescents.org/">First Descents </a>and it's mission is to provide a free outdoor adventure experience for young adults who are fighting cancer or are survivors. It's pretty hard to get into because it is so in demand but I was accepted and am super pumped. It is completely free because of donations. I am so excited! So, from August 18-23 I will be kayaking in that area. <br />
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By the way... totally loving the book 'A Game of Thrones'. I'm officially an uber geek. <br />
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Here's a picture of me accidentally hitting One Direction with my grandfather's car.<br />
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<br />Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02878503141094189330noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3803960828518117859.post-77244717120833634752013-06-28T08:26:00.000-07:002013-06-28T08:26:20.004-07:00the benefit luncheonLast Friday was the benefit luncheon my family threw for me at Outback Steakhouse. It went so well! We got there a bit early with all the raffle prizes and helped set up the restaurant. As guests arrived I stood by the door to greet everyone and then passed them off to my family. <div>
So many people came. So many amazing, wonderful people.</div>
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My grandparents drove up from Texas to attend and a few of their friends from the area came. </div>
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Old friends from high school and their families came. </div>
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Nearly every member of the Harris family found their way there: aunts, uncles, cousins. </div>
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My sister in law Lauren invited her parents, who invited their neighbors and friends from their church who came as well. </div>
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Many people from my church came even though it was on a busy weekend and during the middle of the day. Even both sets of missionaries from my ward managed ways there. </div>
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My first grade teacher, Mrs. Prine, who taught Tom, Patrick and I came. </div>
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Many people from the DQ came. My boss and his boss, even Nikki who hired me when I was 16.</div>
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Dr. Ward came! My surgeon, Dr. Ward, was there the whole time. My mom had a ton of fun showing him off to people.</div>
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Outpourings of love like this make me almost grateful I got cancer. I have never before seen so many people act so selflessly and give so much. And for me to be the recipient of this love is pretty astounding. </div>
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The food was so yummy. Steak and chicken and ribs. I'm sure there were some vegetables in there as well... but do those really matter? There were over a dozen raffle prizes donated by local businesses. </div>
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Dairy Queen. Your Michigan Connection in downtown Northville. Home Depot. The Marquis Theatre. Stingers Bar & Grill. Salon Unity. Tubby's. Tilt & Sons Landscape.</div>
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As I was drawing the winners of the raffle prizes I kept drawing the same names. I was worried people would think that it was rigged. It wasn't, I promise.</div>
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Thank you everyone! All those that read this blog, thank you, for being a part of this journey. Thank you for your prayers, they have helped more than I'll ever be able to fully realize. Thank you for helping me with this financial burden obligate with having cancer. Thank you to all those that stepped in so selflessly to insure that I don't have to handle this weight alone. </div>
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And finally some pictures from the event....</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Th Outback Steakhouse in West Bloomfield where it was held</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My cousin Ryan and his wife Lainie, who hosted the luncheon</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFMOgZg6dlqB5NehKAPQReT2W6Rn6514ikCYCkN5QF69bgmU8MsLZPK0EnyyuuKyzqaVwvl49iVS47WeQbOywiikWN5gQch0U5PiX4DC-6XSzLyNGD9OhLsrsI-7Hpzv8Qh9DsVMhfgxc/s640/6-21-2013+-+Great+Grandpa+and+Great+Grandson+-+Donald+Desch+and+Tobias+Harris.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFMOgZg6dlqB5NehKAPQReT2W6Rn6514ikCYCkN5QF69bgmU8MsLZPK0EnyyuuKyzqaVwvl49iVS47WeQbOywiikWN5gQch0U5PiX4DC-6XSzLyNGD9OhLsrsI-7Hpzv8Qh9DsVMhfgxc/s400/6-21-2013+-+Great+Grandpa+and+Great+Grandson+-+Donald+Desch+and+Tobias+Harris.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Papa Don and Tobias</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKgEw8E1FT3yi-FC7-u3YWuEC7vhjiDDiEOvy389XiuNw8UMfxv49V6oZy-mDzKMYh35hpYt4qMRHHYyqe0GjIJqiES8U6T-wxEbtNbtCAJb1dD4WhzbM2acd3w4mS5CBV5gvYLHxo0vQ/s640/6-21-2013+-+Katie,+photo+bombed+by+her+Mom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKgEw8E1FT3yi-FC7-u3YWuEC7vhjiDDiEOvy389XiuNw8UMfxv49V6oZy-mDzKMYh35hpYt4qMRHHYyqe0GjIJqiES8U6T-wxEbtNbtCAJb1dD4WhzbM2acd3w4mS5CBV5gvYLHxo0vQ/s400/6-21-2013+-+Katie,+photo+bombed+by+her+Mom.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A picture my grandma took of me greeting people that my mom totally photo bombed</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My brother Patrick and his family</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Patrick, Lauren and Tobias</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg-sDqU4PWQ8tSGhFPI7dV4_wEEp-uwjt1QnjftOulT6bxmKCeS_lXcI3d3vklNTOC1QcfDydYn3IvJ5f5CJvZdE8wvS85VES9fV8DNY7balOaBBxa_8yf8UCTNGEPDh7vZFnl6wlfim0/s960/6-21-2013+-+Randy+Joe+Rzetelny.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg-sDqU4PWQ8tSGhFPI7dV4_wEEp-uwjt1QnjftOulT6bxmKCeS_lXcI3d3vklNTOC1QcfDydYn3IvJ5f5CJvZdE8wvS85VES9fV8DNY7balOaBBxa_8yf8UCTNGEPDh7vZFnl6wlfim0/s400/6-21-2013+-+Randy+Joe+Rzetelny.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My cousin Randy who helped greatly with everything</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLZMzlpjewrVf96fNrGRkjDsVE0TRyJXLQE-ZXzcSLkBbi7_xUAPrYhqNimDI96diUsOw-096BCkSAPhIgyLjpQ7frd28urcV8W93Z9CpDFFiK8gjsou_eX13OVjZDVKO1zfM9CSgHnJs/s1296/6-21-2013+-+Tommy,+Patrick,+Katie+Harris+with+their+1st+grade+teacher+Mrs.+Anne+Prine,+with+Tori+and+Tobi+Harris+-+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLZMzlpjewrVf96fNrGRkjDsVE0TRyJXLQE-ZXzcSLkBbi7_xUAPrYhqNimDI96diUsOw-096BCkSAPhIgyLjpQ7frd28urcV8W93Z9CpDFFiK8gjsou_eX13OVjZDVKO1zfM9CSgHnJs/s400/6-21-2013+-+Tommy,+Patrick,+Katie+Harris+with+their+1st+grade+teacher+Mrs.+Anne+Prine,+with+Tori+and+Tobi+Harris+-+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My brothers and I with Mrs. Prine, our 1st grade teacher</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZZ-AwmNPxw-G0PVXZ7xfTo3xhgxCQ0iaapjzAINNnEeTLBeZWBo2VBKbuIs39Qv7SbKr8aQ1Q4Lbnryx1ihTTjv3UHVhLiMmALZ4If4qXk0X_JOP3spB9ePHuk_Yg7DoIEDYuimR2ca4/s960/aunt+kim+uncle+jim.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZZ-AwmNPxw-G0PVXZ7xfTo3xhgxCQ0iaapjzAINNnEeTLBeZWBo2VBKbuIs39Qv7SbKr8aQ1Q4Lbnryx1ihTTjv3UHVhLiMmALZ4If4qXk0X_JOP3spB9ePHuk_Yg7DoIEDYuimR2ca4/s400/aunt+kim+uncle+jim.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Aunt Kim and Uncle Jim</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRGFzyfitnBSXmTR5UpNH7byB_7eRKi1xanxTrl527BXadOVLMToV41BrOEeVKAiqUCL_ZLeZoAyWBqNF01ar10d7Oh-o9ODIotaslabV3CVvLLB1htWVQ3T2M6ktGpOKgZQFjfV75qIo/s960/brothers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRGFzyfitnBSXmTR5UpNH7byB_7eRKi1xanxTrl527BXadOVLMToV41BrOEeVKAiqUCL_ZLeZoAyWBqNF01ar10d7Oh-o9ODIotaslabV3CVvLLB1htWVQ3T2M6ktGpOKgZQFjfV75qIo/s400/brothers.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My brothers with Tobias and Tori</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_n_RqvsfNPWYx3Wy5BTKfTyL520RAzVWA2ebbGDJ2JW74ZygBt4euX1ph37Y6DkJ7FlFfRVNjasguYUvRpg7xr5AG_MYpWcgi4bGwQHQX6OleWEkfVZq3Vn565-Fe-wWkGhyphenhyphenJXzvfPRw/s960/erica.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_n_RqvsfNPWYx3Wy5BTKfTyL520RAzVWA2ebbGDJ2JW74ZygBt4euX1ph37Y6DkJ7FlFfRVNjasguYUvRpg7xr5AG_MYpWcgi4bGwQHQX6OleWEkfVZq3Vn565-Fe-wWkGhyphenhyphenJXzvfPRw/s400/erica.