Hard News
Some of you may have already heard, but we have some very unfortunate news. Just a few weeks after the great results of Catherine's surgery, Catherine came down with serious headaches and debilitating nausea. After the especially bad night of October 19, we found ourselves at the Urgent Care Center at Memorial Sloan Kettering Hospital. In addition to headaches and nausea, Catherine was having intermittent episodes with difficulty "word-finding" and loss of coordination of her right arm below the elbow.
The next few days were a whirlwind of tests and examinations by dozens of doctors at Sloan Kettering, including Catherine's oncologist, Dr. Goldfarb. Due to her symptoms, she was transferred to the Neurological Observation Unit and began an intense regimen to lower the swelling in her brain which was the source of her pain. Complicating the process was the presence of magnets in the tissue expanders in Catherine's chest from reconstructive surgery, making an MRI impossible.
After a week or so, the diagnosis became clear. Even though Catherine's cancer was completely eliminated in her breast and lymph nodes, it had at some point spread to the fluid surrounding her brain and spine in addition to her liver. By the time she felt the symptoms, the cancer had covered the surface of her brain and her spinal cord, a condition known as Leptomeningeal Disease. The Doctors made clear that this is a very grave diagnosis and there is little hope for curing or eliminating the disease because it is so widespread. Since then, she has received numerous whole-brain radiation treatments and has begun being radiated in her spine. She has also begun taking a type of chemotherapy that is more able to cross the Blood-Brain-Barrier and hopefully kill some of the cancer cells located in the fluid.
The cancer inside Catherine is the same type of cancer that was originally in her breast. It is extremely aggressive, which is obvious from how far it has spread in such a short amount of time. Maybe most importantly, because it is coating the surface of everything it touches, it is not surgically operable. We have learned that Doctors are reluctant to make predictions about patients, since each one is unique. But it has become clear to us that the best we can hope for is to treat the disease and symptoms, not cure it, so that she can have some quality time before they come back.
The last three weeks have been extraordinarily difficult for everyone. You will be happy to know that Catherine, as ever, is a fountain of positivity. Even in her most difficult moments, she has the force of personality to bring all of us incredible joy. She knows what is in her future and she is facing it with more grace than anyone can believe. She is truly a wonderful woman.
Our friends were kind enough to set up another fundraiser to help pay for hotels/expenses for Catherine's family, which has been an enormous help already. The link is here https://www.youcaring.com/catherine-mullarke-myers-679028
Catherine says that she isn't scared of what the future holds for her. The flood of support from family, friends, and acquaintances has given her the remarkable strength to hold her head high. She wants everyone to know that she hears and feels the love in every single phone call, letter, or visit. People from every chapter of her life have made sure she knows how much she means to them and it has been incredibly touching. We don't know how much time she has left, but she intends to spend it happily, surrounded by those she loves.
