The pathology report from mom's surgery took an extremely long time to arrive, and finally - after 3 weeks of waiting - we now have a better sense of what's going on.
The good news (which is actually GREAT news, if you ask me) is that all seven of the lymph nodes they took during the surgery are clear and cancer-free. Yay! 
The less than ideal news, however, is that they've found another tumor. :(   Same side as the other tumors that were removed in the first surgery, only this one is higher up. That - plus the fact that they've also found some additional cancer in the blood vessels around the nipple - means she's headed for another surgery (currently scheduled for September 13th). 
We also recently learned that following this next operation, mom will need chemo in addition to the expected radiation, due to the size of the tumors removed in round one (over 2cm in size - bummer!!).
All said, it's looking like the journey has only just begun; please keep dear mom in your prayers, and don't hesitate to drop her a line via comments here, or by email, phone, or snail mail; I know she'd love to hear from you.
We appreciate your healing thoughts & energy beams more than words can say... thanks so much for your support!

Thirteen and a half hours after our 8am arrival at RIH, we're home, and mom is sleeping peacefully.

By 12:15pm she was all wired up, ultra-sounded, radio-activated, and in the Day Surgery ward awaiting the call. It came at approximately 12:45pm, and my niece Alex and I were able to act as her mini-entourage and accompany her all the way - and stay with her - right up until they wheeled her into the O.R. at 1:10pm. Her surgery was supposed to be 1.5 hours in length but ended up to be slightly longer, and she was brought into Recovery around 3:10pm - expected to stay there an hour. Unfortunately it was after 5pm before she was into the post-surgical ward, and when she arrived she was in pretty rough shape: nauseous, dizzy and pale (green, actually) - even though the surgery seemed to go well. They kept her until almost 9:30pm, when she was strong enough to stand and walk a bit without too much wobbling, and as soon as she got home and into her own bed, she was conked out for the count. A few hours, a cup of soup and a couple of sips of coffee later, mom is back in bed, and seems to have no trouble sleeping.

In everything I've read and heard it sounds as though the next few days will be filled with lots and lots more of the same: sleep, sleep, and more sleep. I didn't get to meet or speak with the surgeon, so I'm not certain as to how she personally felt the surgery went, but the nurses were extremely positive and mom and I will be back in the surgeon's office in a week to talk to her directly. The pathology report takes 3-5 business days to come back, so once that is released, I'm sure we'll have more of the ongoing details in terms of radiation treatment, any additional surgeries, etc. and we'll definitely keep you posted. 

As for today, I think all in all it was better than expected. Congratulations, mom... you did great!!!!!!

Yesterday we celebrated the first of Dad's birthdays without him here with us in physical form (it would have been #76), and this morning we're heading to the hospital here in Kamloops for mom's breast cancer surgery. Needless to say, it's been quite a couple of days!
Our arrival time to the hospital will be 8am, and the expectation is that we will be there up to 8 hours. They asked mom to pack a bag just as a precaution so that if she doesn't do well with the anesthetic they can keep her overnight because of her sleep apnea (which is apparently not a good combo).
She's anxious and increasingly nervous as the time ticks by, but overall I think she's holding up great and will be glad to get it all over with and move into the healing phase. 
A big, huge thank you to all of you who have sent emails and text messages of luck and love the past 24 hours... it really means more than words could ever say - to both of us. 
Please keep dear mom in your thoughts and prayers today, and I'll post another update once we have new news to report. 
Here we go!

We're approaching the six month mark since my dad died, and now the next big leg of the journey has begun: my mom has just been diagnosed with breast cancer.  :(

Flying solo for the first time in almost 50 years, it's enough to deal with on IT'S own, but dealing with it on HER own is going to be one of the greatest challenges of her lifetime.
We are so grateful for the rallying support of dear friends, family members, and the awesome medical team who will handle my mom's August 8th surgery... THANK YOU. 
We're going to beat this, and be better for having been through it-- we both know that. In the meantime, we ask that you include my beautiful mom, Pat Mintern, in your prayers, and we will include you, our friends and family, in our updates*. 

* To subscribe to receive the KCS My Life updates ONLY, please enter your email address in the box on the right of this page. Any time we post an update, you'll receive it by email so that you don't have to keep coming back to check in... we'll come to you!)

I am the luckiest girl in the world for this amazing man - one of the most amazing human beings I've ever known - to have been my Dad:

http://www.inmemoriam.ca/view-announcement-214348-cliff-mintern.html

Even though you are no longer with us in body, Cliffie, you remain vibrant as ever in spirit. 
I already miss you more than words can say, and will love you forever. It has been my true honor and pleasure to be your little girl. 

I love you!!!!!!!
xoxo

Wherever you are tonight, I hope you'll raise a glass to celebrate the life of our dear, special guy, Cliffie (my dad), who peacefully departed this morning at approximately 7:38am.

At his request, there will be no formal service, but email thoughts/stories/photos, etc. are welcomed and will be shared with the family and others as a memorial tribute to Pops. 

With love and in gratitude, we thank you for your prayers and well wishes...

Helping Mom & Dad create space as we work through the journey of dad's illness together. Last night: CLOSETS. This a.m.: 13 BAGS TO CHARITY!

Went to the Germany vs. Australia World Cup game tonight, sporting 
Team Canada gear so we at least had SOME representation! :)