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Erica, me, Matt and Jordan</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1WDxxQwEIdFgE0YupmiTYlXzZcVSpEfHOiCLIb2YSlotCTU6AmbI0eLSNQo3zpPIFmlv9yrj3YHHK7ppONXAv-e7wAyFovcVD_cdyRjqUbOrQKoHiEGK-lBVcrfPnI9Di-w1sESG8lMQ/s421/tommy+jennifer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1WDxxQwEIdFgE0YupmiTYlXzZcVSpEfHOiCLIb2YSlotCTU6AmbI0eLSNQo3zpPIFmlv9yrj3YHHK7ppONXAv-e7wAyFovcVD_cdyRjqUbOrQKoHiEGK-lBVcrfPnI9Di-w1sESG8lMQ/s400/tommy+jennifer.jpg" width="335" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tom and Jennifer</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjprUMo8oqiRlZd2fX3LjWXqK_zG3BrwMn8-_qEtllMNi1boJtgSF62ShGqkdWFrkExXfxGNb11ekug8N5Q24613trvfBjb4sbqGoaej38kUR8asMxLSPMzMbybjEsPOsbXnia2AfE7p-U/s960/uncle+randy+ryan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjprUMo8oqiRlZd2fX3LjWXqK_zG3BrwMn8-_qEtllMNi1boJtgSF62ShGqkdWFrkExXfxGNb11ekug8N5Q24613trvfBjb4sbqGoaej38kUR8asMxLSPMzMbybjEsPOsbXnia2AfE7p-U/s400/uncle+randy+ryan.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Uncle Randy and cousin Ryan</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi78Cy1QcrpWLbQTyjQobOwBOrdKWFJGTjaeJ0u-ebis2x5Gvrb-mtItnpgwfrtfqxeAaaAAzdJTC_GA3ft71AXaOYQHoghyU8zk2siISsiMEJjwFXzXPyMHr8jp1WZusEc_Ow-5l615ps/s960/6-21-2013+-+Katie+and+her+Aunt+Julie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi78Cy1QcrpWLbQTyjQobOwBOrdKWFJGTjaeJ0u-ebis2x5Gvrb-mtItnpgwfrtfqxeAaaAAzdJTC_GA3ft71AXaOYQHoghyU8zk2siISsiMEJjwFXzXPyMHr8jp1WZusEc_Ow-5l615ps/s400/6-21-2013+-+Katie+and+her+Aunt+Julie.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Aunt Julie and I</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvuvi6JoU1PlXq1zt9zpnsmiQQeJqneOFXX9OgwJ3TFuPfa4UoEMlobRokLupzkFvbw0AEiXbzqXYWKrAgUn863MUYp9Rhx43DsfsF_BfUPAaA-HnwYwmRg235dtpoxw5kRp86ryRoVbs/s960/6-21-2013+-+Alex+and+Nancy+Harris+-+mom+and+son.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvuvi6JoU1PlXq1zt9zpnsmiQQeJqneOFXX9OgwJ3TFuPfa4UoEMlobRokLupzkFvbw0AEiXbzqXYWKrAgUn863MUYp9Rhx43DsfsF_BfUPAaA-HnwYwmRg235dtpoxw5kRp86ryRoVbs/s400/6-21-2013+-+Alex+and+Nancy+Harris+-+mom+and+son.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My cousin Alex and Aunt Nancy</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjCT48PYbDT3V_dg_Qb0n_hZtGfysA4SWnUgJOP4Rgjjyz5WynA860s9jHUFbB0WY7OrYbQlDv45kV7Zwt9pbTcFne6zTBTaAjDuZECXaj1MXcoWseJ4MracqDgG3LqiVbcYvGFm9bcLY/s640/6-21-2013+-+Tom+Harris+and+Granddaughter+Tori.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjCT48PYbDT3V_dg_Qb0n_hZtGfysA4SWnUgJOP4Rgjjyz5WynA860s9jHUFbB0WY7OrYbQlDv45kV7Zwt9pbTcFne6zTBTaAjDuZECXaj1MXcoWseJ4MracqDgG3LqiVbcYvGFm9bcLY/s400/6-21-2013+-+Tom+Harris+and+Granddaughter+Tori.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is the hawaiian shirt my dad picked out. Lovely, right?</td></tr>
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I guess I am 'cancer free'. It's incredible how short this journey was. 6 months! Only 6 months from finding that pesky bump on my neck, being diagnosed with a malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor, being re-diagnosed with a high-grade myxofibrosarcoma, a couple surgeries, 6 1/2 weeks of radiation and a benefit luncheon to cap it all off. All that's left are checkups. 1 MRI every 3 months, 1 chest x-ray every 3 months (we want to insure it still isn't in my lungs) for about a year. Then every 6 months. Then every year. </div>
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So once again. Thank you all. I can't imagine doing this on my own and I'm so grateful I didn't have to.</div>
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P.S. I got a call from my genetic counselor and my cancer is not genetically caused. I don't have Li-Fraumeni syndrome!</div>
Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02878503141094189330noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3803960828518117859.post-43934716249993481002013-05-29T19:43:00.000-07:002013-05-29T19:43:09.417-07:00done done doneToday was my last day of radiation. Can you believe it? 6 weeks are done. I am done with radiation!<br />
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When I first began radiation it was pretty difficult because I wasn't too friendly. I would go, lay there for the radiation, and leave. I wouldn't really talk to my techs. A couple weeks in I changed my attitude and got friendlier and then actually started enjoying my radiation. Really, those radiation therapists deserve an award because of how they positively changed my life. I saw them everyday and we would banter and tease one another and what not. Is it weird that I'm going to miss going to radiation? Although I'm sure I will be fine soon enough because of the 2 hours I have back everyday. <br />
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This morning I woke up to go running and decided to make cookies for my radiation therapists instead. Ian Cookies. You know the ones I'm talking about? Oatmeal chocolate chip. Really yummy. Well, it took longer than expected so mom and I took the last batch out of the oven, threw them on a plate and rushed to Ann Arbor. <br />
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Got changed, went to the waiting room with my cookies, and heard my name called one last time. My cute therapist stopped by to say goodbye before a meeting and we all got a picture.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's too bad he had his hair in a ponytail...</td></tr>
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Had my session and would you know it, the last song that came on was 'Casimir Pulaski Day'. Hopefully the story in that song remains the opposite of my story. <br />
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When I was fitted for my mask the radiation therapists told me a few things to reassure me... some of those were not true. Like as they strapped my mask to the table they told me to not worry, if I really wanted I could pull up on my mask and it would detach from the table. Lie. I tried this today. My therapists knew it was coming so they first lowered the table and then let me try. All I did was increase the noticeability of the waffle marks on my face from pushing on the TARDIS so hard. I gave up pretty quickly. Oh well. They gave me my TARDIS mask to take home. I don't know what to do with it. Run over it with a car? Hang it up on my wall as a piece of art? I am open to suggestions.<br />
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I said goodbye to my therapists and told them that I hope I never see them again. Had an appointment with Dr. Eisbruch. Told him how much I enjoyed my radiation experience and he offered me more radiation... I politely declined. Left University of Michigan Hospital for a long time...<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Driving away from the hospital.</td></tr>
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Well.. only until Monday when I have an appointment with Dr. Ward. You can't win everything, right?Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02878503141094189330noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3803960828518117859.post-12310879634699464992013-05-20T21:03:00.001-07:002013-05-20T21:03:13.986-07:00a genuine redneckToday I had my first 3 month follow up appointment with Dr. Chugh, my medical oncologist. I got an x-ray of my chest and my lungs are still clear! So relieving. She's going to set me up with an oncologist in Salt Lake for when I am back at school because I will have to be checked every 3 months for quite a while. Dr. Chugh is pretty amazing and is going beyond what is expected to make sure the care I get is the best.<br />
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After my appointment with Dr. Chugh I had radiation. This is my sixth week of radiation. I can't believe it has gone by so quickly. I mostly see the same radiation therapists everyday and have become friends of sorts with them. Today we bantered back and forth, talked about the music I have on, my new shoes... They made fun of me for said new shoes. They asked me to explain hashtags. Let's be honest, they aren't that much older than me, just a couple of years. They should know what hashtags are. One of my therapists is only 29 and he has long, flowing dark hair and rides a motorcycle. Basically he's a total babe. Today I was going to ask him if he could take me on a ride on this motorcycle... and I noticed the ring on his left hand just in time. That could have been embarrassing. I thought it was only at BYU that I had to be so conscious of married men.<br />
