Update from Nancy

Christmas Eve update from Nance with very good news ... Happy Holidays!

We met with Dr Rinn today to review the PET/CT scan from Tuesday and the results were as good as we could have possibly hoped. Overall, the cancer has been knocked back by about 50%, if not more, after only 3 months of treatment. Dr. Rinn took us down to meet in person with the radiologist to look at the before and after images, which were fascinating. He showed us how the liver tumors have decreased in size and activity, the largest has decreased from 28x25mm to 17x16mm. Other liver tumors have decreased as well (there were 14 when I had my scan in September). The tumors in my lungs have also decreased in size and number. I had over 40 small tumors between my two lungs back in September, some of these are no longer visible, others are smaller, and some are unchanged/stable. The cancer causing my back pain, which was actually in the lining of the lung, is gone even though I still have some lingering pain in this area due to nerve damage. The cancer in my spine is showing healing as well. All together this is really great news and cause for celebration! Dr. Rinn indicated I would probably stay on the current chemo for another 3 months or so, then we'll switch to an aromatase inhibitor. She is looking into some clinical trials for which I might be eligible, so stay tuned for more on that.

We are obviously thrilled with the results and are going to relax and enjoy the holidays. Merry Christmas everyone! Thanks for your continued love, support, and prayers.

"NANCY" bringing hope to far corners of the world

A note from Patrick Dolan:


I visited India in November and did some volunteer work for Child Family Health International. I’ve done so before in Bhutan and South Africa, as Nancy knows. CHFI’s primary mission is to place health science students in areas of medical need to enable them to gain experience while supplying crucial health delivery services to underserved populations.

The organization runs clinics under the moniker of ChildCare where they have medical volunteers from all over the world conduct pediatric health assessment and women’s health/reproductive health clinics in underserved regions. While in India, we did clinics in a remote region in the far north near the Tibetan/Chinese border called the Nubra Valley. The valley itself is at 12,000 feet. We started out in the city of Leh, and we traveled over the Khardung La pass which, at 18,300 feet, is the highest motorable pass in the world. It was quite a journey! We were also delivering a new mammography machine to the subdistrict hospital in Diskit. It is the only hospital for about a 500 square mile region and the only mammography machine in the area. Previously, patients would have had to travel to Leh over the Khardung La for this service.

After hearing Nancy’s story, our team decided the machine should be named Nancy. We obtained some sticky labels and have spelled “NANCY” across the base of the machine. Nancy had a rough ride over the pass and a tough landing, but our Australian radiographer was able to recalibrate it and get it up and running for the first women’s clinic. One of the nurses in the group from Vancouver Island made all of we men in the group have pictures taken with our heads between the mammography plates since “everyone knows that all men are boobs anyway”! I hope to get some of those pictures soon to share (well – maybe not!!).

It was an amazing trip and a wonderful way to acknowledge Nancy in a foreign land. She is now doing great work 12 and a half time zones away! We’re not allowed to take pictures in the clinics themselves for privacy purposes, but I will try to send along some photos of children on the hospital grounds that we had seen in the clinic.

Women in Diskit dressed up in their fineries to welcome us to the subdistrict hospital. They were also seen in the women’s health clinic, and a the second from the right was the first recipient of a mammogram from Nancy.

Buddhist temple in a town called Sumar where they lit candles for Nancy’s recovery.

Two Indian Army trucks that transported many of our supplies. The second one contains Nancy – the mammography machine –as it works its way over the 18,000 foot pass.

Chemo Day

Week ten, and I am sitting with Nancy as she awaits her labs before having chemo. She's looking as glamorous and beautiful as ever, and her energy is pretty good. I have been with her and Jake all week in the role of support, and it has been such a treasured time for me with the two of them. For those of us who live scattered across the country and don't get to see and be with Jake and Nancy, it is hard not having that touch-- that day to day ability to drop by some soup, give a hug, or whatever.  But I am so encouraged knowing that they are surrounded by so many who love and support them here in Seattle. On Saturday, some of Nancy's Seattle friends threw a "love shower"-- a party to celebrate Nance. It was an amazing outpouring, and I know that all of us left the gathering uplifted by Jake and Nancy's strength and courage. I'll post some photos upon my return to Nashville.

