In 2004 I had my yearly mammogram and was shocked to be told I had stage 0 cancer. I had a lumptectomy and 6 weeks radiation. For the next 9 years my mamos were normal and I felt so lucky that it was caught early. In September 2013 my luck ran out the cancer had returned. Since I had already had radiation I did not have a choice of treatment. On October 11, 2013 I had a mastectomy and have chosen to take oral meds instead of chemo. I am now 69 and don't plan to let cancer run my life. Cancer is an ugly word and needs to be removed from our vocabulary and our lives. God bless all of us fighting this monster.

Bert Patterson
Philadelphia, PA