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I met with Dr. Eisbruch, my radiation oncologist, and he asked me about my symptoms and neck and what not. I told him my neck was getting super red. He looked at it and responded, 'oh, yeah, that's a bit red.' Not as dramatic as I thought. But really, I am a genuine redneck. I may be lacking a car parked in my front yard and a first cousin as a boyfriend, but my neck is very red. Apparently it will get worse until a couple days after my radiation therapy ends, and then it will decrease in redness. It doesn't bother me too much because my hair mostly hides it and I'm numb there anyways so I can't feel the burn.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr9tBgC18Ch-psABZ-Tz8-s89FS6_CyoH5G60lI2k8NXOIdXFLgci5cAIqs8GysH_LOdDO88ecTvqql_j1DncKfrnl13ty5uFTlIjUVJE6ca8UgSqFll1JYHl01CDdROYFOIMhinSpsro/s1600/neck1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr9tBgC18Ch-psABZ-Tz8-s89FS6_CyoH5G60lI2k8NXOIdXFLgci5cAIqs8GysH_LOdDO88ecTvqql_j1DncKfrnl13ty5uFTlIjUVJE6ca8UgSqFll1JYHl01CDdROYFOIMhinSpsro/s400/neck1.jpg" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Such a distinctive red line</td></tr>
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Dr. Eisbruch's resident, Dr. Shumway, is a BYU grad. Dr. Eisbruch mentioned today that I am studying microbiology at BYU, and of course Dr. Shumway has taken many of the same classes as I have. He mentioned in particular Dr. Bridgewater and Dr. Evans having a great impact on him. So cool that he remembers them and their teaching so long after the fact. Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02878503141094189330noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3803960828518117859.post-36783167422800780552013-05-11T19:41:00.001-07:002013-05-11T19:41:17.706-07:00a bit over... half way thereI'm not the biggest Bon Jovi fan, so I couldn't post this when I was exactly half way there. <br />
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Radiation is going well! 4 weeks down, 3 to go. Every Monday I meet with Dr. Eisbruch and this past Monday he asked me if I was losing any hair yet. I responded 'no' as I reached up to touch the buzzed part of my hair from my surgery and brought my hand back with a clump of hair in it. I change my answer to yes. Yes, I am definitely losing hair. I recalled seeing little hairs on my jacket and thinking it was dog hair. I don't have a dog. It was my hair. Whoops. I haven't lost much yet, and hopefully I won't lose much more. Any hair loss will be localized to where they are doing the radiation, so just the hair that is struggling to grow after being shaved twice.<br />
I expected to have more side effects at this point but I hardly have any. I have the slight hair loss and then a sunburn/tan in the area where the radiation hits my skin. So I have a circular tan that covers a bit of my cheek and then most of my neck. It's so obvious to me, but I don't think anyone else will notice it. <br />
This past week I was babysitting and one of the little girls asked me what happened to my neck. I told her I had surgery and she asked why and if I was okay and whatnot. It was so innocent and really quite cute. Kids are so curious and so accepting of the things they find out. She just wanted to make sure that I was okay. It was starkly different from the day I was on BYU campus after my surgery to withdraw from all my classes and take care of other business. The day a random girl stood behind me and asked "<i>What</i> is wrong with your neck?" Not so innocent and non-judgmental and cute. If only we could have the innocence of little children for longer.<br />
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<br />Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02878503141094189330noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3803960828518117859.post-15008051478999062392013-05-02T20:10:00.000-07:002013-05-02T20:10:57.629-07:00a glimpse into my future?Ever since I declared myself as a microbiology major my sophomore year of college I have been unsure as to what I would do with my degree. Should I be a dentist? Should I pursue research? While I'm still unsure as to exactly what I want to do, I have more ideas. As of late I have been interested in genetic counseling. I first learned about it last semester in a careers class and it sounded interesting.<br />
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I met with a genetic counselor today. Victoria. Because of my age and my type of cancer my oncologist thought it was prudent to check for any genetic conditions that would have caused my cancer. Victoria was pretty wonderful. She first explained that only about 10% of cancers are caused by genetic mutations... but they are checking me just in case. Victoria asked about my family history and constructed my family tree as my mom and I tried to recall all the health issues the dear old Harris family has experienced. She said if I have a genetic condition it is most likely something called Li-Fraumeni syndrome, which is a mutation in gene p53, a tumor suppressor gene. It is a dominant gene so if I have it my siblings and other family members will have to be checked as well. Li-Fraumeni syndrome puts one at a much higher risk to develop cancer. If this is something I have then I will have to be checked for other types of cancer earlier than most people. I most likely don't have this mutation, like I'm nearly 100% sure that I do not, but it is better to be safe and sure. My blood sample is being shipped to California to be tested and hopefully I'll have results in the next month or so. :)<br />
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Meeting with Victoria has helped me realize how cool genetic counseling is. You help people and still have to be smart and scientific in your thinking. So... who knows? Perhaps that is where my future lies...Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02878503141094189330noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3803960828518117859.post-20221364610039064832013-04-29T14:26:00.001-07:002013-04-29T14:27:24.738-07:00waffle faceI think my mask has gotten a lot tighter since they made it... or my face has gotten a lot fatter in the last few weeks. I am hoping it is the former, but who really knows?<br />
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I just started my third week of radiation. Radiation is... okay... not that bad... a lot better than chemo... but let's be honest, it's no fun.<br />
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Everyday I make the 40 minute drive to Ann Arbor. A friend from church has set up a drive schedule for me so most of the days someone from church drives me. Except on Monday, that's when my brother Patrick takes me there. It's been really great thus far because everyday I have the chance to have a good conversation with someone new. It's quite lovely actually.<br />
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I get to radiation, sign in, and go get changed. I only have to wear a gown on top so I still get to wear my pants and shoes. There is a waiting room where all the gowned patients wait. My first day I chatted with a couple other people waiting for radiation. I find myself not being very reserved when it comes to cancer. In the waiting room I just asked the various people what kind of cancer they have. I found that as time has gone by I have become less and less coy about it. When I was first at school and getting all those tests done to figure out what was wrong with me I never really said the word 'cancer'. Or if someone asked me how I was I always said fine, even though I was very not fine. As time went by I kind of got tired of trying to protect others, so I just started saying exactly what I was thinking and exactly how I was feeling. I know the exact moment when I lost all coyness. In the bookstore I ran into a friend I used to work with and we chatted for a moment. He asked how I was and I said I'm good, but I have cancer. Whoops. Probably wasn't necessary to tell him like that. Oh well. Since then I have been unabashed with this illness. So nobody else needs to be shy or coy about it with me either.<br />
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The radiation techs come fetch me from the waiting room and we go to the treatment room. I lie down on a table and they secure me by putting my mask on and attaching it to the table. They have to secure my shoulders as well. If you can imagine a swing, how it has a board and two chains coming up.. that is similar to what I have to hold. There is a board that my feet are on and the two ropes coming up have handles on them that I hold. It pulls my shoulders down. When my treatment began it was incredibly uncomfortable. I would whine and complain about it acting in general like a big wimp. But now it doesn't bother me so much. <br />