So we are sitting and waiting right now in Swedish Cancer Institute. Everything seems to go very slowly, but that's okay. Life has really slowed down, and this is good. We are able to linger in the moments-- sipping coffee while watching the Olympic mountains turn pink, taking  brisk walks in this cold and bright Seattle sunshine, and enjoying good food and laughter together. Slow is good. Attention is shifted to beating back this cancer into oblivion. "Nancy..." (they just called her)... time for today's fight.

Thanksgiving report from Nancy

After 8 weeks straight of chemo, I earned a week off for the Thanksgiving holiday. It has been nice to relax with family/friends this holiday and get a break from treatment. My brother is in town visiting and we've been having a great time hanging out, cooking, and playing games. I continue to do pretty well as long as I take it easy and don't try to do too much. When I get tired, my back pain flares up and reminds me I still have a long way to go on this chemo. The current plan is to keep me on the combination of weekly Abraxane, every-other-week Avastin, and monthly Zometa indefinitely, though I'll get breaks like this week from time to time.

Seven weeks in... a Nancy post

We had a really nice weekend visit with Lainie (my best friend from high school) and her husband, who flew all the way from Arkansas to see us. I was not feeling great, so we had a very low-key visit, but it was wonderful to see them and spend time catching up. Lainie brought me a couple gifts from NW Arkansas including a handmade prayer shawl and quilt with written blessings/good-wishes attached from my high school friends. It was so encouraging to have uplifting thoughts from my old friends...just awesome.


Chemo went fine on Thursday and I walked over to Nate/Luanne's place after treatment to wait for Jake to finish up with work to drive me home. I might have said this before, but Nate and Luanne gave me keys to their beautiful city loft (only a few blocks from the treatment center) where I can hang out and relax after treatment. I can't believe how fortunate we are to have such great friends.


I had both Abraxane and Avastin this week and I'm definitely feeling the side effects lately. I have neuropathy in my hands and feet, pain in my knees/shoulders, and fatigue. I'm having a little trouble with headaches, which I think is from the Avastin. My blood counts were really low last week, but bounced back beautifully thanks to the neupogen shots Jake gave me. The downside is neupogen make my bones ache like crazy and I will need to keep taking them while I'm on this chemo, so likely for a long time to come. I keep reminding myself this is really powerful medicine and if we can knock the cancer way back, I'll be able to switch to a different treatment down the line that will be easier to tolerate.


Operation dinner continues to be the most incredible help to us. Everyone is so generous and brings us enough for multiple meals. I think I've cooked maybe twice in the past 2 months? Amazing.

Doing Something

This past weekend, some of Jake and Nancy's family members (Jake's Dad, Beverly, Uncle Jack and Aunt Kathleen) attended a fundraiser in honor of Nancy. Young Survival Coalition is an organization which Nancy and Jake are very familiar with. It is an advocacy, action, and support group for young women with breast cancer.

For all of us who love you (Jake and Nancy) and are pained as you are in the thick of this battle, we find comfort in doing something-- giving, standing up for and supporting this cause, and most of all pouring out prayers. We hope you are encouraged and comforted by this support.

We all stand by your side.

Today (from Nancy)

This has been one of those good-news/bad-news days. The bad news is I feel lousy after starting a drug called Zometa yesterday, which causes aches/pains/flu-like symptoms in about 30% of patients (including me). The pain should only last a couple days and I'm getting some relief after taking ibuprofen. Zometa is given once a month, so I shouldn't have this problem every week, but the other bummer news is my blood counts have fallen to the point I need Jake to give me shots, which will make my bones even more achy.

The good news is the CTC test (circulating tumor cell) came back at zero, which tells us the chemo is working! Low scores on this test are associated with longer "disease free progression", which is the amount of time treatment is effective before the cancer outsmarts it and you need to switch to a different drug cocktail. We can assume the tumors are shrinking, which will be confirmed/quantified in a few weeks when I have another PET/CT.

Aside from treatment, I'm enjoying my new little office, which has a beautiful view of the Sound and mountains. The dogs are excellent company, especially Rose who likes to climb up in the comfy chair/ottoman and nap while I read.

Going on Six weeks

Tomorrow marks Nancy's sixth treatment. She sent the following...

Hi everyone,

I'm completely overwhelmed with gratitude for my co-workers who held the "Pink-Luck potluck" in my honor last week. Both Jake and I continue to be amazed at the outpouring of support we have received from everyone. It truly keeps us going and we are so grateful. I had a really nice visit with my sister-in-law, Molly last weekend, while Jake was back in Chicago with his dad and brother. It was great to hang out, watch chick-flicks and catch up on life with Molly and I know Jake and the guys had a really great time back in the mid-West.

