Emily received the phone call she's been waiting on from her Oncologist late yesterday afternoon (Thursday May 23rd) with the Oncotype Test results.

If you're like us, we're taking a crash course in all things breast cancer alongside Emily and are learning something new around every corner. WebMD best describes this Oncotype Test as "a sample analysis of a cancer tumor to see the activity of certain genes that can affect the cancer's outcome and how likely it is to grow and spread." 

If you remember from our last update, we were praying for this Oncotype number to be less than 17, meaning she could skip Chemo completely and begin Radiation treatment right away. 17 or greater would mean Chemotherapy treatment, then finish with Radiation.

Emily's number is 46 and will require both Chemo and Radiation. This number tells us we need to do everything possible to make sure these cells are gone once and for all. Full transparency, the last 24 hours have felt incredibly dissappointing processing this news of her body glaring of this cancer's strength. So let's talk about what her Chemo journey will look like and focus instead on the plan we now have.

Port Surgery has been scheduled for next Wednesday (May 29). This is an outpatient surgery where a small, implantable reservoir with a thin silicone tube attaches to a vein in her chest for direct treatment. She'll be sent home to rest for a few days.

Chemo will begin the first week of June and will last 5 months total (June-October), broken into two patterns to best accommodate the dosage of the 18 total treatments. 

June and July - 4 treatments spread across every other week + shots to increase her white blood cell count.

August, September, October - 12 treatments once a week for 12 weeks.

She will end with Radiation later this year, but let's hold discussing that for now. She's taking these days with stride. Allowing herself to emotionally process the battle ahead. Leaning on her village. Being present with her kids. Trusting God with her whole heart. And pointing to Him when each hurdle seems harder than the last.

This photo is their most used doorway in the house to the outside, and is a beautiful visual of her village praying over her as she enters the door of this next chapter. 

Words fall short when I want to say how proud I am of my sister. So instead I want to leave with you with the lyrics of Cece Winans' "Goodness of God" song, as I think it honors Emi's sentiment if she were sitting here with you today sharing these updates personally.