Week 7

Hi everyone!

Chemo Round #2 was this past Tuesday, March 31. Overall, the day was a bit quicker and easier than day one, so no major complaints! I’m tired but actually feeling better at this point than I was during the first round. Just trying to get lots of rest and listen to my body. Hoping to avoid another cold, but with Archie constantly sporting a runny nose, this seems unlikely. My immune system is at its lowest level now and should start improving next week. Looking forward to some visitors next week too - my brother Ben and sister-in-law Amy! Weather so far is looking promising for us to show them some of the best Philly outdoor spots! 

The rest of the chemo schedule is set for the below dates (barring any other complications!)

Round #3 - Monday April 20

Round #4 - Monday May 11

Round #5 - Monday June 1

Round #6 - Monday June 22

I’ll be getting another PET scan sometime in June. That scan will tell us how effective chemo has been at reducing the amount of cancer in my body. My understanding is that there are 4 possible scenarios, and the doctor says that any one of the first three would be good:

1.      Complete response to chemo - no evidence of disease anywhere - this would be amazing and the absolute BEST outcome, but I’m not exactly sure how likely it is, and I don’t think the doctor has a good way of estimating this either. She said (in an encouraging tone) that “there’s a chance” this could happen.

2.      Partial response to chemo - clear evidence that the amount of cancer has decreased - i.e. the main tumor in the breast has shrunk, along with the secondary tumor in the breast and potentially the other sites that “lit up” on the earlier scan. This seems to be the most likely scenario, because we’ve been told that my treatment regimen has been shown to be very effective at reducing cancer for the type of breast cancer that I have. Also - the tumor markers that are being monitored via blood tests in between cycles (for scientists- cancer antigen 27.29 and cancer antigen 15-3) have been DECREASING!!! YAY!!!!!!! This is excellent news, worthy of celebration today!

3.      Stable disease - meaning the cancer has not shrunk, but it also hasn’t grown or spread anywhere else. Again, doctor says this would still be a good outcome, but I’m obviously hoping for even better!

4.      Disease progression - the cancer has grown or spread - unlikely but still possible.

 We’ll give more updates and info whenever we have it!

Lisa

Week 6: Update

Just wanted to let everyone know that Lisa was discharged on Monday and we’re back at home! She’s recovering well and chemo has been rescheduled for next week.

Archie is very glad to have her home and thinks our masks are very funny!

Week six

George here with an update: Lisa had a fever on Friday night so we called the oncology team who told us to go to the ER and that’s where we’ve been here ever since.

Lisa has multi-focal pneumonia so they’re treating it with IV antibiotics, extra fluids and monitoring. She’ll be admitted to the oncology floor once there’s a bed available but unfortunately the hospital is full right now. Fortunately, we have a private room in the ER and so she’s relatively comfortable except for being frustrated about being here at all!

This likely also means chemo will be postponed until the infection is cleared but we’re waiting to hear more about that, probably on Monday.

She’s very bored from being stuck in a small room so I’m sure she’d appreciate some messages either via this site, email or text, especially if you have suggestions for tv shows, book, audiobooks or other sources of entertainment!

We’ll keep you all updated and we’re very grateful that Archie is enjoying spending some quality time with Grammy and Grampy!

Week 5: Part 2

Hi all - Lisa here again!

I’ve gotten some questions about my diagnosis, and I’ve found that it’s difficult to find good information online with regards to metastatic breast cancer. The first few links that pop up are sponsored ads by pharmaceutical companies. The Cleveland Clinic page does have some good info as a starting point for those who are wanting to learn more about this here. 

I’ve also been finding this really helpful - she also has a podcast with the same name. A lot of it is about running, which I’m not interested in, but the episode from June 6, 2025 is where she shares the news about her metastatic breast cancer diagnosis and it really encapsulates so much of what I’ve been thinking and feeling. It’s a tough listen, so only do it when you’re feeling prepared for that. Various other episodes cover her journey through chemo and the people she has supporting her, and I’m finding it really nice to feel less alone in this by hearing her story.

I've read that about 6% of women who receive a breast cancer diagnosis already have metastatic breast cancer. It’s rare, and it doesn’t necessarily happen because someone noticed a lump and didn’t do anything about it for months or years. You can have breast cancer without any breast symptoms. However in most cases, it really is about early detection. According to the American Cancer Society, women between 40 and 44 have the option to start screening with a mammogram every year, and women 45 to 54 should get mammograms every year. Also, women are encouraged to be familiar with how their breasts normally look and feel and should report any changes to a health care provider right away. This includes those who are pregnant or breastfeeding, as significant changes might not just be hormonal.

