Help Stop The Spread

I never thought that I would have to write a Facebook post like this, but we wanted to update everyone about our last week. As some of you know, Dawn has not felt well for the last several weeks, with consistent nausea. Last week, in a period of about 48 hours, a series of tests escalated on us quickly. To make a long story short, we were stunned when we were informed that Dawn has Melanoma in the lung. By definition, this is a Stage IV cancer, and obviously the last thing we were expecting as a diagnosis on an otherwise healthy 39-year-old. I won’t get into a lot of details of the disease itself, feel free to Google to find out more, but we are aware of the gravity of the diagnosis and the fight that is ahead of us. We met with the Oncologist this morning and the staff at Methodist Hospital and the Estabrooks Cancer Center have been fantastic. We are awaiting a few last details of the diagnosis, but treatment options have already been outlined and we expect treatment to begin by the end of next week. Good news is, there has been significant progress in the treatment of this specific cancer, in just the last five years, and we will be utilizing aggressive and some of the newest treatments available in the country. We are ready to fight. I offered to set up a Caring Bridge site for Dawn to update everyone on her progress, but Dawn told me that Caring Bridge is, “for people who are going to die, and I’m not planning on doing that”. Anyone who knows Dawn, I’m sure can picture her saying that. So, we will keep everyone posted as we go along. We already know how many people care about Dawn and love her. Myself, Chloe, Caleigh, Caitlin and Caden love her more than anything in the world, and are all aboard, ready for the fight! So one day at a time, we will wake up, we will fight, and we will live life together. Please join us in supporting Dawn during this journey, however you feel you can, whether through encouragement, or prayers, please know, that we have already been overwhelmed by the support, from just the close group of people who we have already talked with. Thank you! Todd, Dawn, Chloe, Caleigh, Caitlin & Caden