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Everyday thus far they have scanned me with a CT scan to make sure I am in the correct positioning... and then the radiation starts. It's really just a couple minutes long, two maximum. Two beeps indicating the radiation is happening, and I'm done. Home until the next day when it starts all over again. <br />
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I have been meeting the most incredible people. People who have beaten the most staggering odds. Those that have the greatest outlook on life. It's kind of strange but... it makes me grateful for my own problems, for my own cancer. It's amazing what a bit of perspective can do.<br />
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2 done. 5 to go. Then I'm done... at least for a bit.<br />
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The tardis gives me a waffle face whenever I wear it.<br />
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Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02878503141094189330noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3803960828518117859.post-4487946626621635602013-04-10T15:49:00.001-07:002013-04-10T15:49:42.025-07:00unpublished tumor photosAs I wrote in my first post... I didn't know about the bump behind my ear until a doctor pointed it out to me. Which is kind of pitiful because it was a very large bump. <div>
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Here are a couple old pictures of my pesky bump that have not graced the blogging world.</div>
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These two were taken before my surgery in Utah. The 'yes' is there so the surgeons knew they were operating on the correct thing. It would have been pretty disappointing to wake up with a tumor and no tonsils.</div>
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I initially got a CT scan. I looked at the disc of the images in my lab and we were all trying to figure out where the tumor was. We concluded it was the white circle on the left side of this picture. We got it wrong... </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaBDw9Y6JMp6_GGrrmD1T6KjML2rH5kYlzwFgSZKdHr6R9MirE7dqLtb1BidRP-r6_qYhJzigV9aTDP5CniRY2yH1TFhHe5C8Hnk7s_8TAUOU7dqdZIGr8ATBFIEyT5KbYLwQAtdkDUeE/s1600/Katie's+Brain+3.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaBDw9Y6JMp6_GGrrmD1T6KjML2rH5kYlzwFgSZKdHr6R9MirE7dqLtb1BidRP-r6_qYhJzigV9aTDP5CniRY2yH1TFhHe5C8Hnk7s_8TAUOU7dqdZIGr8ATBFIEyT5KbYLwQAtdkDUeE/s400/Katie's+Brain+3.bmp" width="400" /></a></div>
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We weren't even in the correct slice of my head. I don't know how we missed the tumor on the right side of this next image. Apparently CT scans and MRI images are backwards. The right side of the image is actually the left side of the head.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMgR4fGtT2J_kIQ29HRfI6ft1Tvll4xLuOSRAVyLkJhl4jPdp2CJayGvAY28hdr7fCBDXYD9iTgYfJdcyx1XwwrHDuJzwjn59N4J9tMoA8-pOKyoLdYZz4ED5pInsHKwOXNkIflSnA4Ts/s1600/Katie's+Brain+final.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMgR4fGtT2J_kIQ29HRfI6ft1Tvll4xLuOSRAVyLkJhl4jPdp2CJayGvAY28hdr7fCBDXYD9iTgYfJdcyx1XwwrHDuJzwjn59N4J9tMoA8-pOKyoLdYZz4ED5pInsHKwOXNkIflSnA4Ts/s400/Katie's+Brain+final.bmp" width="400" /></a></div>
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After I got my MRI I remember sitting in my Bacterial Pathogenesis class and staring at the pictures of my tumor on my laptop. I couldn't stop thinking, "What are you?" "What effect are you going to have on my life?" The MRI images were a lot clearer than the CT scans.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is a view from behind. I'm so muscular.</td></tr>
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Well the tumor is gone... and much of the muscle in my neck. On Monday I start radiation for only 7 weeks! Almost there.</div>
Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02878503141094189330noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3803960828518117859.post-11988542842139696952013-03-25T19:43:00.001-07:002013-03-25T19:43:42.529-07:00the maskIf only this post were about this mask...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN4WyxBCcCUKKVFHtCLjcd2zRP034XV9vLVRGpuzmrnXOIM3-7sMjkJeG4lugNu7kmQRKjmbMK1Sk1sq9ZpgSuqA3rnO26VXjyArrv-N5IeRo-tzDoOE61mRoeYBF8id4v04MWCeN19W8/s1600/the+mask.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN4WyxBCcCUKKVFHtCLjcd2zRP034XV9vLVRGpuzmrnXOIM3-7sMjkJeG4lugNu7kmQRKjmbMK1Sk1sq9ZpgSuqA3rnO26VXjyArrv-N5IeRo-tzDoOE61mRoeYBF8id4v04MWCeN19W8/s320/the+mask.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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Instead it is about my blue mask. Today I was fitted for the mask I am going to wear during radiation. You can't move at all during radiation because many beams are being shot through you and they need to hit very specified areas. For some cases, in order in insure accuracy, the patient is tattooed at the point where the beam will hit. My father had cancer when I was a senior in high school and this is what they did for him. He still has little dot tattoos from when he had radiation. I never expected to get any tattoos, ever. Alas, I will not have to. Instead I get a mask. Today was just my radiation simulation, not the actual radiation, so I am a little foggy on the exact details of the process... Apparently I will lay on a table and my mask will be placed on my face and shoulders, and they will sort of "screw" it into place in the table... so I really can't move at all. Then I will get radiation for like 5-10 minutes. They'll unscrew the mask and I am off on my way. I will do this everyday Monday-Friday for 6-7 weeks. Could be worse.<br />
Today they had me change into a gown and they laid me on a table to get a CT scan. It was unlike any other CT scan I have had before. They taped wire around my flap on my neck so it was clear in the CT scan.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEknORNVv23oEzx-nTBnfOiA0TP6SDZbONInNEyURoVWANQMihG60WIQPSc36zZYawMuDC1j-qvBrFT2JIISDHIrHc7RpAYyiouKCbptkAiDXQXFWSu5iu8fe_33fyArhLr2cWfY_f-8g/s1600/flap.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEknORNVv23oEzx-nTBnfOiA0TP6SDZbONInNEyURoVWANQMihG60WIQPSc36zZYawMuDC1j-qvBrFT2JIISDHIrHc7RpAYyiouKCbptkAiDXQXFWSu5iu8fe_33fyArhLr2cWfY_f-8g/s320/flap.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The flap looks really good... right?</td></tr>
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I had to hold on tight to some handles to pull my shoulders down so they had a better shot at my neck. Then they took this warmed blue plastic to mold the mask out of. I had to stay very still while they molded it around my face. It is very tight fitting. Apparently even facial hair messes it up and men have to shave before they can be fitted for their mask.<br />
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After the mask hardened they fixed me down, did a quick CT scan, took it off and gave me a tour of the radiation center. Should all be very simple next time I am there.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs8c7ZJccgfdhCZJ6Klxlnp5dRdzvTCwqu0jj-03QTtxyIoltjyJDrQqXHQd-3CrVJyznQkXmI6pRiNXWEdQpT0xVG1Q3BPRf6KDgg64DF96x9gdA7uLdU9B95msq8tsBFEnNz7s2rgIo/s1600/mask+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs8c7ZJccgfdhCZJ6Klxlnp5dRdzvTCwqu0jj-03QTtxyIoltjyJDrQqXHQd-3CrVJyznQkXmI6pRiNXWEdQpT0xVG1Q3BPRf6KDgg64DF96x9gdA7uLdU9B95msq8tsBFEnNz7s2rgIo/s320/mask+4.jpg" width="239" /></a></div>
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By the way... I named my mask. It is called 'The Tardis'. <br />
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<br />Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02878503141094189330noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3803960828518117859.post-47926088460681685772013-03-23T08:09:00.000-07:002013-03-23T08:09:37.062-07:00a way to help...This is a really hard blogpost to write.<br />
It's hard to forgo my pride and address this.<br />
<br />
Many want to know how to help me. It's difficult because other than the couple weeks after my surgeries I haven't been ill. I wish it were as easy as chicken noodle soup. <br />
