Why I Click!
The list is endless these days, but I click for my nana! She had breast cancer and died when I was 5! I miss her dearly! Unfortunately, I have lost many other family members to Cancer since that time!
My Breast Cancer experience
My Breast Cancer experience
I had been to the doctors a couple of years earlier and the doctor told me it was mastitus with out and examination. Then I was on holiday in Spain 2 years on when I found the right hand side of my right breast was a solid mass. I went to the doctors on my return who sent me for a mammogram, after a couple of weeks wait they could not tell, so then I had to have a scan and still they could not tell and finally on the 4th May I had a biopsy which confirmed breast cancer. I was admitted to Leeds General Infirmary on the 18th May and had my mastectomy on the 19th and was in hospital for a week. The staff were wonderful and caring. I then started chemotherapy in the June and had 6 sessions, which made me very ill on the night of the treatment which was a Friday, but by Monday I was back to normal and went to work and I worked all the way through my chemo. I then had three weeks every day of radiotherapy and again I worked all way through. To celebrate the end of my treatment we went on a cruise to the Caribbean. It is now 11 years last May and I am still a survivor and grateful to all the staff at Leeds General Infirmary Breast cancer ward and the staff of the after treatment. So I hope that anyone who gets breast cancer in the future stays positive as there is life after breast cancer
The Strongest Woman I Know
The Strongest Woman I Know
My mom lost her battle with metastatic breast cancer on October 3rd, 2009. It has been almost a year without her and I would like to honor her by posting her story. My mom was diagnosed with breast cancer in December 2001. She had a biopsy and a mastectomy in early 2002. She had chemotheraphy, but was not permitted to have radiation as she had a heart condition. My mom went into remission for 4.5 years. We were praying that she would make it to 5 years because then she would be able to get the heart transplant she desperately needed. Unfourtunately that wasn't the case. She found another lump in her left breast in May 2006 and soon found that the breast cancer had metastisized and had developed to Stage 4. The doctors gave her a 2 year prognosis. The cancer eventually traveled to her lungs and finally her liver. She received numerous pleural effusions, but eventually the fluid was building up so fast, it just couldn't be stopped. She lived a year more than the doctors expected. She was a fighter and an inspiration to her family, friends, and myself. The picture I have shared of her and I is from my wedding, nearly one year exactly from her passing. She is the reason why I click.
mom & me
My mom has been battling cancer since the 80's, first with melanoma on her leg, then in 2000 she had a double mastectomy with 3 different cancers. In 2007 she was diagnosed with metastatic bone cancer, suffered a broken hip from that and is now dealing with metastatic bladder cancer.....she is a strong women to go through all this. She is my role model since I am going into my 2nd year of having been diagnosed with breast cancer. Dec will be my 2nd year post op single mastectomy and my older sister is a 14 yr survivor of a lumectomy from cancer....our goal for cancer is " CURE ".......
My Mom, The Warrior
My Mom, The Warrior
My mother, my best friend, was diagnosed with breast cancer (IDC) in February on this year. It was a complete shock as we have no family history of BC. She also had had her annual mamogram almost a year to the day prior to the discovery. She found the lump while performing a self-exam in the shower, after noticing a dimple on her breast. She had 3 lumps. One the size of a lime, and two smaller ones. Within two weeks she was in surgery for a partial-radical mastectomy, followed by 6 rounds of chemo. Although she has lost a breast, all her hair, a great deal of weight and had an emergency appendectomy in the midst of all this, her strenghth and determination to beat this was like nothing I have ever witnessed. I love my mom, but I have never thought of her as being particularly strong or courageous. However, she has shown me what true courage looks like and what a 'warrior' she really is. She has been a huge inspirartion to me and all those around her. For support, (although it may have been more for me than her at times), I attended every 3-4 hour chemo session right along with her. Despite the severe side effects she experienced, she solidered on, taking one day at a time. This September, much to the amazement of her doctors, she was diagnosed "all clear" and got to forgo the 6 weeks (30 sessions) of radiation therapy they had planned for her. What a blessing! I praise all the people who donate their time, effort, and money for all the advances made in modern medicine and for keeping us educated on this dreadful disease. Keep supporting breast cancer research and do your monthly self-examinations. It may save your life!
16 with breast tumor.
I was only 16 when I found a lump in the R breast. It was golf ball sized and could move around a little. I went to my family doctor; she didn't seem worried about it. She ordered a ultrasound. I went, I saw the images, the mass was very dark on the screen. I had a gut wrenching feeling; I knew it was, in fact a tumor. It was a tumor, it also had to be removed because of the size and be tested for cancer of course. I thought I was going to be sick. I had surgery my junior year in high school. The surgery went well they made an in scion along the bottom of my nipple, so I wouldn't scar. The doctors said no cancer, also now have a higher chance of having more tumors and a higher chance of having breast cancer. Also, when a tumor is removed the empty space fills up with fluid. My tumor was so big there was so much fluid my body couldn't take care of it by itself, and never put a drain tube in it. The fluid up ripped through my stiches and burned through my skin. I thought it was infected. I went to the surgeon who performed the operation. She then ripped out the rest of stiches without even numbing me. I had to walk around with a hole in my breast so it drained into gauze. It healed after that, but now I have nasty scar and the tissue under my nipple is discolored. I feel ugly. I feel for all breast cancer victims and survivors. I always donate every chance I can, and buy pink for the cure clothing and scrubs. It's changed my life, and I'm always in fear of getting cancer.
