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Like mother like daughter

Five years ago I was very excited, we had just moved to a new apartment when I found a lump under my arm. I put it down to the waxing I had done some days before. After all I had a mammogram about a year before and everything seemed ok.
As my mum had died of breast cancer I was having a mammogram every 18 months. After a couple of months I made an appointment for my routine mammogram. While waiting for the results I was texting my friends and organizing a house warming party at my new apartment. Little did I know that my world was going to get much more complicated. The radiologist performed an ultrasound as well and told me that I should be contacting a surgeon because something did not look right. I was 46 years old then, the same age my mother had been when she was diagnosed. My husband was more shocked with the whole situation than me. We had only been married for 2 years then and his first wife had died suddenly about 10 years earlier.
I had stage 2 breast cancer. After having surgery I was referred to an oncologist. He told me that I had to go through 8 cycles of chemotherapy and after that 3 weeks of radiotherapy. I think knowing what I needed to do helped me. This was in October therefore I calculated that by summer I should be feeling better.
I am really not that courageous but I believe that the prayers all my loved ones were offering for me helped me through. I thank God for helping me through those difficult days. I took it day by day and when I was not feeling too bad I went to work. I even managed to squeeze in a holiday abroad during this time. It is almost 5 years now from my diagnosis, sometimes I think that it will re-emerge but until then I appreciate life much more and also show my loved ones how much I love them. Support from my Family was Awesome !

Marion Vella
Manikata, Malta

My Cancer Journey

It was 9/11/01, I was at the Dr.'s office, and I was crying because my sons were old enough to go to war and I knew what we were watching on the TV's mean war! We were being attacked on American soil! As the Dr. came in, he saw me crying and said "Well, I suppose you know.", I said, "know what?". He said, "You have cancer!". That's how I received that awful news. I knew I had no choice but to go to Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo, NY. I was horrified. My mother went their and it was a dirty, filthy, smelly hospital!

When I got to Roswell though, what I found was a brand new state of the arts hospital. They had imploded the old one and built this brand new hospital. I had no insurance and ended up with the number one breast cancer surgeon in the country. He told me that if Roswell treated me different than someone with all the insurance in the world it would be his last day! I never forgot him saying that! I ended up having one more surgery, chemo and radiation.

We lived between Rochester, NY and Buffalo, NY and so after getting mapped out for Radiation, my husband thought this was funny and he drew a road on me, a car and wrote Rochester at one end and Buffalo at the other end. The Radiologist thought this was funny and drew a plane and some birds on me! they communicated like this for weeks. One day, I was unhappy and the Radiologist knew it and asked why. I told him, they were going to repo my car. Long story short...he paid my car payment! I tried to pay it back and he just said...consider it a gift! I was so touched!

Cancer came back in 2004 and ended up with a mastectomy with a TRAM flap reconstruction at the same time. Eight surgeries later I was given a clean bill of health! It has been 10 years now and I am still cancer free.

Darline Meland
Sparta, NC

Lucky Accident

Lucky Accident

My story is one of pure, honest luck. I had put off my mammogram for over 6 months. Breast cancer doesn't run in my family so mammograms were far down on my list of priorities. I do monthly self exams so I'm good, right?

A freak accident caused a lump to develop in my right breast. Knowing it had gotten too big, too fast to be anything serious, I still thought I should get it checked. My doctor, certain it was a cyst, sent me for a mammogram to be sure. Working in radiology for over 20 years, I knew something wasn't right when they took more pictures. It's nothing, I told myself. Before I knew it I was having ultrasounds and biopsies. It was what they found in my left breast that would change my life forever.

On February 18th, 2014 - just 2 weeks before my wedding day - I heard those words, 'I'm sorry but you have breast cancer." My husband is amazing. He just looked at me and said, "we'll take care of it together." His strength and our quirky humor has been a huge factor in keeping us positive. We didn't let it ruin our wedding day, everything was so perfect. Our battle began once we returned from our elopement. Brannon has been my rock, my amazing caregiver and the best husband ever.

There was a 3.4 cm tumor near my chest wall. I've had bilateral breast conservation surgery and after a particularly nasty post-operative infection, I have begun 7 weeks or radiation therapy.

