Share Your Story

Two Times Blessed

Thanks to my yearly mammogram in November of 2005, I was diagnosed with stage 3 Hodgkins Lymphoma. The largest concentration was under my left arm, with spots in my thymus and stomach. Over night our lives changed. The hardest part was telling our children, our son 15 and our daughter 11.

I had my port put in on December 14, 2005 and my first chemo treatment the next day. I had treatments every other Friday for six months. My husband was such a blessing, he went to every doctor appointment, test and treatment. My last treatment was May 15, 2006. I had several lymph nodes removed, then I was cancer free.

After being cancer free for almost 6 years, my annual mammogram showed a suspicious spot. We we did a biopsy and it came out benign. I went in a few months later and did a check up ultrasound on the previously biopsyed breast, it was clear. I happened to mention my left breast was having some pain, which I wouldn't normally do. A spot looked suspicious, so I went back in later that same day and had a biopsy done. The doctor basically said "it always happens to nice ones". This was the same doctor who did my biopsy that found my cancer in 2005. I made the painful call to tell my husband that we were going to have to go down this road again.

I had all the tests and met with my oncologist and a surgeon. They removed the well behaved tumor and
feeder nodes. Not only did I have breast cancer, they found Hodgekins Lymphoma in my nodes under my left arm again. My oncologist said this was an unusual case. After consulting a few doctors they all decided that radiation was the way to go. I had 34 radiation treatments and an cancer free once again.

The Lord has blessed me twice. I have learned that faith in God and a positive attitude no matter how bad you feel can get you through anything. I am so thankful for my wonder husband and children.

Carrie Stewart
Mustang, OK

My Journey with My Lord

My journey began 11/16/12 when my gynecologist told me "its not your fibroid cyst, it is a lump". The holidays were beginning so waiting on the results of each test taught me patience. I testified in front of my family and friends at church to pray the tumor would be benign. Well in January after the PET scan God had a different plan for my life, not only had the tumor/cancer in my breast doubled in size it had spread to my lung which was also cancer putting me Stage 4. The spots on my lung were gone after the 3rd chemotherapy treatment. I'm still praising God !
After 8 rounds of chemotherapy, a double mastectomy and 36 rounds of radiation I continually thank our Awesome God for the many prayer warriors He gave me and All the answered prayers. I never got sick at all. I never had to take any pain medication. My skin only had some redness during radiation. My last radiation treatment was 9/24/13. I traveled 1 hour and 45 minutes each way for each treatment and surgery and thank all my doctors, nurses and medical staff at the cancer center that stayed so positive and took such excellent care of me. My husband, son, daughter, special friends and church family were there for me always. I'm so grateful for them all. I received almost 150 cards of encouragement. Wow!! I am so thankful God chose this journey for me for I am a better wife, mother, daughter, sister and friend !!!
I had surgery on 2/25/14 putting in my expanders and will have my exchange surgery in a few months. I continue to be clean of cancer and feel absolutely wonderful. Praising God Everyday !!!
To All those fighting this battle stay positive and keep the Faith ! Our Awesome God is so good all the time !! God Bless each of you !! Lynne

Jessica Lynne Price
Beckley, WV

My Dr. Told me to get a new bra

It all started at my annual check-up in August 2009. I told my doctor that I had pain in my left breast. She prescribed a mammogram and told me to go to Nordstrom and get fitted for a good bra. She also said it could be from my running, so I should wear two sport bras. I went for the mammogram and got the all clear. Fast forward 5 months. I began to have severe back pain that shot down my right leg. I went for an MRI and that's when all hell broke loose. I was diagnosed with breast cancer that had metastized to my spinal cord. They found the tumor in my left breast right where I had the pain. Fast forward four years, I've had 2 lumpectomies, chemo, radiation and 4 surgeries to fuse my spinal cord. Currently I'm undergoing ongoing chemo to treat the bone cancer. I have tumors on my spine, hips, skull, ribs and femur. Ladies, know your bodies, if you feel that something is wrong, keep pushing your doctors. I wish I had pushed and gotten to the breast cancer before it spread.

Liza
Miami, FL

Our Mummy Had Boobie Cancer ….Whatever! A Child's Perspective

Reggie fed from Mummy’s boobies when he was six months old.
He drank in the morning and night, and even when it was cold.

But Mummy found a lump in her left boobie one day.
So she went straight to the Doctors. Quick! No delay!

After scans and tests and more tests and scans,
Mummy saw the Surgeon at the hospital called the SANS.

