Keri's Breast Cancer Story: The Second Chemotherapy Treatment

My name is Doug Haberstroh, and I'm here to tell the story of my wife Keri. We had only been married 9 months before Keri was diagnosed with breast cancer. She was 25 years old.

Keri was shocked by the diagnosis but determined to fight. She faced every challenge with a smile and touched everyone with her courage. This is her story from start to finish. In her latest set of emails, Keri bravely recounts shaving her head and her body's response to the second round of chemo.

Subject: Keri Update

Sent: Sunday, May 15, 2005 5:36 PM

Hello everyone,

Another chemo session down. Only 4 more to go. My next one is coming up this next week. It's funny how when I'm there to get the medicine it seems like a long time before I'll be back to get the next treatment, but then I have so many other doctor's appointments for check-ups throughout the next week and a half that before I know it it's time for the next treatment.

My dad was here for this past one. It was good to see him and nice to have someone with me again. I am happy to report that there was no panic attack this time. Though I did have some pills to help me with that. Also, I think it just helps knowing what it all involves. I'm not so scared of it anymore. It's just like getting IV's with medicine in them. The one I get on Thursday's is red so that one is actually kind of cool to watch and see as the color gets closer to my port.

So I guess there are two major events this time to report on. One being that my hair started falling out a couple of days before my dad got here. It was actually a very traumatic experience. I waited as long as I could before cutting it. But as it was starting to be a nightly routine of brushing out hair and balling it up to the size of a golf ball or sometimes bigger, it began to be a bit depressing. It didn't hurt at all, and I really didn't feel much. It was sort of like brushing a dog when they shed. It just came out.

Anyway, I finally conceded to having Doug cut my hair and we got out the clippers. We buzzed it sort of like a boy would have it buzzed in the summertime.

I'm actually quite proud of how I handled it. I only cried a little before we got started. I even consented to having my dad video tape the whole event. It's still sad to think about, and it's hard sometimes when I look in the mirror to see myself losing my hair. It's still falling out, only now it's not as big of a mess because it's shorter.

I sleep with a towel on my pillow to catch anything that falls in the middle of the night. Eventually it will all be gone and to be honest right now it's pretty pathetic looking. It's thinned out quite a bit since it started and I know there are area's already that have balded.

The ladies that I've talked to though have said that it grows back quickly after you finish chemo so my hope is that by Christmas I am at least looking like I have a stylish short hair cut.