Wish Upon a Star Read Online Free

smiled.
    "Ms. Wilson, I'm Dr. Ann Furman. It's a pleasure to meet
you." They shook hands and Annie introduced me. Something about
the doctor's demeanor put me at ease, and I got the sense it was the
same for Annie. Maybe it was her warm smile, or the fact that her
sweater had little yellow ducks woven into it.
    Annie had designated me as her official note taker, so I
focused on writing things down while the doctor went through
Annie's medical history. When that was completed, the doctor pulled
out two x-rays and hung them from a backlit exam fixture.
    She flipped a switch and the x-rays lit up to reveal images of
Annie's breasts. With a pen she pointed out two masses, one very
small, the other larger, in her right breast. Each mass was identified
with a tiny, bright square.
    "These are images from the MRI you had taken. As you can
see, there are two tumors. The bright spots are markers that were
put in place when the masses were biopsied. The markers can help
us identify the locations of the tumors as your treatment
progresses."
    She pointed to the other image. "In your left breast, there's a
single tumor here. This is where I need to be honest with you. The
fact that there are multiple tumors is indicative of a malignant form
of breast cancer."
    "Form of breast cancer?" Annie's voice came out
uneven.
    Dr. Furman nodded. "Yes, there are many forms or types of
breast cancer. The name of this type is Invasive Ductile
Carcinoma."
    Annie steepled her fingers in front of her while I flipped to a
new page. "All right, what does that mean?"
    "Invasive Ductile Carcinoma is a very common type of
cancer that grows rapidly, but is very treatable."
    "In what way?"
    "The standard course of treatment at this stage would
involve chemotherapy, mastectomy, reconstruction, and potentially
radiation."
    A chill came over me as my pen dug into the paper. This
sounded bad.
    Really bad.
    "What do you mean by at this stage?" I said.
    "When we are looking at the growth of cancer cells, we
identify the growth by stage, and grade. Stage refers to how far along
the cancer is, from one to four. Grade refers to how rapidly the
cancer is growing, again from one to four."
    "And mine is?"
    "Stage two, grade three; which means the cancer cells have
metastasized and spread to the lymph nodes at a rapid rate." The
doctor took a breath. When she resumed, she spoke in a measured
tone. "The issue you face Ms. Wilson, is the cancer has possibly
reached the lymph nodes. If it has the opportunity to progress, it
could spread throughout your body."
    "So what are my options?" Annie took my hand as she asked
the question. I gave it a tight squeeze.
    "There are two courses you can take. One is bi-lateral
mastectomy to remove the tumors, followed by chemotherapy to
eradicate any other cancerous cells. When the tumors are removed
we'll also remove some of the lymph nodes to check them for cancer.
If the lymph nodes are positive for the cancer, then I'd recommend a
course of radiation to help prevent recurrence of the cancer. The
second course flip-flops the chemotherapy and surgery. The
advantage to the first course is that you get the tumors removed
immediately. However, there is typically a six-week recovery period
before chemotherapy can begin, and in that time—"
    "Any cancer the surgery didn't get has a chance to
grow."
    The doctor smiled. "Exactly. I can tell you've done your
homework. With the second course, we're able to go after the cancer
cells immediately, and if you respond to treatment, we will be able to
monitor your progress by feeling the tumors shrink."
    I looked up from my notes. "Is there a downside to that
option?"
    The doctor switched her focus from Annie to me. For some
reason, that tiny gesture was more reassuring than I would have
thought possible. "Yes. First, your fiancé's options with regard to
reconstructive surgery will be somewhat limited. Given her level of
fitness, right now I would recommend reconstructive surgery be
conducted during the