Hey babe, it's Kyra!

Hey babes💕

Let’s just jump right into the news… I GOT APPROVED FOR A LIVER RESECTION!!!

On Wednesday I had a call with the surgeons from Houston Methodist to go over the results of my latest MRI. The goal of this scan was to see how chemo was working and to better identify what that little spot on the right side of my liver actually was. And my MRI looked GREAT! My oncologist saw it first and told me the chemo is working beautifully. The tumors on the left side of my liver are now all LESS than 1 cm! There is also no new spread of cancer anywhere outside of my liver, which is incredible news. Then after talking with my surgeon, she explained that the little spot on the right side of my liver hasn’t changed at all. They went back and compared it to one of my very first MRIs from when I was first diagnosed with UC and PSC, and it looks like that little spot has always been there. Meaning — it’s NOT cancer, just a random little spot I’ve apparently always had.

So the plan now is to remove the entire left side of my liver and keep the right. This is ideal because your right lobe is naturally bigger than your left, so I’ll still be left with about 60–70% of my liver, which is a really solid margin. Because of my PSC, it’s unknown if my liver will regrow to full size, but it should regrow enough to be fully functioning. The even better part is the surgery will be done laparoscopically! I was fully mentally prepared for a huge J-shaped scar across my whole abdomen, but instead we’re talking smaller incisions and a quicker recovery, which I absolutely cannot complain about. During surgery they will also remove around six lymph nodes in the hepatic space and remove my gallbladder. The final decision will be about my bile duct. From the MRI, nothing looks super suspicious, but they will biopsy it during surgery. If it comes back positive for cancer or abnormal cells, they will remove it and use part of my intestine to recreate a common bile duct. If it comes back normal, they’ll leave it as is.

I’ll stay in the hospital for at least four days after surgery for monitoring and because I’ll have a drain in place to catch any bile from cut ducts. If everything looks good, I’ll be discharged but will need to stay in Houston for two weeks so I can easily go in for follow-ups. After those two weeks, I’ll be able to go home and recover for about six weeks. I won’t be bedridden, but I’ll likely feel very tired and fatigued because apparently regrowing an organ takes a lot of energy — WILD!

Now for the big question… when is this happening?? Drum roll please… beginning of March!! In just a few weeks! I literally cannot believe this is happening. Because I need my immune system strong for surgery, Friday was my last chemo infusion for now. We haven’t talked in detail about what treatment will look like afterward, but most likely it will be surgery, recovery, and then additional chemo to make sure there are no cancer cells left behind.

This news still feels surreal. Just a few months ago, doctors at multiple hospitals — including MD Anderson — told me my condition was unresectable and that a typical prognosis would be 1–2 years. And now here we are. My oncologist said early on that just because something is unresectable now doesn’t mean it always will be, and the chemo did its thing. My surgeon says this is a curative plan — meaning if all goes well, I could be cancer free. WOW.

It’s only been six months since my diagnosis, but it has been enough time for me to completely mourn and reimagine the life I thought I lost. I mourned the world I wouldn’t get to see, the goals I wouldn’t reach, and the milestones I thought I’d miss. What hurt the most wasn’t what I’d miss for me — it was what I thought I’d miss for the people I love. I wanted to see my closest friends fall in love and get married, watch my friends grow in their careers and be successful, be in my sisters’ weddings, meet their future kids, and be there for all the family moments I thought I wouldn’t get. And now I have the chance to get that life back, and I want it back more than anything.

So cheers to this new plan, and let’s get this liver resection! I don’t have an exact surgery date yet, but I will absolutely update the blog as soon as I do!

I also want to say thank you for all the birthday wishes!! I’ve never loved getting older, but this year 28 feels different. I feel so grateful for another year and more time to keep growing and living my life.

And finally, a HUGE thank you to my superstar Aunt Patches for organizing a Super Bowl squares fundraiser to raise money for a Disney trip for my sisters and me! None of us have ever been, and it’s been on my bucket list forever to do a sister trip together. Thanks to her — and EVERYONE who bought squares (and even those who won and donated their winnings back!) — it looks like our Disney trip is happening this year! Now maybe it will be a cancer-free celebration trip?!?! 🥹🤞🏽 But seriously, from the bottom of my heart, thank you to everyone who made it happen- everyone’s generosity and kindness is so unbelievable and so deeply appreciated.

I’ve updated all of the pages of my website: FAQ, schedule, etc. But hopefully my next update will be a surgery date! 🤭

xoxo,
Kyra 💋