For myself - I’ve been going over the timeline in my head constantly trying to make sense of it all.

In October 2025, I went to the doctor after I noticed some low-level pain and a rash on my breast. My regular PCP wasn’t available. She diagnosed me with a mild case of shingles, gave me some meds and did blood work. The meds got rid of both the pain and the rash, and the blood work was normal, but the shingles diagnosis didn’t sit right with me.

I noticed a lump in the same breast 2 days before Christmas. I set up an appointment with my regular PCP for her first available date of January 9; she was reassuring. I even checked her note from that visit recently - “cautious reassurance provided.” She ordered a diagnostic mammogram & ultrasound, and the earliest available appointment for that was in Jersey, on January 22. I went into that appointment thinking it was probably nothing and came out with the knowledge that there was a significant chance of breast cancer. Even then, the first available biopsy was not until Wednesday February 4. We got the results the next day, met with the breast surgeon and oncologist the following Monday, February 9, and they ordered a bunch of other tests including the PET scan, which I was told was very unlikely to show any spread. The earliest available date for that was February 18. Two days later, on the 20th, was when we first got the news that certain areas on the PET “lit up,” a sign that the cancer had spread. From what I understand, this is actually a pretty quick turnaround from start to finish, but of course the time in between each test felt like an eternity and I keep wondering if things had happened just a little sooner, would the outcome have been different?

We were SO not expecting the news that the cancer had spread. It was a huge gut punch. I felt like I was finally wrapping my head around having breast cancer and having the next year of my life look entirely different than we had planned. I knew that I would likely have to hold off on having another baby for close to three years, as the plan was for me to get treatment, surgery, and two years of tamoxifen before I could try to conceive. The new knowledge that my body will not be able to carry another baby at all has been really hard. I no longer have a good sense of what our family or my own future will look like. I’m so insanely grateful that I was able to have Archie and breastfeed; the feeding was so challenging but also one of the greatest joys I’ve ever experienced.

Lastly, George shaved my head today - what a weird feeling! I’ll be debuting my new hair tomorrow but not before Archie sees me bald. We thought a lot about how to make this as easy as possible for him, and prepared him with some books in advance. Hopefully he thinks it’s funny and not terrifying! Pictures to come when I’m ready!

Right now I’m still dealing with an aggravating cold and mentally trying to prepare for Chemo Round 2 next Monday. My parents will be arriving soon and I’m hoping we can take advantage of the weekend before chemo starts again.

Thanks for reading!

Lisa

Special proud wife post!

I would be way more of a mess than I am without George. He’s been with me for every single appointment and listens to all my deepest and darkest thoughts & fears. He brings me back to reality when I’m spiraling and distracts me with stories and random facts when my brain needs a break. He has not hesitated to take a lion’s share of the parenting recently and insists he will do every early morning and bedtime routine for the next 18 weeks (well- now 16 weeks), unless I want to. The smile on Archie’s face when he sees Daddy coming down the stairs is everything, and the constant soundtrack of giggles is what gets me through.

Also - HE GOT TENURE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

George has worked so hard building his lab amidst a global pandemic and a government that is anti-science and anti-education. Despite the challenges he has done incredibly well and has built an incredible community of colleagues and collaborators.

He is going to feel extremely awkward that I’m posting this, but I don’t care because I’m so proud of him!!

<3

Week 5

Hi everyone, Lisa here!

Just wanted to give a quick update for this week.

We’re hanging in there- side effects from chemo have continued to be manageable and have improved as the days go on. Other than a cold that won’t quit, I’m feeling pretty close to normal physically which I’m really grateful for.

Earlier this week it was almost 80 degrees so we enjoyed time outside in the park with the little man. Two days later it was 40 degrees and snowing! We had an appointment at the Perelman Center (also called PCAM- where I’m getting most of my treatment) and I really didn’t want to get a car home as the Uber drive there had made me nauseous. We walked 45 minutes home in the rain/snow! It felt SO good to move and be outside. We also made some stops along the way for candy and a specialty store for fancy non-alcoholic wines/spritzes. Suffice it to say… every day is “treat yourself” day when you’re in the midst of cancer treatment!

I’ll be writing again soon!

Lisa

Message from Lisa: Week 4

Friends, things have been pretty tough around here.

One week ago, I had the bronchoscopy procedure with biopsy to confirm metastasis. This has now been confirmed as Stage 4.

The good news is that the cancer hasn’t changed in pathology at all, which means it hasn’t morphed into something more aggressive/less treatable. So we’re continuing with the initial treatment plan of 18 weeks of chemo which started this past Monday.

