Summers in Alaska are always bright. The sun shines nearly 24 hours! It's always beautiful! That fateful morning...August 1, 2011. I did a CBE. I discovered a lump on the outer part of my left breast, I immediately called the village clinic. The HA referred me to the regional hospital a week out. After the mammogram and u/s were done, I KNEW what the results were. August 14 had me flying 460 miles SW to Anchorage, AK, leaving my young family behind. My husband stayed home until the 18th to care for my three youngest, with the help of my dad and brothers. I met with the surgeon on August 15, a brief meeting, she explained I would have a biopsy on 17th and results would be revealed on August 19; that day she told me I had breast cancer! My husband burst into tears, I looked at him and said "I'm still here!" Once I was diagnosed, I had appointments here, appointments there, all the while scared and nervous about EVERYTHING! I battled through bilateral mastectomies, 4 rounds of chemotherapy, 6 1/2 weeks of radiation, a hysterectomy, tooth extractions, hair loss, and loss of confidence in being "a woman" to my husband. All these treatments meant I traveled back and forth by air, leaving my kids at home with friends and family offering their loving, and heartwarming help. As I'm typing this, I'm flooded with the memories of my experiences. I remember a few conversations with a dear friend who helped see me through that difficult part of my life. During our regular steam bath, she encouraged me to talk the cancer in my body and laugh and make fun of it, so I did! I also swept my body from head to toe toward the stove and kindly asked the cancer to leave, that I am too strong for it. I am a three year survivor, and I plan on being around this place, my home, out in the middle of nowhere for many more years.
Charlotte TikiunMountain Village, AK
