Boobs, Biology, and Blogs

Hi friends and family of Kirsten Mama K Thumper Henry Fox!


After receiving my mom's email and noting how many friends she has in her "inner circle" (37! I'm skeptical..), I thought how great it would be if there was a tool we could use to stay updated and on the same page about information, progress, and general Kirsten news. And then I remembered the internet! So here is a blog. I'm new to blogs, so if this one is amazing, it's beginner's luck.


Let's start with some bookkeeping:

If you are one of those dear friends my mom has with a heart of gold and some time to spare, it appears your kitchen will soon turn into an Italian restaurant mass producing lasagna. To keep things from getting repetitive, here is a link to check out what and when other star friends are cooking for the Foxes:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1BHN97vC95611hp47WGA5uqxb_Rqs7efh1gjxJGeIz98/edit?usp=sharing

Use this information wisely and to assess who has been reading Food & Wine regularly.


Next to some information and medical mishmash (please don't cite me):

Put simply, invasive ductal carcinoma is when the cells in part of the breast grow out of control and can potential spread to other areas of the body. This is bad because cancer cells grow and duplicate faster than healthy cells and can clump together to cause tumors (they are the teenage boys of the cell world). The tumors will smoosh and bully normal healthy cells, which leads to other problems. This is a good picture:

Less simply, the cancer forms in the lining of the milk ducts in the breast and can spread to other breast tissue and possibly to the lymph nodes. The lymphatic system is part of both the circulatory and the immune systems and it runs throughout the entire body. The fluid (and it's passengers) in lymphatic system drains into the large veins entering the heart, i.e. mixing back in with the blood and recirculating through the body. An ideal transport for insidious cancer cells.

According to the MRI Kirsten got, the cancer is currently small and contained only in the breast tissue. This is good!
The imaging also said that the tumor is high grade. A high grade tumor is one that closely resembles healthy cells and tends to grow quicker. This isn't great.
The cancer is also receptor positive, meaning both of the hormones estrogen and progesterone promote growth of the cancerous cells (along with promoting growth of healthy cells). Using hormone medications to eliminate or block estrogen and progesterone will slow or stop the growth of all breast cells, including the cancer cells. Essentially, since it has a stomach it can be starved. This is good!


Mama K is meeting with a surgeon on Monday 6/16 to make a game plan for treatment. I'll be back then to give you mostly correct medical information and updates on the lady of the hour!


Ta ta for now!
-Alyssa