Infusion day is a LONG day. We start with vitals, bloodwork from the port, and meeting with the doctor, then they have to do vitals again and there’s a lot of waiting around in between things. Once we were in the infusion room we were able to settle in a bit more - George and I had a relatively comfortable room to ourselves with a big window and we packed my favorite cozy blanket from home along with lots of seltzers and snacks. We ordered lunch and I had some phone calls with friends to help the time go by faster.

That evening I was pretty zonked due to the combination of things they gave me to combat chemo side effects, but throughout the rest of this week I’ve been managing better than I thought I might. So far, side effects have been manageable with meds and I’ve been able to work semi-normal days, taking things slow and carving out breaks for rest as the main thing is being extremely tired. It’s hard to tell what’s a side effect from chemo, vs what is a culmination of the last 6 weeks of adrenaline, stress, lingering hormones, information overload, and complete exhaustion.

I read that Days 4-7ish of each cycle might be expected to be the worst as far as side effects, so I’m trying to mentally prepare myself for that as much as possible. Hoping for some nice weather later on this weekend so we can get outside. 

I also wanted to share the additional good news that genetic testing of my DNA shows no mutations that are known to predispose people to cancer (such as BRCA). This means that there’s no heritable risk to Archie which is a relief!

Finally, another thank you to everyone who’s been reaching out - truly, no amount is too much. The mental aspect of all this is probably going to be the hardest for me, and I want to feel connected to all of you as much as possible, so even if I don’t respond just know how helpful it is for me to get your check-ins and encouragement. We’ve been overwhelmed by the generosity of our network near and far and we’re so grateful <3

Lisa

Week 4

It’s been a very difficult couple of days, but we wanted to update everyone sooner rather than later. We met with Lisa’s oncologist earlier this week to discuss the new treatment plan. Unfortunately (at least for now) stage 4 metastatic breast cancer is not considered curable, but it is treatable and we remain hopeful that Lisa’s cancer will respond well to the therapy (this is often the case with HER2+ tumors like hers).

The current plan is to still do 18 weeks of chemotherapy (starting on Monday 2nd March) and then go onto maintenance therapy indefinitely with a cocktail of recently developed targeted therapies (with much less severe side effects than chemo). She’ll need to be on drugs of one form or another for the foreseeable future and will undergo frequent scans (every 3 months) to check that the cancer continues to respond to the treatment. If the cancer stops responding, then we’ll be able to move onto the next line of therapy rapidly at that point. The oncologist told us to expect up to 5 years of treatment with this set of drugs before they stop working and there are several things to move onto after that. The breast cancer therapeutic space has taken great leaps forward in the last 10-15 years and continues to advance rapidly with an average of 2-3 new therapies approved every year. The doctors are gathering all the information that we can to know which of these new therapies will be most likely to work for Lisa (by performing additional biopsies and sequencing the tumor to identify mutations). Basically, the chemo will knock the cancer down as hard as possible, then the other drugs will keep it down and the scans/testing/surveillance will let us know how to respond if/when it tries to get back up.

This course of action avoids the need for surgery so Lisa will be spared the discomfort and risks of a major operation. The major reason to perform surgery is to prevent spread beyond the breast, which has already happened in her case so it no longer being recommended.

It also means there is little-to-no chance of her carrying another baby. We’ve completed the IVF cycle but the only way to use any embryos now will likely be via a surrogate carrier.

Chemo starts tomorrow (Monday 2nd March) and that’s the start of our fight back against Lisa’s cancer. We’re also waiting for the results from a lung biopsy that was taken on Friday and the results from genetic testing.

In between all the appointments, procedures, wig shopping etc. we also managed to have a birthday party for Archie who turns two on Wednesday 4th March!

 We also wanted to thank all the friends, family and colleagues for kind words, generosity, well wishes and messages of support. It really does mean a lot and Lisa loves hearing from you all so please continue to reach out to her via text, email, calls or this site. She may not be able to respond individually, but please know how much your love and support matter to her.

Week 3

As Lisa mentioned in her last message, she had a PET scan this week (as well as a chemo port placement and 2 additional biopsies).

The results from the PET scan show that the cancer has spread beyond the breast and there are potential metastases in several lymph nodes, the lung and the sternum. This is obviously not what we were hoping to see and it’s a lot to process.

It still needs to be confirmed by more biopsies but for now the doctors are treating it as Stage 4 Metastatic Breast Cancer and this may change the treatment plan – we’re meeting with the oncologist as soon as possible to figure that out so please keep Lisa in your thoughts or prayers, and send her positive energy.

