Deb Crowe Schlosser Beats Cancer

Just got back from Houston late yesterday afternoon. I had flown back up to meet with the doctors from MD Anderson. It was night/day in terms of clarity & good, understandable information with details to back it up & a clear plan for treatment. I am now working with a really impressive team of women doctors – both the surgeon & oncologist & their respective support staff have held my hands, looked into my eyes & have said that we’ve got this. The relief & dare I say joy that I felt after meeting with these remarkable doctors made me giddy. I had been feeling like I was in mid-free fall, with no understanding of when I was going to hit ground & how hard it was going to hurt. A big fat mattress named MD Anderson appeared & has caught me. Phew.

I’m officially Stage 3, with cancer not only in my breast & under-arm lymph nodes, but also up my scapula & low neck lymph nodes. I got the biopsy on my low neck last Thursday. Thanks to the ultrasound technician’s very slow, methodical search into the tissue of my upper left quadrant, she found the new tumors. And she held my hand when I got the biopsy because I hate needles. Especially in my neck. It really feels like people care about me there, not only medically but on a human level.

Especially the doctors – believe me when I say they are impressive in their calm, concise, kind demeanors – really paying attention to what I relayed about my experience so far. They answered questions easily & with the detail that I needed. They will happily take me in for chemo if there should be a hurricane, without delay. And some of my follow up visits are already scheduled. There is forward momentum finally!!!

The oncologist I met with is in charge of the entire Breast Cancer department & she is also the doctor for a dear friend who is also fighting this thing. I also have an oncologist here on St Thomas who will administer my chemo, which should start this Thursday. He seems super kind & gentle & very knowledgable about all things chemo. I’ll have 2 back-to-back chemo treatments that should take about 5-6 months total. I’ll be back in Houston in mid-September for a check-in midway, then will estimate surgery in possibly early December. Radiation & hormone therapies will start after I’ve healed from surgery.

At this point I will specifically ask for any prayers or meditations on Lefty & his tentacles responding well to chemo & that it all shrinks considerably. If we can see shrinkage by September, that would be the best case scenario & proof that we’re moving in the right direction. Thank you in advance for anyone with an extra moment to spare & request this on my behalf.

My awesome chef sister, Stacy, made me my absolute favorite dessert the night before I left Houston – a dark chocolate-cabernet sauvignon ganache tort in a walnut crust. She even added 14K gold dust to the top. We feasted on pizza & this decadent creation. The above photo shows what we left behind. Medicine for the soul. Thank you Stacy & Kaya & Scott for hosting me for so long & making sure I ate well.

Gratitude. I’ve got it good. Thank you for reaching out everybody – it feels really great to be cared for by y’all. We’ve got this. 🤍🐦‍⬛