I will be eternally grateful that I was spared in light of my stupidity, someone or something was watching over me. I learned that only 30% of breast cancer is genetic and 70% of cases "just are." Think about me. I am the FIRST and only woman in my family to have breast cancer. If you think it will never happen to you, I hope you are right. But, just in case, please get your mammogram when you are supposed to. Early detection is the key!!!!

Jacqueline Rolen
Carrollton, TX

I AM NOT A STATISTIC

I AM NOT A STATISTIC

I was taking a shower when I felt a pea sized lump under my arm. Instantly, my heart sank. I do not know why but I knew it was bad. Next day, I went to see my ob-gyn. He felt it and said he thought it was nothing, it was "movable" and I was young (40 YOA). Despite my instincts, I waited a few weeks to get an ultrasound.

On Good Friday, 2010, I got the call that it is cancer. The tumors were large under my arm so I had 6 months of chemo to see if they would shrink. Thankfully, it worked. Next, was a mastectomy. A PET scan showed no cancer in the right breast and my surgeon asked me if I wanted to remove my right breast. I say absolutely. The results after surgery: Stage IIIC in my left breast, 20/20 lymph nodes had cancer and Stage I in right breast. My surgeon tells me my survival rate is 23 percent! The next day, I go to my oncologist's office, hysterical. I have 3 children! My daughter is only 10 years old. My oncologist says YOU ARE NOT A STATISTIC!! I next have aggressive radiation and have 35 treatments over 6 areas.

I worked throughout it all, with my 20 year old coming to every one of my chemo treatments. I am a single mom, and work as an attorney. I never realized how awesome my fellow attorneys and family truly are! Despite our competitive nature, they were there to make sure I was covered. They even held a fund raiser and bought my children and I four tickets to travel to Italy to see my family, a dream come true.

So far, no evidence of the disease! I am proud to be a survivor!!

Donna
Kissimmee, FL

My Journey

My Journey started in March 8th 2013 while I was having a routine mammogram done. While I was waiting to be told I could leave, the nurse came in and asked me to follow her. I new at that moment that something was wrong and immediately started to worry. It was hard to keep it together while the nurse explained what they had found and that I would have to have an MRI to confirm if it was something to be concerned about. I remember leaving and just sitting in my car shocked. After all the tests where I told I had stage 0 Ductal Carcinoma Aggressive. At that moment I thought I am going to die, I had a lumpectomy with sentinal nodes removed. I was told that my margins were clear and no nodes involved. I was relieved. In May 2013 I had my surgery, the results came back from the surgery I was told that there was no need for chemo, the doctor asked if I would like to take part in a trial, so I thought to myself if I can help someone else going through this deadly disease then I would be glad to help. I waited roughly 3 weeks for the results to come back from the states. When I went back to see the doctor, he told me that my cancer was very aggressive and that I needed to have chemo. I was shocked. At first I said no way, then I decided that I wanted to see my son get married someday and that if I didn't do the treatment then for sure I would not see him married with kids. On August 14 2013 my chemo started, 6 rounds and 21 days radiation. Now I am free and clear hopefully for ever. I would very much like to thank my family, my dear friend Sandra Tuttle for I could not have done this without them. It was a rough year, but now better days. I now eat right and am active every single day. Life is good!!!

Tracy Grant
Ottawa, Canada

Life is Great

Life is Great

A yearly mammogram had always been a part of my life for 12 years I never missed a year. I felt a small lump in my right breast and it was a little sore. I decided to make it early and went for the mammogram from there what I considered to be normal was no longer existing in my life.

Diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer on July 19th 2012. I was 56.
I just thought to myself I don't have time for this crap I am taking care of my elderly mother and holding down a full time job. what will I do? My mother and I are the only ones here I have no other family around how am I going to handle this? Then I thought to my self... SELF... you deal with it a day at a time there is a reason for this so lets get this done. I never asked myself why I new that there was a reason I just needed to be patient for the answer.

