Month: April 2025

Life goes on.

There was a time, back in the day, when I blogged every night. It was cathartic, an outlet for my frustration as well as a creative endeavor. When I started this, I thought that I would do a daily post to document my journey through cancer. Ha. This fatigue is so overwhelming that (most days) the thought of opening the computer to write is more than I can bear. Most days I feel like I’m holding my breath, willing the storm in my body to calm… afraid to rock the boat.

The first few months, I was so stressed out about the things I couldn’t do around the house. Dirty dishes and crumbs on the floor drove me crazy. Now, I don’t even notice the mess. My priorities have changed. In a way, I feel like I’m in the eye of the storm. There are a million things swirling around me and I can’t afford to pay attention to any of them.

The second cycle of AC has been a little different – less pain and neuropathy but more fatigue and nausea. So, it balances out to remain awful.

Red Devil, 2 of 4

This is the fifth month that I’ve been in treatment and I’m so ready for this portion to be over. Six cycles down, including six rounds of immunotherapy and fourteen chemotherapy treatments. Just two more and I’ll have a short break before surgery. Sometime in the next month I’ll be going for another breast MRI to check the progress. I’m not really nervous. The tumor is no longer palpable, so I know the chemo is working. Best case scenario, the cancer will be completely gone and I’ll achieve pCR. Worst case? The tumor is smaller, but the cancer has spread to other areas. Of course, TNBC has such a high rate of recurrence (40%) that everything could go well, and it might still come back. That is the scary part – that all of this will have been for nothing.

In addition to the MRI, I need to meet with the surgeon to develop a plan for surgery. Treatment after surgery will depend on what type of surgery I decide to do and the results of pathology. So, there are still a lot of unknowns.

For now, I’m going to try and focus on one day at a time. I’m spending as much time with my grandkids as possible, although it is hard for me to play with them anymore.

Red Devil Update – The River

Tomorrow, I go for my second treatment (Keytruda + AC chemo) and thought I should look back and reflect on the last three weeks. This round of treatment has been a hundred times worse that the first four cycles. Even though I’m going every three weeks instead of every week, the side effects are much stronger and last longer. The first week I couldn’t do anything at all. The second week was a little better, but still terrible. The third week was manageable, but I feel like I’ve been through the ringer.

4 days after treatment
19 days after treatment

The nausea hasn’t been bad. I have several anti-nausea meds that help with that. There is a general feeling of being unwell, like something is wrong with my body but I can’t pinpoint what or where. The fatigue is debilitating. I will sit there for hours trying to get the energy to do simple tasks. My life has gotten stripped down to the bare minimum, stuck in a holding pattern trying to make it through these couple of months. Other side effects include a constant headache, rashes, neuropathy. I was prepared for all of this, but what I wasn’t prepared for is the pain. Joint paint, bone pain, abdominal pain, pain under my fingernails… Ugh! I spent the first week crying uncontrollably because it was unbearable. But gradually, it has gotten better – just in time to do it all over again.

Time is a sort of river of passing events, and strong is its current; no sooner is a thing brought to sight than it is swept by and another takes its place, and this too will be swept away.

Marcus Aurelius

When it gets too bad, I remind myself that this too shall pass. It helps not to fight the pain, but to embrace it. Feel it wash over you and let time do its thing. I cannot control what is happening to me, but I can control my mind and find quiet and peace in the suffering. I am grateful for it. Everything that I’m going through right now is designed to beat this cancer and give me more time with my family, so how can I not appreciate that?

FAQ

Since starting the raffle, I’ve gotten a few questions so wanted to address them here.

Why a raffle? Don’t you have a GoFundMe?

I do have a GoFundMe that my daughter set up. It is to cover medical expenses as well but is an ongoing thing that we are leaving open while I’m in treatment. I don’t use it to actively raise money but if someone asks, I can send the link. The raffle is a short-term fundraiser to raise money during specific periods. This one (Easter raffle) was set to coincide with the beginning of my AC chemotherapy. We will probably have one more when I have surgery.

Do you have insurance?

Yes. Cancer is incredibly expensive to treat, so without insurance I would just die. Kidding, but not kidding. However, there are things that insurance doesn’t cover.

Does this fundraiser really benefit you?

Yes! Our local law enforcement has warned people to be cautious when contributing to fundraisers because of potential scams. This is one reason I’m linking my blog. I want to be transparent about what I’m going through.

Why now?

Many of you know about the mass shooting that happened in Las Cruces last month. (If not, click here for more information.) Our community is struggling, and a lot of people are raising money for the victims and their families. I thought about postponing the raffle but decided to go ahead with it. It’s been planned for quite a while and there were other people/businesses involved. That being said, there is absolutely no comparison between what I’m going through and losing someone to gun violence. If you only have money to donate to one cause, buy a ticket for the raffle for the Esrada/Arzabel family (drawing Aprill 11). They lost one family member and have another still in the hospital.

-How do I get a ticket?

The tickets are $10. You can pay cash in person at Dunn Edwards, 2301 E Lohman. The prize is set up there as well. You can also purchase tickets using Zelle (575-489-8464), Apple Pay (575-489-8464), Venmo (@kristykorg) or CashApp ($KristalArmendariz). Please include your name and phone number so that I can contact you should you win!

REMINDER: donations to the GoFundMe page will NOT enter you in the drawing. It is separate from the raffle.

RAFFLE TIME!

In 2017 I opened Mile Marker 39, a painting company in Las Cruces. It was a family affair, and I loved working with my husband and kids. I had hoped to keep working through the cancer treatments but physically can’t handle it. Losing our main source of income at the same time that we are dealing with multiple medical appointments a week is difficult. I’m currently undergoing chemotherapy and immunotherapy and looking at surgery in the next six months. We are holding this raffle to raise money for medical expenses.

Tickets are $10 and will be available April 1 – April 17. Drawing will be held on April 17 so that we can deliver before Easter (Las Cruces area only). Prize package is on display at Dunn Edwards (2301 E Lohman) and includes the following:

LAERPS Kamado Charcoal Grill with Smoker, Kingsford Charcoal with Chimney Starter, Insulated Lunchbox, COLDEST 40 oz Tumbler, Easter Candy, Gift Bag and 2 Fives of Versasatin courtesy of Dunn Edwards.

Tickets can be purchased via Apple Pay (575-489-8464), Zelle (575-489-8464), Venmo (@kristykorg) or CashApp ($KristalArmendariz). Please include name for raffle.

If you would like to contribute without entering the raffle, you can donate directly to the GoFundMe set up by my daughter here.

If you can’t buy a ticket, please consider sharing. Anything helps! Here are some images you can use for social media:

Here are the QR codes for payment options and the GoFundMe. REMINDER: Money donated directly to the GoFundMe with NOT purchase a raffle ticket. Tickets must be purchased using one of the other options.

Thank you for your support!