Nakita Grinie

one more update

I talked to Keri today on the phone! It was such a relief to hear her voice.

For those of you who don't follow her website regularly, the big news is that Keri has to decide whether or not she will freeze her eggs for future children. Chemo will likely shut down her ovaries for an extended period of time. There is no guarantee that she will ever ovulate again which is to say she might begin menopause at the tender age of 26. Talk about a hitting below the belt, stupid cancer. It's a hell of a disease, huh?

So the infertility treatments would increase her chances of someday having viable eggs for conception but of course, nothing is certain. Even with the hefty price tag of $10,000 for this procedure the doctors say it's not guaranteed to work. I was worried that they'd have to inject Keri with all kinds of hormones and extract the eggs with a giant needle----something that I don't think her body needs right now. But she assures me it really isn't so bad and only takes about three weeks for the whole process.

Her family is planning a fund raiser to help with these gigantic costs. Check her website here for more information on that. It goes without saying that any donation would be appreciated. None of us are rich and powerful [unless some of my readers are holding out on me!] but every little bit helps.

Keri is feeling much better than expected. Sure she has three drains coming out of her body. And she can barely lift her arms without a sharp pain. But she says her pain meds are the bomb [my words, not hers] and her temporary expander boobs are bigger than she anticipated. Basically she is the same size as me right now--and she compared herself to a middle schooler, thank you very little-- but of course hers will be magically pumped up over time:)

On Wednesday she meets her Oncologist for the first time, along with three other doctor's appointments. Obviously, she'll know a lot more at that point about her future treatments. But overall Keri is kicking arse already. And I can't wait until I fly out for my Kansas visit. Now I just have to get a day off at work and buy some tickets. Seriously, I can't wait.

Oh, and she got my package so now I can show you what I sent:
A journal and magnet from Papaya along with homemade cookies that mysteriously disappeared before Keri could taste a single morsel. I guess that means they were good?

Anyway, I know a lot of you are thinking of her and wandering what is new. So there you go, straight out of her mouth [sort of].