Believing For Brenda

Product Description

Leander, Texas, United States

Supporters

Brenda Fogle is the most kind, caring, compassionate and understanding person that everyone in her life has the privilege of knowing. She is a wife to husband Mike Fogle of 30 years, the mother to 4 awesome children (Johnathan, Cameron, Becah, and Josh), and the grandmother to 7 beautiful grandchildren. (Soon to be 8 as Becah is due within weeks)Brenda was working for ‘A World for Children’, a foster care agency, where she loved her work and coworkers dearly. She is thought of as genuine and warm and makes you feel as if you are the most important person in the room when she talks to you. She loves and lives for her family more than anything and would move mountains for us. We are very blessed and fortunate to have her.

As all of her friends, family, and coworkers know, Brenda was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer in 2012. She battled through a double mastectomy, months of chemotherapy, reconstructive surgery, and she staved off her cancer – for 3 wonderful years. However, in February of 2016, she again found a lump in her right lymph node under her arm, and went in to have it checked. Unfortunately and to everyone’s devastation, the cancer was back. After additional testing and procedures, they found it had spread to her pelvic bone, hip, spine, thyroid and lungs as well. A brain scan then showed there were affected areas in the skull along with a brain tumor. She was now classified as a Stage 4 Cancer patient.

When the medical industry classifies you as a Stage 4 your options for treatment are severely limited. They no longer consider you a viable candidate for standard treatment plans of chemo, radiation and surgery. So even though Brenda was told initially that extensive surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation was the recommended treatment plan, that changed once they knew it had spread past the lymph nodes and was classified a Stage 4. She was then told her best option would be to get accepted into a PD1 trial program with experimental drugs. Brenda was very hopeful about the trial because it had shown success with other types of cancer. Being triple negative, one of the qualifying requirements, her oncologist thought she was a good candidate for the trial, and the only thing to disqualify her would be a different type of cancer in the thyroid or activity in the brain. So when the MRI showed activity in the brain, Brenda was given the devestating news she was declared ineligible for the trial. Brenda was given the option to receive radiation treatment to the brain in hopes of eliminating that affected area and making her eligble for the trial once again. She did undergo a radiation technique that was supposed to pin point the dose locale (affected area) so as not to blanket the brain. As long as no other areas develop in the brain, there will be just one radiation treatment.

Side effects of the radiation include swelling of the brain and necrosis. It’s now a wait and see if the radiation has the desired affect. Brenda was told her brain had to be clear for 3-6 months.

In the meantime she is also taking oral chemo twice a day and dealing with intense side effects from the meds. She is overwhelmed and feels very blessed with the outpouring of love, compassion and generosity from family and friends and is very humbled and grateful.

UPDATE: SEPTEMBER 3RD 2016

Mom had 3 scans done in the past month. First scan was MRI on brain which came back showing the cancer had reduced by 20%. Second scan was a bone scan and third scan was a ct scan, both showing that all other areas of her body were “stable & slightly improved.” We are definitely celebrating this news and grateful for it. This definately gives us some hope.

UPDATE: November 2016 Setback

A scan showed increased growth in the brain tumor and many other areas of the body and radiation induced Necrosis of the brain matter. The swelling is causing tremors on mom’s right side, arm and hand limiting the use of her hand. Mom experienced a seizure that temporarily debilitated her. The Necrosis was causing swelling on the brain so she was put on steroids to try and reduce the swelling and controll the seizures. There are several adverse side affects from steroids including weight gain, total body bloating and fatigue, but Brenda has been battling through them. With this news mom is ineligible for the trial program.

UPDATE: FEBRUARY 15TH 2017

Major setback. Even with the steroids the seizures continued and on January 30th she suffered a seizure which induced Todds Paralysis which caused her to fall. Hitting her head on the countertop and then the tile floor she received a severe concussion. Paralyzed on her right side she could not move or speak. I was at home when mom fell and called 911. She went to emergency, was admitted and has been hopitalized ever since. She had brain surgery on February 2nd to remove the tumor in the hopes of preventing further seizures and is currently going through therapy to recover movement and use of her right arm, hand and leg. The surgeon believes that Brenda will eventually recover most of the movement and use of those areas. But it will take months and require extensive therapy. She was able to twitch her right index finger recently so we are hopeful.