I'm starting to feel the chemo effects these days. My chief complaints are numbness/tingling in my hands/feet, pain in my knees/shoulders, and fatigue. Since I'm not working these days, I can easily take naps when I need to, plus I can putter around the house in my sweats. I've been trying to exercise every day, but the pain in my joints is starting to make that a little more challenging. My back pain is improved compared to a month ago, but it isn't gone completely and I'm still spending a lot of time resting on the heating pad, which by far is the most comfortable thing for me. As with everything in life, all symptoms are worse when I'm tired, so I have slowed down to a nice easy pace of life and as a result I feel pretty good most of the time. My pain is very minor and I don't need to take pain medications. For those medically-minded folks (and I know there are a bunch of you), the chemo combo I'm taking is Abraxane/Avastin. At some point, my doctor will also add a drug to treat my bones, which I think is called Zometa. She braced me last week that she intends to keep me on this treatment for quite a long time (maybe a year or longer?) assuming it is effective and I can tolerate the side effects. We will have some insight into the effectiveness when I get the results from my latest CTC test, which we hope will serve as a tumor marker for me. My initial CTC was low, but she's hoping it will go even lower. Additionally, I'll have another PET/CT scan in a few weeks, which will hopefully show the cancer shrinking.
I had my first dose of Avastin last week and it went perfectly fine other than taking a long time. They administer the first dose over a long period of time and check your blood pressure to make sure you don't have a reaction. Subsequent doses will go a little quicker. Once again, my sweet friend, Wendy joined me for the hours and hours of treatment and kept me occupied with Trivial Pursuit and lunch for the afternoon before Jake picked me up after work.

I'm having a rather annoying side effect called anticipatory nausea, which means I am nauseated as soon as I walk in the door of my doctor's office before any chemo is given. This is due to my prior rounds of chemo in 2002 and 2007 and, frankly, it is all in my head, but still very real and problematic. The good news is it is treatable with a wonderful drug called lorazapam, which I take before I arrive. The bad news is I need a ride home after taking lorazapam because I can't drive. Lucky for me, our dear friends, Nate and Luanne, have given me keys to their place, which is a couple blocks away where I can comfortably hang out until Jake gets off work to drive me home.

Okay, I've rambled enough for now. Thanks again to everyone for your love, support and the amazing meals, which are a huge help. We appreciate it so much!

FIX A BUG FOR NANCY

Nancy's project team held an Oktoberfest “Pinkluck” for Nancy today. The 80 member CHARMS team turned out in pink for their beloved project manager and friend. Lots of sweets were consumed in honor of sweet Nancy: the team is channeling their nutrients to Nancy to keep her strong! Over the next two weeks, before the next round of integrated system testing, the project team will be working to knock off some system issues; the team is making great headway under the tagline of "fix a bug for Nancy!” Since they expect Nancy misses the joys of project management, they are developing a “Get Well Gantt Chart” to help her reach her wellness milestones!!

Laughter, smiles and love-- a potent addition to chemo

Yesterday a group of Nancy's friends swept her away for an afternoon of much needed fun. She is feeling the effects of chemo quite a bit now, but she was incredibly touched and encouraged these friends.

My dear friend, Brent, had a great idea to rent a limo/party bus and take a tour of Washington wineries. I was so excited to have an outing with old friends and even more excited that two of my friends, who I hadn't seen in years, flew into Seattle and surprised me for the big event. I decided to try out my long hair wig for the day, then after it got itchy and annoying decided to pass off for everyone to try. I think my friend Al looked like quite the rock star in the Jennifer Aniston wig!

You know how I talk about those unexpected silver linings that come from having cancer? Today was one of those moments. It was so fun to hang out with my friends, most of whom I've known for over 15 years. I ended the day a little tired, but completely uplifted and encouraged. Thanks Brent, Tiffany, Steve, Al, Mindy, Heidi, Rebecca, and Sue! You guys are awesome!