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Having and beating cancer is really expensive. I have started working at Dairy Queen again to fund as much as I can... but minimum wage doesn't get you too far.<br />
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So, my family is running a fundraiser for me. My cousin owns an Outback Steakhouse and on June 21 we are doing a luncheon to raise money where all the proceeds will go towards my medical bills. My cousin is taking a big hit here, but that doesn't matter to him. The meal will be delicious and it will be so much fun to all be together and what not. There will be items up for raffle and it will be a good reason to take a long lunch. Just make sure to RSVP to my mom. My aunt made a flyer with the details of the event and it is at the bottom of this post.<br />
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I also realize that many of the people that love me and want to help don't live in the area. That's why this blog exists, right? So, if you'd like to help, you're welcome to donate to help me pay for my medical bills. <br />
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You can send any donation to our home:<br />
20125 Silver Spring Dr.<br />
Northville, MI 48167<br />
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Or we set up a PayPal account. If you set up a PayPal account you can click the 'Send Money' tab and enter in my email address, kharri12@yahoo.com . It is probably easier and more secure.<br />
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Thank you all so much for your support and love. Thank you for reading this and being a part of this odyssey. (I was going to write journey, but I didn't like it. So I looked up synonyms and odyssey came up. Kind of fitting, right?) So come to the luncheon! If you can't come and you'd still like to help then make a donation. Thank you thank you.<br />
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Also, this is the note attached that my Aunt Kim wrote about the event:</div>
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Please come and join us to help celebrate that 'Katie is kicking cancer's keister'!</div>
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This very special woman has been a joy to so many of us and we need your help to lighten the financial burden that she has incurred since her fight against cancer. Katie just had her second surgery and is doing very well.</div>
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As most of you know Katie is a student attending a college in Utah. Funds are very limited. We are fortunate enough to have <u>Outback Steakhouse</u> host a luncheon on Katie's behalf. The donation price for a ticket is $20.00 to enjoy a great meal and support our beautiful girl, Katie. There will be raffle gifts that have been generously donated to help generate more money for Katie. 100% of the proceeds will be donated to Katie.</div>
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The date for this event will be <u>June 21, 2013 from 11:00am to 1:00pm.</u></div>
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<b>RSVP no later than 6/1/2013. </b> You must call Trish Harris at 248-347-1778 to reserve your seat (seating in the restaurant is limited).</div>
We do realize that this is a work day for most of us but, lets all BLOW it OFF and do something wonderful for a very special person. <br />
(Let's face it, we all take sick days for less of a reason!)<br />
If you cannot attend the luncheon please consider a monetary donation to Katie. Make checks payable to Katie Harris.<br />
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Outback Steakhouse<br />
6203 Orchard Lake Road<br />
West Bloomfield, MI 48322<br />
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<br />Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02878503141094189330noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3803960828518117859.post-86834645424683736752013-03-19T20:17:00.000-07:002013-03-20T07:54:53.512-07:00it's getting better all the timeNothing significant has happened recently... things are just getting better. <br />
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My aunt is in the hospital after getting surgery yesterday. My dad and I went and visited her today. It's nice not being the one in the hospital for once. It was good to be the one sitting in the chair rather than laying in the bed. It was good to finally be able to serve someone else by visiting them.<br />
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I've been frustrated lately trying to figure out how to get better. Do I exercise? Do I lay in bed or sit on the couch? How tired is too tired for someone a couple weeks post surgery? What kind of exercises can I possibly do with my neck and back so disheveled? Today I couldn't take it any longer. Mom and I went to the gym so I could walk. I need exercise! I need movement! I walked on the treadmill for like 45 minutes watching Dr. Who on my phone. I wasn't power walking or anything, but I wasn't sitting on the couch. Little victory of the day.<br />
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I feel like I should end this post with something super inspirational. Hm... Don't take life for granted! Or more applicably... Don't take your sturdy neck and back and ability to move freely for granted! Not so catchy though... Probably won't be seeing that saying on bumper stickers anytime soon.<br />
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Picture of the day:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguJpWUcjruExs51vOlfp8qy523cPx8m0Gj9UhTGMpZm4Tkgu1KOgko9dqGvTHkLt_IagZoQHo25T3bXbD2MJ-jLdemcqzgtfpUj4_dtr35t6AIpiGwA_llrzHx9tFAZiAOb-o-Sd27QfM/s1600/piano.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguJpWUcjruExs51vOlfp8qy523cPx8m0Gj9UhTGMpZm4Tkgu1KOgko9dqGvTHkLt_IagZoQHo25T3bXbD2MJ-jLdemcqzgtfpUj4_dtr35t6AIpiGwA_llrzHx9tFAZiAOb-o-Sd27QfM/s400/piano.jpg" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small; text-align: -webkit-auto;">Tori and I playing piano before church</span></td></tr>
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P.S. Can you name the song the title of this post comes from?Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02878503141094189330noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3803960828518117859.post-72832867481799107952013-03-11T20:15:00.002-07:002013-03-11T20:15:37.122-07:003 hours later<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Oh... do you feel like you are looking into the past? Looking into an entrance way of a Victorian house from the 1800s? Katie... how on earth did you find this picture clearly from the 1800s in such pristine condition? I colored it. Wow! Can you believe that? The Bachelor was 3 hours long tonight... and let's be honest, the show isn't that good. I need to do something else while watching it. I know I should stop watching this nonsense.... but Chris Harrison just keeps me hooked. <br />
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Today I had my follow up appointment at UofM. Both Dr. Ward and Dr. Kang were there, and they are two of my favorite people, so I was really pleased to see them. I have had a drain in my neck since my surgery that I have been hiding every time I am out in public. Tucking away the tube and pinning it to my shirt and what not. It's been a pain. Not that I have been going out in public a lot. Once to get about 8 inches of my hair chopped off... once to go to Church. Regardless, no one wants to see a bag filled with my blood and fluids. Not even me. I'm lucky to have the mother I do who has been so willing to empty out my drain. But today, finally, Dr. Kang took out my tube. Now this thing has been in my skin for nearly two weeks so it was not wanting to come out. I was sitting in the chair bent over, complementing Dr. Kang on his Nikes, when he yanked it out. "Hey, Dr. Kang. Are your shoes new? They're really.. ahhhhhhhhhh." Dang. It hurt. Then he had to take a giant syringe to another part of my back, which also was very unpleasant. Dr. Ward said he made Dr. Kang, his fellow, do these less enjoyable things so I would still like him. I continue to love Dr. Ward proving he took the right course. But I can't hate Dr. Kang because he kept bribing me with candy while I was in the office. Those Hasbro frog gummies. Really yummy. And persuasive of love.<br />
