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Anna Marie has Breast Cancer


deborahlynn1979

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I'll be honest - Anna Marie is my pet fundie and that post made my heart stop.  The thought of those six little ones being left motherless...no words.  :(  

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On the hopefully positive side she's close to term (so the baby, while still premature, is likely to do well) and they have identified it early. Negative side is the fast growing part. I hope they are able to treat it effectively. Still this must be a huge shock for them all. I also hope they have insurance that will cover them sufficiently. 

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Sure I hate the fact that Steve and Teri have been so controlling that the children still live close to Maxhell and they haven’t allowed any daughters to marry. However, I suppose it is good that everyone is around to help out. Anna and Chris won’t have to worry about babysitting, cooking, or cleaning because the three aunts will likely be doing that while they are in the hospital and receiving treatments. 

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Joining everyone else here in wishing for healing and recovered health for Anna Marie. I am glad that the Maxwells are open and honest, and seemingly leaning hard on their village and faith. It will take a village. I hope that their baby is healthy as well. 

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That last post is absolutely terrifying. Oddly I was just thinking yesterday, before the post went up, that it's good that none of the Maxes have dealt with cancer, especially with their ties to Scamaritan. (Cancer is one of my biggest fears, and I have good insurance that would enable me to fight it hard if I got it, and not have to petition other shareholders to see if my treatment was okay.) I can't imagine the emotional strain they've been under, knowing this was there and now seeing it growing more aggressively as the pregnancy progressed. NR-Anna is young, too - IIRC she was 24 at the time of their marriage, though I have no idea how I know that, so she'd be 33 now. Breast cancer is sometimes very aggressive in younger women - a doctor once told me that under 35 is a very risky time for a woman with breast cancer. I truly hope that if they're covered by Scamaritan, they get the treatment options they need, and not just a quick lumpectomy and "drink lots of carrot juice." 

(WARNING: The next bit might be triggering)

I guess my fears about medical interventions in this case are that (1) Scamaritan might view women as interchangeable brood mares, so it's okay if NR-Anna doesn't make it because CMax can always just get another one, or that (2) they would be so entwined in this women-must-have-long-hair theology that they (as a family, or because this is Scamaritan's view) would decline chemo because being shorn/bald is shameful in their belief system. I have no idea how fundie Scamaritan actually it is but given its popularity among fundies, I'm guessing...a lot.

I wish those last points were snark for the sake of snark but I'm really concerned.

As much as I snark on CMax (his uptightness really makes him my least favorite of that generation of Maxes) I have nothing but sympathy and concern for NR-Anna, and all of those children.

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For my friends mother, and again this was a long time ago, my recollection was that pregnancy exacerbated the situation.  Maybe there is a link between the pregnancy hormones and some form(s) of breast cancer. Nonetheless this is very frightening for all of them for many reasons (I know she has done home birth and of course the strong connection between breast feeding and all of that). I just really feel for them and really hope they have good medical care despite their dodgy insurance. 

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I am not sure if anyone mentioned it , but usually the younger the person is disgnosed, the more aggressive the cancer is. My grandmother was diagnosed at 80, but because of her age, the cancer was very slow and it was not was killed her. But if had it in the 30’s it would have been more aggressive. 

Edited by AnneH
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I wish Scamaritan was outlawed.  I just can't fathom sending money in every month and praying someone will help pick up the tab if I get sick.  Some hospitals won't negotiate anymore cuz of high health care costs.  I hope the Maxwells will come to their senses and at least go on Obamacare.  Its not perfect but a hell of a lot better than Scamaritan.

Edited by SPHASH
ETA
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8 minutes ago, SPHASH said:

I wish Scamaritan was outlawed.  I just can't fathom sending money in every month and praying someone will help pick up the tab if I get sick.  Some hospitals won't negotiate anymore cuz of high health care costs.  I hope the Maxwells will come to their senses and at least go on Obamacare.

Not a fan of the Scamaritan (can’t even think of the real name now, lol) but Obamacare? Where they have monthly premiums + high deductible + plans that barely pay for anything? Doesn’t seem much better. They’d still be out a ton for medical expenses. 

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26 minutes ago, AnneH said:

I am not sure if anyone mentioned it , but usually the younger the person is disgnosed, the more aggressive the cancer is. My grandmother was diagnosed at 80, but because of her age, the cancer was very slow and it was not was killed her. But if had it in the 30’s it would have been more aggressive. 

Yeah the way they described it growing and mentioned needing to induce even though they’re so close to full term anyways makes me worry it’s aggressive. :(

Also I really hope they can get it all with surgery. 

Edited by picklepizzas
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13 minutes ago, Odd1Out said:

Not a fan of the Scamaritan (can’t even think of the real name now, lol) but Obamacare? Where they have monthly premiums + high deductible + plans that barely pay for anything? Doesn’t seem much better. They’d still be out a ton for medical expenses. 

I doubt they believe in it, but I have to think they'd qualify for some assistance. Christopher's income (whatever it is) with his homeschool degree plus a stay-at-home wife and soon, six children has got to put him in a bracket where there's at least some government assistance available.