Kindergarten Prayers in Nashville

Last Monday, I took Graham (aka 'Nephew Awesome', deemed by 'Uncle Awesome'-- Jake) to visit his former kindergarten teacher. When sweet Mrs. Anderson heard about Jake and Nancy, she gathered all of her little kindergartners on the floor to pray for them. Little voice after little voice asked for healing and comfort for "Uncle Awesome and Aunt Nancy." One little boy, who is the son of a famous musician who recently underwent chemotherapy and is now in remission, prayed that, "like a bow and arrow, God would shoot the cancer and make it go away." God hears those tender, precious, kindergarten prayers.... 

Chemo Week Three

Dear family and friends,

Thank you again for continued thoughts/prayers and well wishes. I had chemo today and it went smoothly. My friend Wendy was sweet enough to keep me company and bring lunch - thanks Wendy! She snapped a photo of us while we were waiting, so I thought I would send along for Kate to post.


As for medical updates, my back pain has improved a little in the past couple days, which is really encouraging. It isn't gone completely, but feels less intense since Tuesday. This is good news because we assume the chemo is starting to work. The plan is weekly chemo for 4 - 6 months, then switch to a treatment called an aromatase inhibitor (AI) which is easier to tolerate (just one pill a day versus the weekly infusions that last for hours and make me feel crummy). You can see from the picture I still have hair, but it is starting to come out and I'm guessing in another few weeks it will be falling out like crazy. Since this is the second time I've lost my hair, it isn't that big a deal. I have scarves and wigs on hand.


Thanks again for all the encouragment. It truly helps lift our spirits. Love and hugs, Nancy and Jake

Week Two of Chemo- a note from Nancy

Dear family and friends,

We continue to be so encouraged by the amazing outpouring of love and support. We can't thank you all enough for the prayers, cards, flowers, dog treats, emails, phone calls, and meals...oh my gosh, the meals are incredible! We are overwhelmed with gratitude.
So far, chemo is going smoothly. I had my second treatment on Thursday and the side effects are manageable. I am still having back pain from the area of cancer along my spine, but my oncologist thinks I'll have some relief in a few weeks as the chemo starts working.
Thanks again for all the support. We appreciate it so much!

As an aside to this note, I want to say something about Jake, or rather "Uncle Awesome"... According to Nancy, he should win the "husband of the year" award. Nancy relayed a humorous story which was so sweet and tender too ... Apparently on Friday, Nancy discovered a terrible bruise on her back. Perplexed by how it got there,  she trekked downtown to her doctor's office, hoping she could explain the enigmatic sore spot. But she couldn't. They agreed to watch it closely for any changes, and left it at that. It wasn't until that evening when she was relaying the sequence of events to Jake, that he remarked, "do you remember falling asleep?" Apparently, Nancy nodded off at the computer, and  as tenderly as he could, given her awkward position, Jake gently scooped her out of the chair and tucked her into bed. Nancy's guess is that he probably smacked a wall while trying to step over Jojo or something. In any case, sweet Jake, Uncle Awesome, you are so dear!

Biopsy Complete!

Treatment is underway for Nancy, and with the biopsy which was successfully taken this morning, her doctors will be able to better understand her cancer and target it with the most effective drug. Nancy is in quite a bit of pain right now, but with the chemotherapy she is undergoing, her oncologist hopes that her discomfort will subside shortly.

Please continue to shower Jake and Nancy with your prayers and love. The meals everyone has been providing have been a wonderful, real way to support them, and your words mean so much as well.

This morning the Nashville YMCA spin room was packed and wearing pink in your honor, Nancy-- rocking out to some good "girly music". I have done the same class in years past, in your honor, and I always am inspired by your strength. We all thank you for that and continue to stand with you in this fight.

Waiting with you...

Jake and Nancy are at the hospital and waiting to meet with their oncologist this afternoon. Another biopsy will need to be taken because the last one did not provide all of the information they needed. But Nancy will begin treatment today. She has a new port and is ready to start this fight.

We all continue to shower you with prayers and love.

(photos taken last year...)

A note from Jake and Nancy

As Nancy and Jake head into this informative week, they hope to learn the pathology results and begin the treatment course. Nancy sent the following note to post. As an aside, we will be adding more days on the calendar for meals, so if you haven't been able to sign up for one of the dates listed, there will be more opportunities to do so. Particularly as Nancy is underway with treatments, there will be a huge need for our support. Please contact Molly (email on sidebar) if you are not linked to the calendar.