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So, not much will be happening between now and the 25th of this month when I will meet again with my radiation oncologist and we will start the plans for radiation. They will make a mask/face cage thing that I will wear during my radiation sessions and we will just prepare everything else. I don't exactly know what "everything else" entails, but I'm not too worried about it. So until then I just need to heal. Keep doing my neck exercises, going to physical therapy, I need to just get better. I don't like sitting around, but it's hard for me to gauge what is too much. I'm sure I'll find a good balance over the upcoming months....<br />
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So keep posted as to what is coming up. Oh, and this is what I look like post haircut... Dr. Kang said it looks really good and I look like a "new woman". Dr. Ward said, "Oh.. well that doesn't look bad." :)<br />
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<br />Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02878503141094189330noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3803960828518117859.post-15642263800149996942013-03-07T13:56:00.000-08:002013-03-07T13:56:03.520-08:00homeYesterday the doctors gave me the go ahead and released me home. Driving on the freeway kind of messed with my senses. I guess because I haven't walked very fast in the past week... and you wouldn't believe how messed up my senses are. I mean, they cut out a ton of my neck. I think it may be the pain drugs I'm on. But seriously, moving my head too fast and turning the wheelchair too fast makes me dizzy let alone a car on the freeway. <br />
So. I'm home. I got to sleep through the night last night! No being awoken every 2 hours to get my vitals taken. There have only been a couple problems since I've been home. Last night I was taking my medicine before bed and kind of choked taking my first pill. I think it broke and I inhaled some of the powder. I just started coughing like crazy and during every breath I took the rest of the night I was wheezing like mad. It really freaked me out. I was convinced I had it down in my lungs. I called the doctor that was on call and he said he was "pretty sure" I would be okay. How perfect would that be? I survive this major surgery, survive cancer, and die my first night home from a pill. Of course that didn't happen... I <i>am</i> writing this blog... but it would have been kind of nuts, right?<br />
Second problem... Today was largely spent with my sister in law, Lauren. I spent a week in bed with the same bun on my head, and when I took it out the majority of my hair was in a knot. Literally, a knot. The core of it was hard as a rock. Lauren spent 5 hours trying to get it out. She used conditioner, other hair products, olive oil, knitting needles.... and she couldn't get the majority of the knot out. She ended up cutting it out. I didn't realize she cut it out until it was in front of my face, unattached to my head. I had a minor freakout... But she spent so much time and saved a ton of my hair still. I'm so grateful for the time she spent. I'm gonna get my haircut on Saturday. Hopefully they'll say they can turn the short part into layers and not have to cut all my hair up to my chin. Let's be honest, nobody wants to see the flap on the back of my neck. <br />
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Okay. My dad keeps huffing next to me because he is quite impatient. It is time to do my neck exercises. They're actually pretty hard right now...<br />
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<br />Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02878503141094189330noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3803960828518117859.post-84197299989173553062013-03-05T13:33:00.000-08:002013-03-05T13:33:07.561-08:00don't look at the bottom of this unless you have a strong stomach<span style="font-family: inherit;">I kind of feel like the title of this post is like a title of a Sufjan Stevens song on the Illinoise album. Ya know, like <span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">"Riffs and Variations on a Single Note for Jelly Roll, Earl Hines, Louis Armstrong, Baby Dodds, and the King of Swing, to Name a Few". Regardless</span>... don't look at the bottom of this post unless you have a strong stomach. It even grosses me out and it is my own body. </span><br />
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The past couple of days have included many great progressions on my part. That feels kind of weird to state, but really, I have felt so much better the past couple of days. I haven't been eating much because I have felt so sick, all the time. But yesterday my brother brought me Olga's snackers, which may be one of the most delicious things ever. I was able to eat them and not feel sick! I ate some more today and felt good as well. I'm so grateful because really, I've been eating only ice and grapes and some rice. My doctors have been upset with me and say I need to eat to leave. And frankly, I wanna get out of here. So, I'm glad I've found something so delicious to eat and impress my doctors with.<br />
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Yesterday Dr. Ward came to speak to my parents and I. He said some of the sweetest things. Really, he was meant to be my doctor, and he knew it. He felt so guided during the surgery and everything turned out exactly as he wanted it to. This helped me look at the big picture. Having cancer sucks. Having this rare cancer at age 23 sucks a lot. But God is there every step of the way. He guided us to find Dr. Ward. He guided Dr. Ward. We got one of the best neurosurgeons as well, Dr. Yang, because of his connections. God's hand is in all of this nonsensical cancer business. During Dr. Ward's visit he brought the final pathology report from all the tissue they removed during my surgery. It is clean. 100% clean. Even the scar tissue from my first surgery. As far as they can tell the cancer is gone. Can you believe that? I am shocked. And so happy. It's gone! Tumor board meets tomorrow and they'll say I still need radiation, which is fine. We need to be absolutely sure that we get it all, even the tiniest of cells. I don't want to have the cancer recur later in life. But wow. The cancer is all gone! <br />
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Maybe that is what gave me the boost. Yesterday I walked without holding onto someone for the first time. I did two laps around our part of the floor. Today I climbed 3 stairs. That was a bit rough. But I did it! I worked with PT and OT today. They feel like I am doing really well. I've been sitting up in a chair on my own. I showered for the first time. We washed my hair and found that perma-bun on my head resulted in a knot in the back of my hair that is taking hours to get out. If we have to cut it out I am going to be really sad... I love long hair. Plus no one wants to see the back of my neck and I would have some short hair.<br />
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Overall the past two days have been really, really good. And we think I can go home tomorrow. A week in the hospital was long enough for me. And finally... some pictures from this hospital experience.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFyMfm1pUG98qfimS03qcRn69WIyU55Zv1qL8cgqFueACfRYeutjf2DcUsgGsYYOAmo40o_c3De48Qans_EcoPphrDBQCglIa7h6sKE_v8qt1rQM-FiIb-N6JoYCloZEzG7fz02B4br2E/s1600/sleep.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFyMfm1pUG98qfimS03qcRn69WIyU55Zv1qL8cgqFueACfRYeutjf2DcUsgGsYYOAmo40o_c3De48Qans_EcoPphrDBQCglIa7h6sKE_v8qt1rQM-FiIb-N6JoYCloZEzG7fz02B4br2E/s320/sleep.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Right after surgery in the ICU</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjPh7ufiJQhYXfqRt03AnGPpVZAb6BCI-HRDeLSenu5-fok0e-TSmnECJGIaXFpy8FWf-2BJXOYYtHAdAAC4dyu3KQqyGidI8ium4MSAa-dqEMheZrNhyQbvGRPmFrX9z_24IQVCbFc-s/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjPh7ufiJQhYXfqRt03AnGPpVZAb6BCI-HRDeLSenu5-fok0e-TSmnECJGIaXFpy8FWf-2BJXOYYtHAdAAC4dyu3KQqyGidI8ium4MSAa-dqEMheZrNhyQbvGRPmFrX9z_24IQVCbFc-s/s320/1.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hooked up to too many machines</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZKqWEHvMWXdkkjEcRF6EzxkuBXit9G24aWepcwi8A69riq-U-ps1NP3lnscN0RWuGssurUdTiFIpTogXP3K-YYtwsw2pRr4Fw2yv0CZnUQatDNRmLOv-J2v2hNPfBrVtye6lDv5t1Bkc/s1600/computer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZKqWEHvMWXdkkjEcRF6EzxkuBXit9G24aWepcwi8A69riq-U-ps1NP3lnscN0RWuGssurUdTiFIpTogXP3K-YYtwsw2pRr4Fw2yv0CZnUQatDNRmLOv-J2v2hNPfBrVtye6lDv5t1Bkc/s320/computer.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Writing this blog... right now. My mom is quite the picture taker.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5m6OGRK9VSVHi3olTzsFVs_SXAVamHtUhgXHmAeNSaojVsDhNcdGTDa3N59iXsEdfUNNukthZilCfqSRacgwGwElbHhjtPBR3Nw_H0hY8pySVrRFH7s7U2LdZqx4vcs-Bulih5v4xGD0/s1600/back.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5m6OGRK9VSVHi3olTzsFVs_SXAVamHtUhgXHmAeNSaojVsDhNcdGTDa3N59iXsEdfUNNukthZilCfqSRacgwGwElbHhjtPBR3Nw_H0hY8pySVrRFH7s7U2LdZqx4vcs-Bulih5v4xGD0/s320/back.jpg" width="238" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The picture no one wants to see. The flap is on my neck. They took that from the left part of my back, which is why I have an incision there. Going up the center of my back is a drain to my flap. Gross, I know. At least I never have to look at it. Oh, can't forget the cute hospital underwear.</td></tr>