In better news, the IVF injections are done and the egg retrieval is scheduled for tomorrow (2/23). With that and the port placement, there will be far fewer needle sticks in the next week. We also managed to have a lovely day out at the zoo with Archie and Lisa’s parents as well as dinner with friends.

I know Lisa really appreciates all your messages so please reach out to her via text, email, calls or this site. She may not be able to respond individually, but please know how much your love and support matter to her. It really helps more than you can know.

We’ll keep you all updated as we know more and thank you all for all your support.

Week 2

Hi friends - Lisa here!

Thank you all for reaching out, sending well wishes, and keeping us in your thoughts. Your support means a lot!!

Things have happened so quickly over the last week since we got the official diagnosis. We've had a chance to catch our breath a bit this weekend. The amount of things we've done this week is staggering so I decided to make a list:

• Met with a breast surgeon & oncologist + got bloodwork

• Met with two different fertility docs, decided to do a round of IVF, met with a nurse, got an ultrasound and bloodwork, started injections and oral meds

• Got an EKG (all looks good)

• Got a breast MRI (not so great, more biopsies needed)

• Met with a genetic counselor and got more bloodwork

• Got a brain MRI (all looks good)

• Worked almost 3 ‘normal’ days

• Kept a tiny human and a dog alive 

Up next:

• PET scan

• Port placement

• Two additional MRI-guided biopsies to check other suspicious areas of both breasts for cancer (this is happening Friday the 20th and it’s a combo of two very uncomfortable things- breast MRI and biopsy itself- send extra prayers for calmness and peace that day)

• Continuing another 10+ days of injections and oral meds for IVF, along with regular ultrasounds and bloodwork, and then an egg retrieval

• Session with a nurse to understand chemo

• Ultrasound-guided placement of a 'clip' into the tumor in preparation for future surgery

• Scheduling a consult for a wig

• Talking with a social worker for some advice on how to talk to Archie about all of this 
  

Here’s some more details we know:

The official start date for chemo is March 2. It will be 6 rounds of what's known as TCHP, 3 weeks per round. More info here

The hope is to shrink the tumor a significant amount for surgery. If it's small enough at that point, a lumpectomy (partial removal) can be considered. However, a mastectomy (full removal) offers a lower chance of needing radiation afterwards, and a lower overall risk of recurrence.

After the surgery, ideally, all of the cancer will have been removed. If it hasn't been, more treatments would continue from there; I understand less of the detail about this part because it's still an unknown.

I will also need to be on every 3 week injections of herceptin (the "H" in TCHP) for a full year, starting March 2.  This is a targeted antibody for the tumor specifically so hopefully won't have the same side effects as chemo. I’ll likely be on hormone therapy for the next 5-10 years, with a potential break in the next 2-3 years if we decide to have another baby.

Here’s some things that have been good:

• The treatment team. I have two nurse navigators who can kind of guide us through the process and this is really helpful. The surgeon is fine (definitely very surgeon-y), but I really like the oncologist who called me at 6pm to answer a question, and the office is really responsive. Our fertility doc gave us hugs when she saw us, and moved mountains to make everything happen really quickly.

• I also have access to oncology counseling, reiki, massage, acupuncture, and a nutritionist.

• Living in a major city and having access to not just treatment resources but so many things at our fingertips - tons of food and grocery delivery options, easy access to any store if we need essentials, uber always 5-10 minutes away to help us get to appointments

• Little treats and coffees at the Starbucks across from the doctor's office

• Getting the cutest photos from daycare and knowing that Archie is in good hands

• Support from friends and family- my parents have been helping us out a lot and we are so grateful!

 Not going to lie - I'm angry, and sad, and really scared about what's to come. But truly, hearing from friends via text, call, email, or this page really helps and lets us know we’re not alone.  Please keep reaching out!

Talk to you all again soon!

Week 1

Lisa was recently diagnosed with Invasive Ductal Carcinoma following some imaging and a biopsy. It’s a Stage 2 Triple Positive (ER+/HR+/HER2+) cancer with an excellent prognosis. We’re making this website as a resource to keep everyone up to date on how things are going as she progresses through her treatment.

Her current treatment plan will involve chemotherapy over the next 18-20 weeks followed by surgery and then additional treatments as required.

Prior to the start of chemotherapy there’s a lot to do to prepare, including a lot of imaging studies, surgical placement of a port, genetic testing and a cycle of IVF to hopefully bank some embryos such that we can consider having another baby after all of this is over!

If you want to send Lisa a message of support then please do so via Guestbook page and feel free to sign up for email updates via the form on the About page