IPFW Pink Out Hits Home
1/29/2008
I am very excited to be a part of the IPFW Pink Out! Sure it's a great cause, and sure it's a really good advertising opportunity. But what really hits home is that almost exactly 2 years ago my wife was diagnosed with breast cancer. Unfortunately it turned out to be Infiltrating (invasive) Ductal Carcinoma (IDC), which is a really nasty form of, and the most common type of breast cancer.
She was 5 months pregnant and discovered a lump on her breast. Within a week of finding the lump herself, she was in the O.R. having a radical mastectomy. A month later she began chemotherapy. It was a pretty tough time for us, but we had wonderful support from family, friends, co-workers, doctors, and most of all Jesus.
The insidious thing about IDC is the speed at which it can grow. Just 6 weeks before she discovered the lump she had a very thorough breast exam as part of her prenatal care. In just 6 weeks the cancer went from being completely undetectable to growing so large that it was visible to the naked eye!
Since she was pregnant she basically had no options for treatment except a radical mastectomy and the removal of all of her lymph nodes on the effected side. After recovering from surgery she had to undergo chemotherapy even though she was still pregnant. All in all though we aren't complaining, she got through everything with her health, an amazing positive attitude, and an incredibly wonderful baby girl (in our opinion of course).
I'd like to take this opportunity to invite you to support this great cause brought to you by our wonderful local university, IPFW.
I'd also like to thank both Dr. Meo and Dr. Mancoll for their help in saving my wife and baby girl.
Thank You,
Ross Toenges
