Share Your Story

I am a SURVIVOR!!!!!

My story begins in 1999 when my then 5 yr old daughter was about to undergo a bone marrow transplant for Leukemia when I was given the news that I have breast cancer! I underwent surgery followed by chemo and radiation all the while my daughter was still in treatment for her transplant. I was inspired by Alyssa and said if my five year old can do this than so can I! Unfortunately she lost her battle on September 20, 1999 just 3 days after I finished my final radiation treatment, her final words to me were " I am proud of you"!

In December 2003 I was told I had breast cancer again! I reflected back to that moment of Alyssa telling me she was proud and I fought back again. A mastectomy this time along with chemotherapy did not stop my will to survive!!

Now it is 2009 I found the love of my life and we married on July 18, 2009 and just 3 short months later I heard those undescribable words yet again "It's breast cancer"! I could not beleive it but I pushed on and had yet another mastectomy and once again chemo. I will admit the third time was tough, I asked myself why me? No family history, have I not had enough? Well I guess not!! I fought through it and now here I am today!

I am a SURVIVOR! I live life to the fullest enjoying my family, playing golf and running!!!

I am ever so grateful to my Husband, Mom, Children, Grandchildren, Friends and all of my wonderful Doctors!!

I Survive for all of them and me of course!!!

Mary Pruitt

Mary Pruitt
Macon, GA

First in the Family

I was diagnosed in January, 2009 with breast cancer after finding a lump a few weeks earlier. I found the lump totally by accident one morning while taking a bath. My first thought was that it was nothing more than a cyst because that runs in my family. But unfortunately and fortunately it was cancer. I guess you wonder why I say it was fortunate, that is because after going through this journey and process I am a totally different person and I have a totally new attitude about my life. While going through my journey, God afforded me the opportunity to find out who my true friends were (turns out I have a lot of true friends), my family and I became closer (kinda of hard because we have always been close), and I even finally bought the new home that I had been wanting but was afraid to step out and do. But I knew that God was not sending me through this process to go back to the same way I was before going through it. I try to live life to the fullest, no is not an option when yes allows me to do something enjoyable. I do take a daily medication that is causing bone deteroration, but I continue to get up everyday go to work and endure the pain (God allows me to do that) and I wlll be graduating from college in December. By the way did I mention that I will be 50 years young next month, I have two adult sons and two wonderful granddaughters (4 years and 8 months) that I plan on sticking around to spoil rotten. It was a journey, but one I had to take to get to where I am today, I thank God for it.

Leatrice
Independence, LA

survivor, and loving life

Twice a survivior and going strong! The trick is to keep a good attitude. To me this is simply something that has slowed me down a bit, but certainly nothing to mope about. We have to deal with what we get, as we get it, and enjoy what we have.
I have 4 children 4 grandchildren, a great husband, wonderful dog, who keeps me active.
SO MUCH to live for!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I click every day to hopefully give someone else a reason to live.

Shari
Consecon, Canada

my hope

I found out I had breast cancer Oct 3, 2008. I was shocked it was like a bad dream. Things moved fast, Oct 13 I has surgery to remove a lump. It didnt get all the cancer, so Nov. 4, I has more surgery to remove more tissue and place a port for cemo. Still didnt get it all. Soo after much pain and tears, I made the choice to remove the whole breast. It was the hardest thing I ever done. In Dec. I started cemo. By the second treatment, my hair was coming out. So through more tears I watched my husband shave my head. Well after cemo, radiation, and herceptin, I AM CANCER FREE. I thank God everyday for my life and family. A strong family and faith in God, is everything in your recovery. You cry alot when you need to cry. then you get up and do what you have to do to survive and win this fight for life. Now at the age of 45 I have learned to live. ONE DAY AT A TIME. I dont sweat the small stuff. If my grandson wants to play, I will leave the dishes in the sink and play all day.

Tracie Wilson
Burnsville, NC

No, not me!!!

At least that is how I used to think. Surprise, August of 2009 I was diagnosed with breast cancer. Today, September 2010, I am a 9 month survivor. Because I am not 50 yet, and breast cancer is not in my family, my daughter can get it as early as age 35! I thank God and my family and friends, not to mention my doctor for my speedy recovery. If my doctor had waited till I turned 50 like most do, well, let's just say I don't even want to think of how things might have turned out. My tumor was so unusually large that it took more than 1 surgery to remove it along with 2 lymphnodes. With the loving support of family, friends and my doctor and receptionist, I am a proud survivor who is putting on fund raisers to help build our new radiation unit in the Niagara area so we do not have to travel an hour away on a daily basis. No longer am I ashamed or embarrassed of my body or my story. I want everyone to NOT think that it happens to everyone but you and to NOT wait till you are 50 to get a mammogram. Your life depends upon it. Breast cancer is the #1 leading cause of cancer deaths in women ages 15 to 54 and the #2 cause in women ages 55 to 74!!! Early detected breast cancer is 80% curable. 12.6 % or 1 out of 8 of all women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime. The older you get, the greater the chance of diagnosis. And yes, men get it too! PLEASE GET A MAMMOGRAM ASAP!!!