Once she is discharged she will continue to need therapy for several weeks if not months. And she still has her ongoing battle with cancer in the rest of the affected areas. Due to her injuries Brenda is on disability and will no longer be able to continue in the work she loves for A World For Children. At this point we are aggressively pursuing alternative treatments as the options in the medical industry are exhausted.

UPDATE: April 2017

After an 18 day ICU hospital stay mom was released. She still had limited use of her arm and leg but could walk with aid and a walker. Her speach is slowly returning as well. She is going through therapy and was told her recovery should be 90%. Now disabled she can no longer do the work she loved at A World For Children. She is occupying her time doing the exercises, visiting with friends and family and working toward implementing a healthy regimen.

Here’s what we’re doing about it

She continues to battle her spreading cancer, increased tumors and pain. Brenda (and we) all feel that taking matters into our own hands is half of the battle. She is exercising, has a healthy diet, working on being positive, focusing on happiness in her life, and we are going to be there with her and help her every step of the way – in any way we can. Mom’s will has not dimenished but with limited options she has become more dependent on alternative treatments. She is juicing, drinking PH+ balanced water, taking 16 supplements a day, along with thrice daily heavy doses of canibis and coconut oils.

We are raising money to help aid in the out-of-pocket medical expenses including testing for the trials that wasn’t covered by insurance, and now alternative treatments costing $260 – $630 per day. All of the donations Brenda receives will be put into a separate account and managed for related medical expenses.

Stress induces and exacerbates all sorts of disease and we want to eliminate as much stress from Brenda’s life as we can. And then fill it with happiness, memories, hope, prayer and reassurance that everything will be OK.

PLEASE JOIN US.

Andrea Worthington

8 years ago

$100

Anonymous

8 years ago

$100

patricia cyr

8 years ago

$50

Anonymous

8 years ago

$75

Trent Zomer

8 years ago

$50

Karen Watman

9 years ago

$50

Michelle Rankin

9 years ago

$50

Frankie Kennedy

9 years ago

$3000

Megan Dunnigan

9 years ago

$20

Michelle Rankin

9 years ago

$50

Caleb Strawn

9 years ago

$50

Tori Tennant

9 years ago

$25

Tim Thompson

9 years ago

$50

Tim Thompson

9 years ago

$50

Gail Zander

9 years ago

$50

Austin Dufault

9 years ago

$100

Estevan Vega

9 years ago

$80

Tiwi Barlow

9 years ago

$20

Janice & Peter Tomlinson

9 years ago

$100

Marcia Mosley

9 years ago

$100

Megan Cyr

Love you and thinking of your whole family – Megan

8 years ago

Karen Watman

Wishing you you all the best Brenda for your recovery Xx

9 years ago

Michelle Rankin

Brenda/Mike/Rebecah, If there is anything we can do, please don’t hesitate to ask. We are only a couple doors down and would be happy to help with getting groceries or anything that you need. Although, I must confess that I am not a very good cook. Sincerely, Michelle

9 years ago

Gail Zander

Our thoughts and prayers are with your family.

9 years ago

Janice & Peter Tomlinson

Our love and prayers are with you and your family

9 years ago

Marcia Mosley

I am praying daily for a miracle for Brenda!!

9 years ago

Kathleen J Gray

Love you all very much!

9 years ago

Katelyn Gray

From Dillon and I. We love you Aunt Brenda and are fighting with you every step of the way

9 years ago

Maikasha Goodpaster

Love you Becky, best wishes for your mom and family!

9 years ago

Maikasha Goodpaster

Love you Becky, best wishes for your mom and family!

9 years ago

Maikasha Goodpaster

Love you Becky, best wishes for your mom and family!

9 years ago

Maikasha Goodpaster

Love you Becky, best wishes for your mom and family!

9 years ago

Darla Gibson

Praying for you!

9 years ago

Rebecah Fogle

Cameron Ashby

John Brown

Josh Fogle

Mike Fogle