Harris Fam in Boston, MA … on our way to Servier Pharmaceuticals for our Welcome Dinner that kicked off an amazing weekend of AYA Cancer community

I am still here! So, while I am, I will continue to do whatever I can to assist in eradicating the burdens of this awful umbrella of diseases. I was diagnosed soon after naturally going into labor at 33 weeks, with our youngest, Zuri. I was Stage IIIA HER2/neu, Er+, Pr- with Invasive Ductal Carcinoma (IDC) and Ductal Carcinoma in-situ (DCIS). I immediately had my powerport implant surgery and started TCHP chemotherapy the following day. After completing Taxotere and Carboplatin, I continued on with infusions of Herceptin and Perjeta, every 21 days. After my sixth chemotherapy infusion, I had my bilateral mastectomy with tissue expander placed, and the removal of 28 lymph nodes. Then, I went on to complete 28/28 radiation therapies. All of which came with their own slew of horrible side effects, including seromas, in-clinic seroma draining, a blood-staph aureus infection that had me septic, third degree radiation burns, and shingles in my radiation field. Interspersed between all of those treatments, were more surgeries. I’ve just had my fourth (hopefully last) reconstruction revision operation at the end of this passed March. I am still doing blood draws, every three months, and seeing my hematologist oncologist, every three months. One of these days I’ll graduate to once every six months. I am currently working with my neurological team involving a slow-growing tumor in my pituitary glad, the demylineation in several lobes of my brain, as well as balance, falling, seizure, and syncope episodes. And I’m still a wife and mom of three littles, 8, 6, and 3. I miss LIVING. I miss playing outside with my kids, something I’ve hardly gotten to do with Zuri. But, in due time… I hope to give back to a community that has helped my family and I get thru some of the toughest days we’ve seen, yet. I hope to continue my advocacy and always speak up for those that need a mouthpiece. It’s what I was born to do. And after all, I AM STILL HERE.