On March 16, 2008 my oldest sister Joy found out she had Stage Two breast cancer at the age of 53.
It didn't seem real, the words "Joy's Diagnosis."
Joy skipped one mammogram because she was busy although she was always diligent about getting them every year.
That's when the doctors found the lump.
She planned to get her biopsy results March 26 but they came back early. Then she got a second opinion. It was invasive lobular carcinoma.
On March 20 Joy had a consult and they scheduled the surgery for two weeks from then. At that time they would also inject dye to see if the cancer had spread to her lymph nodes.
Joy had a choice - take medications for four months to shrink the tumor with or without a research study or go with a radical surgery.
She wound up getting a lumpectomy and some lymph nodes removed that were cancerous. The doctor said it was surprising that the cancer hadn't spread to the rest of her nodes.
My sister, mom, step dad, and I made separate trips to Illinois to help take care of Joy after her surgery. She wound up eventually get her head shaved and buying a wig. In the middle of it all her oldest dog Candy was diagnosed with congestive heart failure and had to be put to sleep.
Joy went through chemo, two surgeries, and had to be on medication but she is a survivor as of a few months ago. Her liver enzymes were elevated at first so they had to put the chemo off initially while they ran tests. The cancer drugs caused her to develop osteoporosis and she still has to go through more reconstructive surgery.
But she is a miracle, a survivor, and that's what counts.
Fort Worth, TX