Our cancer journey began in May 2023 at our daughters 3-year-old birthday party when a family friend, a Physical Therapist, noticed a lump on Jaime's neck. We didn't think much about it but it just so happened that Jaime had a doctor's appointment with his primary physician the following week. Over the next few weeks through ultrasounds and biopsies it was determined Jaime had two large benign tumors growing around his thyroid. Jaime was referred to an Oncologist surgeon to remove half of his thyroid along with the tumors. This tissue was biopsied again. We received a phone call a few days post op with the news, this time the biopsy was determined to be cancerous.
The news sat heavy in our hearts, we had two young daughters at the time, and I was 7 months pregnant with our third daughter. We were usure what this cancer diagnosis would mean for our future but through our faith in God we knew that in some way we would be fine. We were assured by his team at Barnes Jewish and the Siteman Cancer Center that Jaime was going to receive the best care, and this cancer could be managed with surgery and radiation therapy. Jaimes next surgery was scheduled to remove the rest of his thyroid and made plans for his radiation treatment, which would require at least one week of isolation from our family. He returned home from surgery the same day only to return to the ER a few days later when internal sutures broke from an asthma attack. Jaime was at home at the time and called me at work with a painful swollen neck. We rushed to the ER and Jaime went in for a third surgery. This was by far the hardest surgery to recover from, and his radiation treatment had to be pushed back to a week before my due date. This meant that Jaime could potentially miss the birth of our daughter because he was going to be in his isolation period and would be emitting too much radiation to be around our children. Through prayer and discernment, and many conversations with his medical team, we decided to postpone his radiation treatment to a few months after our baby was born. Jaime wanted to be present and support me during labor and delivery and hold his newborn daughter.
Josephine was born on October 26th, and we quickly adjusted to being a family of 5. We were all so in love with our newest addition that cancer seemed to be the last thing on our mind, a refreshingly new mindset. A few joyous weeks passed before having to think and plan for Jaimes radiation therapy. He would be emitting high levels of radiation for 7-10 days post treatment and we decided it would be too much of a risk to have our children nearby. Jaimes parents graciously offered their basement bedroom for Jaime to isolate for the week. In January 2024, Jaime and I drove separately to the Radiation Center, we said our goodbyes in the patient room, I left, and he began his treatment. Over the next week the girls and I were very thankful for Facetime, we colored pictures to give Papi when he returned, and we prayed for his healing. Jaime came home on a snowy January morning, we cried, we hugged, we were whole.
This is the first year where Jaime and I ride for Pedal the Cause together as a team. We are so thankful and blessed to have the amazing care and support from Barnes Jewish and the Siteman Cancer Center this past year. We proudly ride to support the continuing efforts to find a cure.