Hey everyone,

THANK YOU so much for the overwhelming generosity of "Operation Dinner". It has been absolutely incredible and we are grateful beyond words to have such an amazing network of family and friends taking care of us. Above is a picture of the bulldogs begging for their treats (thanks also to Jack and Lynne for treating Rose and Yoyo).
This will be a big week. I'm having my port "reinstalled" or whatever the right term is and thankfully it will be by the same surgeon who has successfully done this for me twice before. A lot of patients have ports inserted by interventional radiologists (the same folks who do liver biopsies - yikes!), so I'm breathing a sigh of relief I don't have to darken their doorstep again. Speaking of the biopsy, my oncologist, Dr. Rinn, is pushing the pathologists really hard to get answers from the tissue they got on Tuesday rather than subjecting me to another procedure. We should know early this week if I need another biopsy (fingers crossed we won't). Either way, chemo will probably start on Thursday this week.
All things considered, we are doing well. We continue to be amazed at how fortunate we are to have such incredible family and friends. We feel your support 110% and it helps us get through. The meals have been delicious and such a help to us since I don't feel up to shopping or cooking. The blog has been really helpful for us too since it is difficult to keep everyone in the loop. We love you guys so much and it is fun for us to read your comments on the posts and guestbook.
Blessings and hugs all around - Nancy and Jake.

Consult with Oncologist

Nancy and Jake had a long day at the hospital, and here's what Nancy shared upon her return:

I did not have chemo today because we don't have a complete answer from my liver biopsy, but that's okay we'll start next week. The biopsy sample was not very good in spite of their best efforts (I assure you they tried, it woke me up from anesthesia to my protests...ouch!). Dr. Rinn thought this was due to necrosis in the liver, which sounded pretty bad to me, but she didn't seem too upset by it. Worst case they might need to repeat the biopsy, but honestly I am okay with that.

I was a little relieved not to have chemo today because I am still sore from the biopsy. My pain has is decreased a lot - it only hurts when I breath deeply or laugh, so don't send me any funny YouTube clips please. I'm kidding of course - laughter is exactly what we need. Luanne sent me a hilarious one of kittens - Jake and I were crying we were laughing so hard!

Dr. Rinn was quite encouraging today. First, my brain MRI is normal, which we expected, but is still a relief. Also, we got an update on a test called CTC (circulating tumor cells), which came back very low (low is good with this test). I am scheduled to have my port put back in early on Tues morning and we are all set for chemo on next Thursday morning. I will lose my hair again with this chemo, but it will be more gradual versus my first time where it came out all at once.

All in all, we are doing really well. The bulldogs are keeping us entertained. Rose, who has been through chemo with me twice before, is especially sweet.

We all share in the relief that the MRI was normal and that the CTC test came back so low! This is good news!

From the hospital

Jake and Nancy are waiting to find out the news from Nancy's biopsy and to figure out whether starting chemo is a "go" today. Nancy is feeling a little better. Jake sent these pictures from his phone while they were in the waiting room. Click on the picture on the left, and you will see that this is Nancy's quote.

Determining the next step

Yesterday Nancy underwent the biopsy on her liver to determine the pathology of the cancer. The inflamed tissue from the procedure caused her a great deal of pain, so she was admitted to the hosptial overnight to help manage this. She is doing much better now, and Jake is on his way to pick her up. This afternoon they will go in for the head MRI. Based on the pathology and the MRI, Nancy's oncologist will set the treatment course. She will make a "game-time decision" on chemotherapy tomorrow (which course and whether or not they commence tomorrow), based on these pieces of information and on how Nancy is feeling.

The First Post

As you know, on September 16, Jake and Nancy learned that Nancy's cancer had returned. A PET scan showed that there are two growths on her spine, a spot on her liver and  one on her lungs. We (Molly and Kate) have started this blog to provide you, friends and family with updates on Nancy and Jake (and Princess Rose and JoJo). It is also a place for any thoughts, prayers, psalms, poems, song lyrics ... and especially words of encouragement!

Use your technological voice to bring strength to this fight and to bring love to Nancy and Jake. Please pass this link along to other family and friends to make sure everyone is in the loop and to provide everyone a forum for well-wishes and encouragement.

We'll update the site as often as possible so informnation can be disseminated with ease (and fewer story repetitions).

The next step for them will be a biopsy on the cells to determine the best course of treatment. In the meantime, please continue to pray for them as they suit up for battle. Please let them know that we are all be their side...