Doctor said, "This cancer schmancer has to go!
Be gone you filthy critter! Get on your bike…Adios non-Amigo!"

Doctor said, "Come to the hospital and we will fix it.
You’ll need some medicine. It may hurt quite a bit."

Chemotherapy was the medicine to help my Mummy,
But it makes people’s hair fall out which looks a bit funny!

So we had a ‘Shave Mummy’s head’ party and all our family came.
We cried, we laughed, but Mummy’s long hair came off – What a shame!

When Mummy went to hospital Nanny came to stay.
She became our step-in Mummy and made our worries go away.

Daddy was Mummy’s hero and Reggie’s and mine too.
He looked after Mummy perfectly and stopped her from feeling blue.

We received lots of flowers, cards and presents to make Mummy smile,
Many good people helped Reggie and me for quite a long while.

Mummy had surgery then chemo and ray treatment for many, many, many days.
The Doctors had to make sure the cancer schmancer had gone and all was okay.

Mummy wore a wig to my 4th birthday par-tay.
Everyone came and celebrated. Hip Hip Hooray!

As the year went on, Mummy got much, much better.
Her hair came back so curly, the cancer had gone, and her new boobies were bigger than ever!

We thank the Doctors, nurses, our family and friends.
We are so grateful for Mummy to be cancer schmancer free - we’re altogether again.

Our Mummy Had Boobie Cancer ….Whatever!

Bianca Plunkett Gooley
Sydney, Australia

I am resolved

July 31 2013: this is the day my journey began. I had a mammogram in February of 2013, I was at my doctors office for another reason when she found a lump in my left breast. I was 58 years old. In four days I had already had a mammogram an ultrasound and a core biopsy. Her 2, very aggressive an angry 3. A week later I had a mastectomy, two weeks later I went back to have the skin removed because of the aggressiveness of the cancer and two weeks after that I started chemo. It has been almost a year and I have one more treatment of herceptin and then my port can be removed.

I went this week for a mammogram and chest X-rays. I have no sign of any cancer and I feel I have this beat. I know I sound very cut and dry but I know that every woman who is reading this can fill in the blanks, like hair loss, pain, doctor visits, am I going to live? My clothes don't fit, my toe nails are still black, nerve damage in my feet, nerve damage in both ears... I have hearing aids. But I'm still here! I am RESOLVED... I am going to beat this. I am going to live. My hair has come back white, but I have hair. I have lost some hearing, but I have great hearing aids. I have a wonderful husband, two wonderful children and daughter in law, son in law, 2 grandchildren. Brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews, cousins, friends... I have a fight in me that I never knew I had. I have a faith that gets stronger everyday. I love more. I care more. I pray more. I won't give up, I won't give in, and I won't give out. I am resolved! I am a survivor!

If you are going through this... Be resolved to be a survivor.

Phyllis Campeau
Wake Forest, NC

My Story

Late in 2012, I noticed I had a painful lump in my left armpit area. It wasn't getting any better, so I made an appointment to see my family Dr. I had a mammogram the day after seeing my Dr. That is when I found out I had a lump in my left breast under my nipple, and 2 lumps in my left armpit area. A biopsy was done on all 3 lumps that day, and a week later I found out that I had breast cancer. A few days later after a PET scan, I learned that the cancer had spread to my spine, my liver and my uterus. I was a Stage4. I was scared to death, but I had to be strong. I didn't want my family to know I was fearful. I told them and all my loved ones that I would fight like crazy and never give in, I would win this battle. Saying this made me stronger. I kept a positive attitude and never looked back. I started chemo right away. I had terrible reactions to chemo. My hands and feet swelled, got feverish, and then blistered and peeled with each treatment. It was very painful, but I took it one day at a time. After chemo I had mastectomy surgery with reconstruction started.. After having some time to heal, I had 6 weeks of radiation. I had my first clean scan in August of 2013. No cancer! My second clean scan was in March of 2014. I am a survivor! I am here sharing my story giving hope to those that think they have none. I want all of you to know that cancer is not a death sentence. Stay strong, and never give in and never give up!

Jayne Wilson
Lamar, CO

Lucky star

I've been really lucky !

On March 31st 2014 I heard those words that most women dread.. You have breast cancer.

My luck was that I had an excellent radiologist who just wouldn't give up and a lot of good timing.
In September 2013 I had a mammogram done but I wasn't particularly worried as it was just something my ob-gyn said was a good idea. I was not in a group at risk and there was no history of breast cancer in my immediate family. The radiologist did the mammogram and an ultrasound and said that he'd like me to come back in 4-5 months for a control. I went back end of January 2014 therefore without any concerns for an ultrasound.