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Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02878503141094189330noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3803960828518117859.post-84923666988228755032013-03-04T06:10:00.001-08:002013-03-04T06:10:46.760-08:00news from the insideSo... I haven't washed my hair in nearly a week. I'm not sure if it will come out of the bun on my head or if that will be permanent. Regardless, no pictures of me will appear on this blog. I am far too vain. There is no controlling what my mother puts on Facebook. Actually no controlling my mother in general. <br />
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I wake up several times every night. This is mostly because nurses are poking and prodding me for my blood pressure and what not. In fact, two nights ago I scared the nurse pretty bad because my bp was at 77/45. Or something like that. They just wouldn't let me sleep even though I insisted its normal for me. Eventually I convinced them to leave. This morning I was awoken by a group of like 10 doctors. Here to chat and see how I am doing. We play the same games. Connect my finger to my nose, then their finger. Repeat. Switch hands. I haven't been walking too well on my own and they were nervous I have nerve damage. (You know, more nerve damage than them removing a couple of my nerves causing half my head to be numb). But I passed the MRI and their tests. I even walked back from the bathroom on my own today. It may only be about 5 steps away but we all have our own little victories to claim. <br />
My doctors are upset with me because I haven't been eating well. They must not understand how sick I feel whenever I try to eat. How it makes me so nauseas. Or maybe they do understand and they also comprehend a bit more. If I don't eat, I won't heal. If I don't walk, I won't heal. <br />
Conclusion: I need to stop being such a sick baby. I need to eat more and walk more. It's amazing that walking is so difficult to me when a couple months ago I ran two half marathons. And now I need help to walk 15 steps. <br />
I feel like I am progressing at an acceptable rate. Heck, a couple days ago I couldn't walk two steps. Now I can walk five. On my own. I will take that victory and walk with it (at least a couple steps). <br/><br/><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI8BXHabYptkLBuD_6HaClY6ZBzYfe-_PMbKSepPpVR0SwprJYjlZ_5uRDzg8SfST8u8YBTyFpD73FGv6dm7SNEroYl4RVv0PHnlV0FKTlE36eswAHcw7SGaQBkRhGTFobPu9P5Kdzty8/s640/blogger-image-1552293440.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI8BXHabYptkLBuD_6HaClY6ZBzYfe-_PMbKSepPpVR0SwprJYjlZ_5uRDzg8SfST8u8YBTyFpD73FGv6dm7SNEroYl4RVv0PHnlV0FKTlE36eswAHcw7SGaQBkRhGTFobPu9P5Kdzty8/s640/blogger-image-1552293440.jpg" /></a></div>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02878503141094189330noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3803960828518117859.post-90115559302513996512013-03-01T06:52:00.001-08:002013-03-01T06:52:06.960-08:00from the iPhoneI guess I can write a post. Mind you, it's not going to be long.<br />
As my mom wrote, my surgery went well. It was only 6 hours long and Dr. Ward got the margins he wanted. So he removed about 2cm of muscle and even some bone circling where the tumor had been. He put in a 'flap' from my back onto my neck so there is some tissue there. But... It's all still really hard. It's extremely difficult to hold up my neck. I can't for more than a couple seconds without getting super dizzy and nauseas. I've sat up only twice and wanted to die. I can't feel the left side of my face or ear... And that is permanent. It's all so new and strange. <br />
I guess I'm just feeling whiney because all this is new and strange. Because I'm sick of laying in this dang hospital bed... Always on my right side. Because I'm frustrated that I can't hold up my head on my own. That's a frustrating thing! <br />
But I have a great doctor who checks on me periodically, who prayed for me last night with the Ann Arbor high council. I have nurses that are patient with me, who turn me and adjust pillows around me as long as I am uncomfortable. <br />
I have people praying for me all around the world. Thank you. I'm sure it is making all the difference. Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02878503141094189330noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3803960828518117859.post-277348979646536162013-02-27T20:01:00.001-08:002013-02-27T20:01:48.129-08:00The Big Day is DoneIt is now the end of a very long day. Katie is done with surgery and her surgeons are the best. They came in and did their jobs, all day long and still came back and saw her in ICU at 7:30 this evening. They did do a lot of work on Katie today, Made a very large hole in her neck to get all traces of cancer out. Then filled the hole with muscle and skin from her back. It will take time for everything to heal, but it won't be long until she will be yelling to get out of the hospital :) Please keep her in your prayers as she heals. Thank you, Katie's MomKatiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02878503141094189330noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3803960828518117859.post-60288478053029805282013-02-27T05:42:00.000-08:002013-02-27T05:47:27.883-08:00Katie's MomGood Morning, This is Katie's Mom. I will be writing for Katie, for a while. At this time she is in surgery. The doctors say about 8 hours of surgery. So here I sit with all of the other people waiting for their loved ones in surgery. They gave her some relaxing medication through her IV that she did not know about, than they put the Oxygen on her. She wanted the Oxygen off because she said it was making her dizzy :) Gotta love her!! I will start reading now and update this after surgery. Have a wonderful day! 8:30 am Michigan timeKatiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02878503141094189330noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3803960828518117859.post-21656296870150255092013-02-26T19:00:00.001-08:002013-02-26T19:00:15.424-08:00the big dayTomorrow is the big day. The very long day. Not so long for me because I'll be under anesthetic most of the day, but long for my family.<br />
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Before we headed to Ann Arbor this evening there was one very important thing I wanted to get done. Brother Sion, a man from my Church, came over to give me a blessing. I really love Brother Sion. He has been here for me since before I was a member of the Church. I trust him and know he is close to the Spirit. Because he holds the Priesthood, I knew he would act in God's name.<br />
He came over with his son who is preparing to go on a mission. (He actually has his call to the Marshall Islands, Kiribati speaking. My mission friends know the crazy girl from Kiribati that I know. I wonder if they're all as great as Sister B.) Rafael anointed me and Brother Sion gave me a blessing. It was so powerful. In it God challenged me to build my faith in the promises he has already given me. Wow. That is exactly what I need to do. He also blessed me that I would be safe and that the doctors would be guided. There isn't much more I can ask for.<br />
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A big snow storm hit this area so we rented a hotel in Ann Arbor for the night. So here I am, sitting on a wonderfully comfy bed, in downtown Ann Arbor. My surgery is tomorrow at 7:30am, the first one of the day, so we need to be there by 5:45am so I can get ready. It looks as though the surgery itself is going to last about 8 hours. Last surgery they thought it would last 2-3 hours and it barely lasted 1, so we shall see how long this one actually takes. I asked Dr. Ward if he got bored doing an 8 hour surgery, he said he didn't, that the time goes by fast. Good thing he is the surgeon and not me because I think I would need a break mid-surgery to do a sudoku puzzle or something. <br />
