The Scouting Report

“It’s not the will to win that matters… everyone has that.

It’s the will to prepare to win that matters most.”

-Paul “Bear” Bryant

The Opponent:

Let’s bring this back to March 2019. I proactively went to the doctor at Morgan Stanley to have a full physical.  Bloodwork, heart rate, height and weight, cholesterol, all of the tests all come issuing me a perfect bill of health. Since I turned 26 this year it is my first year with my own insurance. So took the initiative, especially after Marguerite’s cancer battle last year to make sure that I was good to go… and I was. 

A few weeks, maybe a month or so before my annual gynecology check up I noticed a lump underneath my arm when I was in the shower. I didn’t think anything of it as I was working out a lot and had my period so my thought was oh I must have pulled a muscle or its from my period… no big deal.

May 9th, 2019 I went to Dr. Sheri Putterman for my annual gynecology check up.  During the routine breast exam Dr. Putterman noticed the lump under my arm and recommended I get ultrasound to make sure it was benign. One of my friends from high school had gone in a few times to have lumps biopsied/ removed so I called her to learn about her experience and ease my mind. She told me hers felt like a frozen pea, which is what mine felt like so I thought it would be fine.

Thursday, May 16th, 2019 I went to the Northwell Health facility in Greenwich Village for the ultrasound. I didn’t raise the alarm bells with my family yet because the doctor said this was routine, you get it checked out and the results come back in a few days and you will be find.  At least that's what I thought. 

I told my partner at work that I had an appointment and would be back in an hour.  I was supposed to be going out with clients that night and had rented a great dress from Rent the Runway and was wearing a thong. Loved the outfit. Now I mention the thong because I thought this would be a quick in an out, not knowing I would be laying naked on a table with my butt hanging out because I didn’t have the right underwear on. Go figure.

The Radiologist read the results before I left and said that he recommended a biopsy. WTF. I asked the doctor when the earliest I could get it done was and he said actually had availability right then and there, so for peace of mind I said great lets get this over with. I needed to know.

I had an ultrasound-guided biopsy.  The procedure took approximately 30 minutes. Once the biopsy was done I asked the doctor straight up, “Listen my sister had ovarian cancer last year, I just need to know is this something that I should be worried about? His response… “I would be worried”.  My mouth fell open.  I told him I appreciated his honesty BUT not what I was expecting to hear.  “You should be worried”... GREAT… this guy is telling me I have cancer. AWESOME.

They sent me home some ice packs and told me not exercise that night.  As I was walking out I asked the nurse if I was going to be able to play golf with my family on Saturday. PLAY GOLF! That’s what I was worried about.  LOL. (See picture above from our golf game that weekend)

I left work that day at 5 (this is early for me to leave). It was a traumatizing day and the last thing I wanted to was talk to anyone. . Needless to say I was FREAKING OUT. I told me parents that Friday night that I had the biospy and was waiting to hear the results. I could tell they were nervous all over again but I tried to stay cool calm and collected while  calling hospital probably every 3 hours to for the next few days to see if they had my test results. That weekend I barely slept or ate and stared at my phone just waiting for the call.

Monday, May 20th 4 PM. The Radiologist finally called me to tell me yes the lump was malignant.  At this point I was as prepared as I could be to receive the news. The doctor told me I had Invasive Ductal Carcinoma, Moderately Differentiated. The tumor was estrogen, progesterone positive and HER II negative (ER+, PR+, HER II-).  Gibberish to me at the time but little did I know how familiar I would become with all of those words and how the treatment would help prevent the cancer from coming back.

I called my family to let them know the news. After I hung up with my family, I immediately reached out to Memorial Sloan Kettering to see when the soonest I could get in to see a surgeon.

The Scouting Report:

Monday, June 3rd, 2019 I went in to see Dr. Jennifer Marti at Weill Cornell/ New York Presbyterian.  Although I had a good experience at Cornell I did not end up pursing treatment there.

*A story for a later date but a brief note to self… “Optional” information sessions are not “optional” they are mandatory and it is best to bring someone with you.

I had my first meeting with Dr. Mary Gemignani at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center on June 4th, 2019.

Before I met with the doctor I had an MRI, a mammogram and met with a genetic counselor who took blood for genetic testing. What I learned this day is there is a lot of effort to “hurry up” to get tests done… and then wait 3 weeks to hear back. Patience is a virtue… and just keep saying it.

After the tests were completed we met with Dr. Gemignani. I had a great connection with her in our first meeting and felt comforable with deciding to have her as my surgeon. She explained to me the 3 options for the surgery: .

1. Lumpectomy + Radiation

2. Single Mastectomy

3. Double Mastectomy

In order to make this decision I had to wait 2-3 weeks to get all of the test results back as well as have a second MRI Guided biopsy.

Dr. Michelle Corridi who is a plastic surgeon at MSK. If I decided to have the single or double mastectomy she would be in the surgery to work with Dr. Gemignani to do the reconstruction. Chris and Marguerite game with me to the appointment and needless to say we had a few laughs along the way.

The biopsy results were benign and the result of the genetic tests were that there was no genetic mutations (BRCA 1 or BRCA 2). These results meant that Marguerite and my cancers were completely unrelated and it was merely a “FLUKE” that we both had 2 different cancers within a year of each other. Go figure.

The Game Plan:

With all of the information we scouted and gathered I was able to come up with the start of The Game Plan. Lumpectomy surgery + radiation, maybe chemotherapy and definitely hormone therapy. The end of the game was still a long ways off BUT it was a start.