32 Years Strong
32 Years Strong
My loving husband and I have faced many triles over the last 32 year, and each on brings us closer together and stronger in our love for each other. But we could not have prepaired for what was to come this time.
I never thought it could happen to me. But at age 50 a lump appeared. Since I have my mamogram faithfully each year, I was not worried. There was nothing there last year. But this year was different. So, on April 28, 2009 my life was forever changed. The diagnosis of Invasive Ductal Carcinoma rang loud and clear. .
I have been so blessed with a loving husband, and wonderful grown children who know how to circle the wangons when trouble strikes. They were all there through every chemo treatment and every side effect, through surgery, and each treatment of radiation, but most of all through the moments when I thought I couldn't contiue. They were there to hold me and tell me "It's just a cloud, it will pass" We made it through the roughest year of my life.
I believe we are so much more than the physical body we live in, but breast cancer attacks so much more. I lost my right breast, my hair, my stamina, and even my mind at times. When I thought I didn't have the strength to go on, I felt my God take my hand to get me through another day. It is only with his help and the love and support of my family and friends that I found strength I never knew I had. I may not be back to "normal", but I am here. And that's ok. So I cherish each day and reach out to each person who touches my life with hugs from Alice.
Genetically Predisposed
Genetically Predisposed
I click for my mother and her mother as well. Both are survivors of breast cancer. My grandmother has been a survivor for over 15 years and my mother is a survivor of 7 years now. When my mother was diagnosed in September 2003 with Stage II breast cancer, it hit our family very hard. My mother is a strong woman and she was the foundation of the family. Possibly losing her was something we just could not fathom. Mom went in for surgery the day before Thanksgiving in 2003. She had a cancerous lump in her left breast and it had also shown up in her lymph nodes. To be safe, since the cancer was fairly aggressive, she made the tough decision to do the double mastectomy and has not looked back since. She has not had any tests come back positive since then and we, her family, are so grateful. Due to the fact that both she and my grandmother were diagnosed with breast cancer, the probability that me and my sisters will encounter it is very high. I also click for me, my sisters and all of the other women who are genetically predisposed. Free mammograms ensure that we will find it early and beat it. I sincerely hope that some day a cure will be discovered and we can put our worries to rest.
She loved her family
She loved her family
Not even sure where to begin... I lost my mom to breast cancer in May of 2010. This was her second round of breast cancer, and it was a relentless one. She was diagnosed in April of 2009 with stage IV breast cancer; it had spread to her liver. She had gone in for a mammogram 6 months earlier because her breast was hurting, it missed her cancer. After several months of several different chemos, the doctors thought they had it under control and planned to do her second mastectomy (first one was done 9 years earlier). From that surgery came infection, then reaction to medications, then pain and more pain as it continued to spread like wildfire through her body. She was very dignified and graceful through all of this. She died very peacefully with a smile on her face, she was home. She is missed by her family every day. I don't want anyone else to have to go through what she went through, to see what we saw, or to have to hear the words "You have cancer". This is why I click...
My Mother - A Daily Inspiration.
2001, in Kingman, Arizona, my mother discovered a lump in her breast. A biopsy and lumpectomy was done---the tests came back malignant, and that her lymph nodes were also afflicted.
We were all struck numb. It was like looking at the world through a heavy fog. We couldn't believe that her life was threatened by breast cancer. However, my mother kept the illusion that she was uneffected. She was trying to be strong---trying to protect me.
We struggled for a long time trying to find help. She didn't seem to qualify for any financial aid for surgery or treatment. She was forced to borrow a very substantial sum from my father, and even though all the funds were paid back, it still looms over her head like an angry storm cloud. Finally, she also received small compensation from the Cancer Society.
The surgeon she had was a great man, and a wonderful doctor. A double mastectomy was performed, as well as several nodes. She struggled with the healing process---both physical and emotional. The pain relievers she was on never once even dulled the pain... and while she was thankful that the surgey was over, we all knew another challenge to a healthy life was on the horizon that would yet further test her endurance... if not her sanity: chemotherapy.
She suffered through the treatment, including severe chemical burns... Like most patients, she lost her hair and was incredibly sick, but, today she stands strong. Nine years later she is, for the most part, healthy. She never had reconstruction surgery, and she wears her scars PROUDLY---including her previous scar from having her thyroid removed due to cancer 23 years ago.
Mom: You are my DAILY inspiration. I love you.