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Here is a not so technical description of the surgery. Warning, even though it's not very technical it is still kind of gross. They're going to make 2-3cm margins around where the tumor had been, meaning they're going to be removing quite a bit of muscle. The skin on the back of my neck from the middle of my neck over to a couple centimeters left of my scar will be gone. Then they're going to take a piece of skin and tissue from my back, make an incision up my back, and move it under the skin to graft it in place of the skin they remove from my neck. Gross, huh? I'm truly going to look like Frankenstein for a while. They say I'll be staying in the hospital for around a week, but I don't believe it. I think I'll be outta here in 3-4 days, tops. We'll see who is right :)<br />
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We'll see if I have the guts to post a picture of my neck after the surgery. It's bound to be more disgusting looking than last time and last time was pretty bad. Also, my mom is hopefully going to make a blog update after the surgery letting you all know how it went. <br />
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Thank you all so much for the kind thoughts and prayers. They have really changed how this whole experience has been. Keep 'em up tomorrow. Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02878503141094189330noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3803960828518117859.post-61949242520763952592013-02-24T20:23:00.000-08:002013-02-24T20:23:39.563-08:00the new newsI'm horrible at updating this blog. oh well.<br />
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I got a call from my doctor on this past Wednesday and they are moving my surgery up to this Wednesday! Apparently that is when the neurosurgeon that my doctor wants to work with will be in. It appears to always come down to the neurosurgeon. <br />
On Friday I got my pre-op physical done. They were expecting it to be a 2 hour appointment, but thank goodness it was more like 40 minutes. The P.A. listened to my heart and lungs, took my vitals, and then explained my upcoming surgery a bit. Apparently I'm perfectly healthy... minus the whole cancer bit.<br />
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Saturday I went in to get another MRI, they must have known how much I enjoyed my last one. A technician put in my IV and then told me the MRI machine was still occupied by the previous patient, so to just sit tight. She left the saline syringe attached to my IV. So... I just hung out in the hallway and dressing room for 10-15 minutes with a syringe hanging off my arm. <br />
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The MRI wasn't as bad as last time. It's a good thing I'm getting used to these things if I have to get one every year for the remainder of my life. The main difference between getting it done at UVRMC and at UofM is the decoration in the MRI room. In Utah there was a picture of a beach scene to calm patients. In Ann Arbor they have floral wall paper with a border of birds sitting on bird houses that closely resemble tomb stones. Not the perfect design for a room where people are being tested for chronic diseases.<br />
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Tomorrow I am going to go over my MRI with Dr. Kang. In the evening is my first day back at the DQ. Then surgery on Wednesday. There is a big snow storm that is going to hit here Tuesday night and my dad plows snow, so it is stressing him out a bit. He may miss the surgery. I'm okay with it because I'll be passed out for a couple of hours and won't even realize he's not sitting in the waiting room. Hopefully he gets his work done before then!<br />
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I have plenty of Gossip Girl and The Bachelor to fill the rest of my time until the surgery. And after as well. Maybe I'll study for the GRE, we'll see what time allows. <br />
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Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02878503141094189330noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3803960828518117859.post-24686883537706790532013-02-14T20:20:00.001-08:002013-02-14T20:29:50.659-08:00good news thursdayLast night was tumor board! (Let's be honest... tumor board... it doesn't sound like a real thing. It sounds like a made up term. But real it is.)<br />
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Dr. Kang called me last night and Dr. Chugh called me today to update me on the board's decisions. If I don't get more surgery and just get radiation, my cancer has a high chance of coming back... and they probably wouldn't be able to gain control of it. Simple decision, I'll get surgery. It'll be on March 5th. I'm not 100% sure about what they are going to be looking for during the surgery, but they want to take out a lot of tissue to try and get as much of the cancerous cells as they can. They say until they get clean margins. The last surgery wasn't so bad because they took out a tumor the size of an apple that wasn't supposed to be there. This time they are going to take out a lot that is supposed to be there. Hopefully there won't be any lasting damage. But obviously, when choosing between your life and a temporarily weird neck, you're going to choose your life. Even my scar may have residual cancerous cells in it, so that's gotta go. New scar, more head shaving. I wonder if my next scar will also be in the shape of a snake...<br />
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No chemotherapy! They don't think it will do much good, so they made the decision that I won't be getting any chemo. I'm really relieved. The nausea and hair loss is something I don't want.<br />
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2-6 weeks after the surgery I'll start radiation therapy. 5 days a week for 6 weeks. <br />
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And then I'll need to be checked every 3-4 months for a long while for any new growths. This is good, this is all very good. There is a light at the end of the tunnel. And in all honesty, the tunnel doesn't feel that long.<br />
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Oh! The CT scan on my chest came back and it is clean! So it hasn't spread yet.<br />
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And I got a job today. The same job I had in high school. The one that I have had any time I am home for an extended period of time for the past 5 years. Dairy Queen. Thank goodness, what a blessing. These hospital bills aren't cheap...<br />
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Overall a good Valentine's Day. My mother and I even made brownies and put frosting and pink sprinkles on them. So festive.<br />
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By the way... has anyone seen the show 'Impractical Jokers'? I'm dying. This show is so funny. Please watch it and tell me how funny you think it is. Come on, I have cancer and this will make me so happy. (I use this line on my parents daily... it doesn't really work anymore.)<br />
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<br />Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02878503141094189330noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3803960828518117859.post-71222829496834047372013-02-12T08:03:00.001-08:002013-02-12T08:03:38.352-08:00ct scanI had my ct scan this morning on my lungs. It was quick. There was no IV so it was painless. Very easy. "Breathe, hold your breath." Maybe 2 minutes long. And I even got some cranberry juice. Big day in the Harris household, big day.<br />
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My friend Brooke Schultz took some pictures of me the day before I left Utah for Michigan. She also took some from the "goodbye tumor" dinner we had the night before my surgery a couple weeks back. She's pretty amazing and the post is fun. You should check it out: http://brookeschultzphotography.com/blog/katie-kicks-cancers-keister/Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02878503141094189330noreply@blogger.com1