Carole Means Strength

Did you know that? The meaning of Carole is actually strength? I was guessing something a little more along the lines of music, but now that I know that it means strength it definitely makes sense.

This blog is an attempt to help Carole's family and friends stay up to date with all that's going on with her and her little family. I will give you this warning now... my teachers always say that my writing style is very succinct, which means that occasionally I may sound a little blunt. Sometimes the best way to say something is to just come out and say it. Carole has been diagnosed with stage four breast cancer.

There. I said it. Deep breath.........

Now for the actual updates. Carole had a double mastectomy on Friday. The doctors also removed two of her lymph nodes that were cancerous as well. She was feeling discomfort in her hip and back so the doctors decided to do an MRI. The MRI showed cancer in both her hip and L5 vertebrae. The tumor in her vertebrae has actually grown enough to the point where it caused a stress fracture. 

Tomorrow, Carole will be going in for a PET scan to check her organs for cancer. Carole's team of doctors will be meeting tomorrow to discuss their plan of action after they get the results back from the PET scan as well as a DNA test. It's actually a huge blessing that Carole has this particular team of doctors. They have a waiting list and weren't supposed to be accepting new patients, but somehow Carole was able to "sneak" her way in. Thank you Heavenly Father for tender mercies!

How do you go from feeling like a million bucks to stage four breast cancer?! I don't know. All I know is that Heavenly Father has a plan. I also know that Carole's friend had it right when she said that Carole, Brandon, and their kids have been prepared for this. Watching their little family today in the hospital helped me to see clearly that this is a family that can endure anything because they will rely on each other, their extended family, friends, and on their Savior.