As a result of this ultrasound the radiologist asked me to do an MRI as « there was something suspicious in my right breast ». I was about to go on vacation in February, so booked my MRI appointment for the day after I got back. While I was waiting for the results of the MRI in the Doctor's office, the secretary asked me to go see the radiologist who informed me that there was nothing of concern in the right breast. However, he continued there is something a « little odd » in the left breast, but as he said, « MRIs throw up a lot of things ».... He did an ultrasound immediately and confirmed that something did not look right. The good news he told me was that if it was bad news we had detected it really early. To make an already long story short, the results of the following biopsy came back positive. I had lobular invasive cancer, but the tumor was very small tumor (7 mm). So, I was very lucky because they detected it so early. I had the tumor removed end of May and am finishing up radiation therapy this week. Hormone therapy is up next.

The message in all this ? Never ever neglect those check ups ! Don't put them off ! You just never know.

Irene L
Paris, France

Breast cancer 1o1 my story

my story begins , 1998 ,I went for a mammogram ,got a called from my Doctor they had found a lump in my left breast ,went into hospital ,had the lump removed ,followed by 27 radiation treatment was doing ok. Then 4 year later 2002 I went for a mammogram they called and said I was fine no cancer ,I was very large busted so, I decided to have a breast reduction went into see the plastic surgeon ,he checked me ,then said I wont do the surgery till you get a biopsy, went to get the biopsy knowing everything was all right ,but it wasn't ,The mammogram did not pick up any of my cancer ,I had stage 4 breast cancer ,it was in all my lipnoid ,so, I had both breast removed followed by 9 chemo treatment 27 radiation when finished, it came back in a form of bumps across my chest ,more chemo 9 then, I went to get a pec scan it showed cancer in my right lung too 18 month of chemo followed by hurceptin then my lung was operated on a 1/4 was removed ,Since then I have been doing ok ( finding cancer early is the key ,please get your Mammograms ,or some other imaging to be sure If in doubt check it out )

Lorraine Burton
Findlay, OH

Half A Life Ago

This year I turned 60 ! I am happy, healthy, and living my life as much in the now as I have learned how !
It is hard to believe that half my life ago, I was fighting for my life !
Thirty years ago, I found a lump in my breast , and my life changed forever. As a nurse, I was well aware of the disease of breast cancer. Perhaps because I already had a young aunt who had a mastectomy. Perhaps, because I cared for women with metastatic disease, in my work at the hospital.

I was fortunate to have the "new" option called lumpectomy, so I opted for this breast sparing surgery. It was the 1980's.
All my lymph nodes where removed and 9 out of 15 where positive for cancer. My treatment : 6 weeks of daily radiation to my chest, followed by 12 months of chemotherapy (five toxic drugs), every 3 weeks !

The 12 months proved to be challenging to my abilities to work as a nurse, and to be the mother I needed to be, to my two little girls. It was the hardest 12 months of my life.

With support, humor, and prayers, and determination , I made it through. My priorities changed, I grew in my faith, and was grateful to be alive !
I received Tamoxifen for 6 years (another "new" treatment), until my mammogram showed recurrent cancer in the same breast.
Then I had to have a mastectomy. Gratefully, there were no signs of disease anywhere else in my body.
By then, my aunt had lost her battle with breast cancer , and a cousin was diagnosed and also lost hers . I attended her funeral 6 weeks after my mastectomy.
It took a long time for me to believe that I was going to win my battle. And I have.... and I was changed forever, for the better !

Cancer is horrible, but you can survive it, and triumph ! But first , detect it ! Do your SBE and get your mammogram as recommended.
Live well

Diane Reder
Grantham, NH

Amazing Mommy

I was 8 years old when my mom got breast cancer, my brother was 7. We had already gone through a lot the last few years, both grandparents on my mom's side died within a year of each other and my dad's mother just beat lung cancer. When we found out everyone told us to be strong and for some reason I seemed to realize the gravity of the situation while my brother was obvious to it and I don't blame him.
My mom was so amazing and so strong that I still admire her to this day and after having both breasts removed she immediately went back to living her life even though she was in pain. All she did was shrug off everyone's doubt and did it all her way. She is amazing and I'm so thankful to have been able to have her as a role model and most of all my mom.

Rebecca Rees
Lakeside, CA