I’m Back!!

October 4, 2024

So much has happened since my last entry here several years ago. Friends, family, and acquaintances frequently ask about my health status, which brings me here. I have struggled with where to begin and decided that it would just be a good idea to get started.

The last two years have been undeniably the most challenging years of my entire life. Those who know me well, I’m certain, would agree that I’ve faced my fair share of adversity; however, my inner strength continues to be tested in ways I never could have imagined.

It all began in February 2023, when breast cancer decided to come knocking once again in the form of a very large brain tumor in my occipital lobe. The occipital lobe is the visual processing area of the brain. It is associated with visuospatial processing, distance and depth perception, color determination, object and face recognition, and memory formation.

In March 2023, I underwent a craniotomy, successfully debulking the majority of the tumor. Surgery was followed by radiation therapy to treat and hopefully stabilize the remaining metastatic disease. Perhaps I’ll diarize the details around that event in another blog. The good news is that the collaboration, sense of urgency, professionalism, and overall care from my medical team across two hospitals was incredibly impressive. I was optimistic and feeling strong.

As time went on, routine follow-up MRIs, along with a few symptoms, indicated that radiation therapy had led to necrosis. Lucky me! Due to regular communication with my medical team, I was able to thoroughly enjoy a magical month of quality time with family and friends in the Cayman Islands in March 2024.

As necrosis continued, it became difficult to differentiate between new disease and dying tissue, so it was decided that another debulking was the best course of action.

On May 1, 2024, I underwent craniotomy number two. Pathology soon showed no new disease. That was the good news!

The unfortunate result: during that procedure, I lost my entire left field of vision, which I have since learned is diagnosed as Left Homonymous Hemianopsia (LHH). Trust me when I say this is not simply the loss of seeing things to my left; it is much more complicated and presents me with daily challenges in completing basic tasks of everyday living. More to come on living with LHH.

On August 29th, a few days prior to flying to Geneva for some elevation hiking in the French Alps, a new tumor was detected during another routine MRI. This little guy is in a new location, not quite in my brain but pushing on it.

The silver lining—and thankfully there always seems to be one—is that it is only 9mm in size, offering us a 90% success rate of kicking this one to the curb with radiation therapy. As mapping and planning for radiation require a couple of weeks, I was cleared and encouraged to enjoy the mountain hiking adventure around Chamonix, France, beginning September 1st.

On Day 2 in Chamonix, while acclimatizing and preparing for several days of hiking ahead, I encountered another bump in the road. While enjoying some French cuisine outdoors alongside my hiking companions, I lost consciousness and seized. Once again, my medical team back home responded with urgency. Anti-seizure meds were prescribed, I was encouraged to feed my adventurous soul, and I was on the mountain the next day! I have so many beautiful souls to thank for making that experience possible for me; I’m not even sure where to begin.

Since my return to Canada, I have had three radiation treatments, and now we wait. I have faith and hope that my next MRI, likely to be scheduled in December, will show stability in this new tumor, stability in the cavity of the original tumor, no inflammation, no more necrosis, and no new metastatic disease.

Until then, my plan is to focus on the best possible quality of life, have some fun, enjoy new adventures, and spend quality time with loved ones as I learn to navigate through each day with LHH.

The brain tumors currently reside in a virtual box on a virtual shelf until I hear otherwise. My plan is to keep them on that shelf for a very long time because I have some BIG LIVING to do!

Thank you for sharing this journey with me. The support from family and friends gives me the strength and courage to keep fighting.

With love…

Kristin Crowe