I decided to have a double mastectomy I wanted to go through this only once.
Then came 3 months Chemo, I didn't loose weight but gained 30 pounds do to the steroids. 25 treatments of radiation, reconstruction surgery.I have my 5th and final surgery June 4, 2014. This sounds funny but I was proud to loose my hair after all I was in a major battle for my life. when people asked me I would tell them. I wish that I could of lifted my shirt without being arrested I would of shown those scars,

I just turned 58 and I am CANCER FREE !!!

And I received my answer... LIFE IS GREAT!!!

Katie Klier
Edom, TX

My Journey

My Journey

My Journey

My journey through breast cancer begain in 1998..My mom had just passed away (I was her care giver for 14 years) and my late husband was terminally ill (His care giver until his death in 2001) when we found out I had stage 3 Ductal Carcenoma....All I had time to do was just get rid of it to have the time I needed to care for Allen...After the mastectomy I went through 6 months of chemo every week...one week one kind and the next week a different kind...Then low and behold 18 months later went through it again on the right side...again did what I had to to be able to care for Allen...So this year I am a 16 year survivor for the left side and a 13 1/2 year survivor for the right side...I have never had reconstructive surgery because at the time I did not have time to go through it and now I am too old I think...I admire anyone who has walked this walk and my heart and soul goes out to them...I got remarried back in January 0f 2008 after being alone for 7 long years...It has made no difference to Bruce that I am like I am...I at times wonder how many men would walk that walk with any of us survivours...I also have never talked about this to many people because of their reaction to it...But because of a dear friend I have found the inner strength to write about this fight and struggle that lies buried deep with in...Anyone who is walking this walk I can say "KEEP UP THE FIGHT AND WALK WITH GOD"...Thanks for listening and if you read this thanks for that also...I LUV YA!!!! all so very much...

~~Betty~~


~*Betty*~
We live in an awesome world.
Make it an awesome day.
Peace To All and May God Bless You
Live simply.
Love generously.
Care deeply.
Speak kindly.
Leave the rest to God.

Betty McAlister Lewis
Granite Falls, NC

Starting the journey

I am starting the journey. In March 2014 I found a lump, both my own doctor and the consultant at the hospital said it wasn't anything to worry about, a cyst. On 8th May after a mammogram, Ultrasound and a biopsy I was told that I did have breast cancer, an MRI was required to see any spread. On 15th May I was told no spread but would need a mastectomy, I've opted for a double mastectomy with reconstruction. This will take place on 10th June. Who knows what the future will bring, I'm hopeful that with this treatment it will be the end of it, but nothing in life is certain but with the love of my hubby, family and friends I know I have the best support ever x

Gaye Noble-Wootton
Rotherham, United Kingdom

Support

I agree we all need a support system but maybe more so for some than others. In my case I was diagnosed last month with Stage 1 Grade1 IDC. My tumor was less than .5 mm. I had a lumpectomy last week and they only had to take one lymph node. My doctor called yesterday and said they got all the cancer and my node was negative so I am still Stage 1 and I am also ER/PR positive and HER2 negative. This is all excellent news. Now I did join a couple of different online support groups immediately after getting my initial diagnosis but I have to say that the overwhelming majority of the members are in a much more dire situation than myself. Considering this I have found that rather than encouraging me it only made me feel more depressed and fearful. In light of that I have since been avoiding those groups. I am instead relying solely on the support of family and friends which I find to be much more uplifting and encouraging. I will be seeing an oncologist in a couple of weeks to discuss treatment options but I do plan to have the Oncotype DX test and hope to avoid chemo and just go with radiation and hormone therapy.

Anonymous
St Albans, WV

Fighting Cancer with a Smile

Fighting Cancer with a Smile

In October 2014, I was diagnosed with stage 3A triple negative breast cancer. On May 14, 2014, I officially became a survivor! Having had benign cysts biopsies before, I was relatively calm about my newfound lump. Little did I know how my world would soon be turned upside down. I am blessed beyond measure for the family and friends who have stood by my side, prayed for me, and cared for me. I serve a mighty God who is good and laid His healing hands upon me when I needed Him most. He gave me strength through my weakness. He gave me stamina and endurance through my fatigue. So these words remain true: I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13

http://www.unmutable.com/Blog/Fighting-Cancer-With-A-Smile

Kelli
Loganville, GA