I was 20 weeks’ pregnant when I first heard the words that took my breath away – “You have cancer.” My husband and I tried for 6 years before conceiving and now I had Hodgkin’s – cancer of the lymph nodes. We looked at each other and whispered “It’ll be okay,” and it was. Samantha was born at 34 weeks and I had 5 weeks of radiation to my neck and chest and was clear. Fifteen years flew by and when I was 45 I had my first mammogram; see, I figured I’d done the cancer thing, so why worry? It turned out that was the last mammogram I needed. Again I heard those words that took my breath away, “You have cancer.” It is definitely not easier hearing those words a second time. I had bilateral infiltrating lobular breast carcinoma. They said it was from the radiation that I had for Hodgkin’s. My husband took my hand and said “It’ll be okay. We’ll make it through.” My daughter hugged me and said “I love you mom. It’ll be okay,” and it was. I had bilateral mastectomy and 6 rounds of chemo. They wouldn't do radiation because of the radiation I had. I started a new job the day before my 2nd chemo, I carried on with life because that’s what I do. I didn't have reconstruction at the time of mastectomy because I needed to prove to myself that I was still me without breasts. It wasn't anything that was ever said to me, it was in my head alone that I was proving a point. After 4 years I decided I didn't want to prove a point anymore and wanted reconstruction, and my husband and daughter said “okay, we can do this,” and we did. I am almost a 6-year survivor of breast cancer now, and it has not made me who I am, but life has, all the good and bad together and I am right where I’m supposed to be.

Pam
Three Lakes, WI