Hi, my name is Dawn Baalke and this is my story...

In March of 2023, I developed a cold and a very persistent cough. I went to urgent care and received an X-ray where a spot on my lungs was discovered. With the notion that the spot was pneumonia, I was sent home and told to repeat imaging in 3 months. In June 2023, while I was still persistently coughing; I was growing more and more wary about the big "C" word. Lo and behold, this repeat imaging showed persistent abnormality in the right upper lung (RUL). I was then referred to pulmonology where a PET/CT showed stability of the RUL abnormality. On October 26, 2023, I had a RUL biopsy that confirmed our fears - rare malignant cells were found. That big "C" word again - Cancer. On November 27, 2023, I underwent a 5-hour robot assisted RUL lobectomy, mediastinal lymph node dissection, and biopsy of a RLL nodule. This biopsy was sent to Pathology where they found a 2.4 cm moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma, acinar and lipidic type. It was then discovered that the cancerous cells in my body were the type that could mutate - a 25% chance that cancer could come back. Obviously, my heart sank at those odds. Luckily for me, and others like me, there is targeted therapy which is a type of cancer treatment that uses medication to target specific genes and proteins that help cancer survive and grow. By this medication targeting those mutating cells, it reduces my risk of developing cancer again.

It's been quite a journey, but I certainly couldn't have gotten through it all if it wasn't for the very friendly and knowledgeable staff/doctors at UW Prohealth Cancer Center in Pewaukee.

I will be walking in the Prohealth Care Walks for Cancer on May 4, 2024. Walk to Care. Walk to Cure. Your support of the ProHealth Care Walks for Cancer makes a difference in the lives of neighbors, friends and family as we face a cancer diagnosis and evaluate treatment options.

Please consider donating to my Team (Team Dawn) or join us at Frame Park on May 4th as we walk to fight Cancer.

Together, we can make a difference.