I am 47 and just before I turned 41, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I had a mammogram at 40 and was told to come back for compression views on the left. Sent a letter stating everything was okay and to come back the next year. Before the year was out, I felt an area in my left breast that was firm to the touch, not necessarily a lump. When I didn't wear a bra, it would hurt and indent. Went to GYN and he sent me to surgeon who did a needle biopsy. Needle biopsy came back negative so my surgeon suggested removing it. A week later he did the lumpectomy. He told me it was cancer to the edges and recommended mastectomy, chemotherapy, and radiation. A week later he did the mastectomy. A month later I started chemotherapy which lasted for 6 months, after which I did radiation for 6 weeks. I had reconstruction 6 months later. I began having pain in my shoulder, thinking it was only muscle pain. I went to see my surgeon for a recheck 6 months after my reconstruction. He suggested getting a bone scan to check out the pain in my shoulder. I was then diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer to bone. In the past 5 years, having started in my rib, it has spread to my spine, other ribs, hip, and skull bones. I have been on an oral chemotherapy until recently, when my cancer showed progression. I started back on IV chemotherapy. I have been battling this cancer for almost 6-1/2 years total, almost 5 years metastatic. For me, it has become a way of life. I have 3 children, one who is not yet 18, and I will not give in to this monster ever.

Zita Bailey
Summerville, SC