At 43, I finally got around to having my very first mammogram. Prior to that, I had been either pregnant or breastfeeding for 5 continuous years, so had waited until I was past this phase of my life. I was not at all surprised when I was called back for additional imaging after my baseline mammogram; I was aware that the call-back rate is very high for baselines. But those microcalcifications that prompted my call-back then prompted a surgical biopsy. And the biopsy confirmed that I had a 4mm tumor of invasive cancer and extensive DCIS in one breast. As the mother of 2 young children, it was not difficult to jump to the decision of a unilateral mastectomy, which I had promptly. My cancer was caught early, and did not have a chance to metastasize. I was able to begin reconstruction at the same time as my mastectomy. I was so fortunate.
I have been a runner for 20+ years, and just months before my diagnosis, I had registered for my first half marathon, which was scheduled for 5 weeks after my surgery. The race became a physical and emotional goal that gave me hope. I ran right up until the day before my surgery, took the recommended time off to heal, and then started running again the very day that my plastic surgeon gave me the okay -- 10 days before the race! I showed up on race day. I ran. I finished. And I survived. I survived.
Boston, MA