LORI ELLIOTT
WELLAND, Canada

My mom my hero

My mom is one of the strongest women I have ever met. I didn't realize how strong she was until October of 98. She was diagnosed with dreaded words in our family Breast Cancer!! We had all knew she had a battle to fight. Six years earlier we had lost my grandmother due to her breast cancer spreading to her bones. I knew how mom felt about hearing this news. She didn't let all of the family know right away. I was with her when the docter told her. I saw one of the strongest people in my life fall apart in front of me. Then in a second gather herself and look at me and tell me she would be fine and not worry! She was more worried about how I was taking the news than herself. I looked at her right then and told her she needed to focus on herself and we would get through this. She had her masectomy a week later and started her chemo right away. Something my grandmother had never been able to do. She finally got the news that she was in remission. About three years later my mom had got more bad news. She had found another lump in her other breast and yes again it was cancer. She was going to go through another surgery and chemo. No the first breast cancer did not spread it was a totally different primary cancer. After all that news the only thing my mother could say was that we will get through this one the same as the last! I am proud to tell you that the breast cancer did not defeat my mother. She is a true survivor and my hero! She has been cancer free for nine years!

Angela Frisbie
Chillicothe, OH

This is my story

July 2009...I feel weird like something is wrong at the age of44... I was thinking maybe I am Premenopausal....So I go to the ob and have a yearly exam and asked her to run a hormone test called an FSH meaning Follicle Stimulating Hormone Test..Well...I had just had two children ... after having complete reconstructon of my tubes after having them tied in Jan 1990. I talked to the Nurse Practioner at the Ob Checkup and told her something was wrong I had been waking up at night ...feeling strange... It was like my body was trying to tell me something was wrong,,, So she advised me to go have a mammogram. I was over 40. She could not feel any lumps..One day I reached up and touched my breast area close to my underarm and I found a lump. I recvd a call from my doctor while on the way home from the mammogram telling me that I had a possible malignancy....well of course I freaked out and went and had a biopsy and my doctor called and told me it was malignant....Had surgery and found out it had gotten into 4 lymph nodes under my arm ....1 lymph node and micro amounts in the other three well...of course this meant I was Stage 3A !!! 14 months later I have had a lumpectomy not mastectomy clear margins 1.8 cm tumor grade 2 HER+ I have had 12 rounds of chemo and herceptin since Oct 2009. At first, every week and then herceptin every three weeks!!! 37 rads including boost...I have had a complete hysterectomy due to the her 2 status and now take a pill called femara....I take very good care of myself and love and cherish each and every precious day of life!!

Trina
Perry, GA

Faith and Family

I was first dx'd in April 2006 with DCIS. The decision was to have my right breast removed and reconstructed in the same surgery. I had my dates for surgery set for July 2006 in New Orleans at the Breast Reconstruction Center. My husband and I stayed in the French Quarter and everything was great, surgery, after care, healing. This lasted for about 1 year and I found a large lump in my clavicle. I was at that Dr. pronto and my fears were confirmed, the cancer had returned in 3 lymph nodes, my right axillary, my clavicle and my sternum node. I laughed and prayed my way thru 24 weeks of chemo and then 40 daily radiation treatments. I received the "You are cancer free" in April 2008. God blessed me with two granddaughters in 2009. Life is full of surprises and I guess God has a plan, it must be an awesome one because in May of 2010 I was again told "the cancer has returned". I just finished 12 weeks of Xeloda and Abraxene. I will be starting Tamoxifen after my 9 day trip to Maui in October. I will press on because I am not a quitter, EVER! Faith and attitude are everything to me. God has a hand in my future. I am blessed everyday by my family and friends. Life is Fabulous.
I AM A SURVIVOR! I WILL NOT GIVE UP! and I believe in the
POWER OF PRAYER.

Erin Milovich
Bremerton, WA

I am Not My Boobs!

Cancer. No, not the astrological sign. The Big C. The death sentence. And I just learned I had it. Breast Cancer. As you go through life and encounter people who have cancer, you think about how you would react if it were you. There is no feasible way for you to know. My best friend's sister said she would get hysterical. She was referring more to the mastectomy than the actual cancer, and all I could think was I AM NOT MY BOOBS! There is so much more that I am than two blobs of tissue, designed to suckle babies, turn on grown men and sag in my old age. Why would I get hysterical over that? Woman have been stuffing their bras with tissues for years and I could certainly compensate in that manner.

But then there is the cancer part. Now that is a whole different story. I had found the lump with a self-breast check the morning I was to have a physical. Things moved fast after that. Mammogram, ultrasound, biopsy, surgery -- boom, boom, boom, boom. People talk about doing research, finding the right doctor, learning about the disease and talking to other survivors. Where do they find the time to do that? The main thing seemed to be to get the malignancy out and then we would deal with the rest.

I learned a lot as I went through chemo. I had a positive attitude and took it one day at a time. I have completed my treatments and have four more years of hormone therapy. I know I have a long way to go, but I know that I've got God on my side and we all know he never gives us more than we can handle.

Donna Picagli Popp
Jackson, GA

My decision

In 1995, I was in my senior year of college working on a Bachelor's in Nursing. Since I was 39, I had my yearly physical and first mammogram. Having a family history of cervical cancer in my mother and 2 sisters as well as my oldest sister die of ovarian cancer, breast cancer was not my main fear. So when I got the call to have another mammogram, it was a shock. So started a 5 year span of mammograms followed by biopsies...all being benign. I told my surgeon that if it ever came back malignant, I wanted a both breasts removed to give me the best chance. In 2001, the finding was malignant. On June 28th of that year, I had a double mastectomy; simple on left, modified on right. My surgeon wanted me to wait a year before having reconstruction. It's now 2010 and I have yet to want that done. My husband and I have decided against it. I spent a few years doing Reach to Recovery and spoke to a lot of women. I have since also had a hysterectomy with both ovaries removed due to premalignant cells. I joke that I'm getting a little low on "girlie parts" but I am enjoying my life and I don't regret my decision.

Koleen Hansen
Emporia, KS