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Not only does her age make it more likely to be aggressive, but hormone issues with her pregnancy could aid in it's growth, too. I just feel terrible for her and her family. I am sure they are terrified.  I'll be praying this was an early diagnosis and treatment is quick and easy for her.

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@OhNoNike,  I believe that you are correct about pregnancy itself exacerbating some forms of breast cancer.  Over the course of a woman's lifetime, having babies  lessens the risk of breast cancer as does many months (I'm not sure of the number of months, 13 perhaps?)  of breastfeeding, but pregnancy at the time of breast CA diagnosis, in and of itself, makes things worse.  

Btw, I am NOT fond of the way that some breastfeeding advocates like to parse this: " not breastfeeding increases a woman's risk of getting breast cancer" .   I know that it's a matter of semantics, but the not breastfeeding wording seems to shame breast cancer patients that didn't breastfeed.  That's not helpful at all!

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I'm so sad to hear this.  A new year and a new baby to look forward to...and now this horrible illness to deal with. I'm glad they chose to share.

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9 minutes ago, PennySycamore said:

@OhNoNike,  I believe that you are correct about pregnancy itself exacerbating some forms of breast cancer.  Over the course of a woman's lifetime, having babies  lessens the risk of breast cancer as does many months (I'm not sure of the number of months, 13 perhaps?)  of breastfeeding, but pregnancy at the time of breast CA diagnosis, in and of itself, makes things worse.  

Btw, I am NOT fond of the way that some breastfeeding advocates like to parse this: " not breastfeeding increases a woman's risk of getting breast cancer" .   I know that it's a matter of semantics, but the not breastfeeding wording seems to shame breast cancer patients that didn't breastfeed.  That's not helpful at all!

I agree. Tons of things lessen your chances of getting breast cancer. I doubt that particular stat has much baring on a woman’s choice to BF or not.

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A friend got breast cancer at the age of 32, and immediately decided not to have more children. She said, “My daughter needs a mother more than she needs a baby brother.”

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I felt awful when I read about Anna’s breast cancer. Glad they have the support from Christopher’s family, but hope Anna also has her family come help out and support if she needs/wants it. 

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Like many here I was so sorry to hear of her diagnosis and wish her only the best.

Also, like many I have wondered about whether she would consent to specific treatments if they compromise her fertility.  For example, would she consent to tamoxifen? I sincerely hope she does.  I would like to think that her life and the care of her (born) children would outweigh a commitment to future, hypothetical children.  I teach a Christian ethics class at a progressive university and questions of how people balance their faith with ethical challenges fascinate me.

Edited by daisyjane1234
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She probably has one of the BRCA genes. That is usually what causes younger breast, ovarian and uterine cancer.  I hope they test their girls when they are older for it too. If she or they have it, it is usually recommended to remove ovaries and hysterectomy and mastectomy too. Does anyone know if her family is close by too? 

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I hate this for AnnaMarie and her family! while I have very different beliefs , I've always liked her for some reason.  She seems to be authentically who she is, if that makes sense!

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45 minutes ago, tkr322 said:

She probably has one of the BRCA genes. That is usually what causes younger breast, ovarian and uterine cancer.  I hope they test their girls when they are older for it too. If she or they have it, it is usually recommended to remove ovaries and hysterectomy and mastectomy too. Does anyone know if her family is close by too? 

Last I knew, her family was still in Washington state. I think that's who they were visiting when they did a series of posts on airline travel with small children a year or so back.

The "aunties" will spring into action and the day-to-day will be taken care of. The kids will have familiar caretakers while any surgery or treatment is going on. But when a woman is facing a health crisis like this, the in-laws are no substitute for her own family. I hope they're able to spend extended time together.

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1 hour ago, daisyjane1234 said:

Like many here I was so sorry to hear of her diagnosis and wish her only the best.

Also, like many I have wondered about whether she would consent to specific treatments if they compromise her fertility.  For example, would she consent to tamoxifen? I sincerely hope she does.  I would like to think that her life and the care of her (born) children would outweigh a commitment to future, hypothetical children.  I teach a Christian ethics class at a progressive university and questions of how people balance their faith with ethical challenges fascinate me.

Wow that’s really interesting. 

Also I want to add regarding my comment about breastfeeding. I may not word this correctly, but... if she’s breastfed all the kids and then has the baby and has to have surgery and this compromises that bond in addition to everything, I worry about her mental health. Her whole purpose is caring for kids and baring children; I hope that they make good evidence-based decisions. 

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I hope Teri is not forced to become the de facto mother to another group of kids. That would not be in anyone’s best interest. 

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Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh. This is so horrible. Poor Anna Marie. She's long been my pet fundie and I feel so bad for them. I really hope she pulls through but like others have said I was under the impression that having cancer while young and pregnant is the worst kind of situation to be in.

Sorry if this is a dumb or insensitive question, but I'm confused thay they seem to have known about this for awhile. She's already 36 weeks, can't she be induced, like, today? And since they saw the lump was growing couldn't they have induced at, say, 30-32 weeks and had a preemie who was pretty likely to survive and an extra 4-6 weeks of cancer treatment?

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