I HAD GONE FOR MY ANNUAL MAMMOGRAM AND THERE WAS A LUMP. THEY TOLD ME IT WAS SCAR TISSUE FROM A PRIOR SURGERY . WENT BACK 6 MTHS LATER AND WAS TOLD THE SAME THING,. SHORTLY AFTER I NOTICED THE LUMP HAD CHANGED IN SIZE. CALLED MY GYN AND HE SAID CALL YOUR SURGEON. CALLED AND THEY DID A BIOPSY 4/26/02 . GOT A CALL BACK 2 DAYS LATER, YOU HAVE BREAST CANCER. I HAD A MASTECTOMY, AND RECONSTRUCTION SURGERY AT THE SAME TIME AND WOUND UP WITH A STAFF INFECTION. HAD TO REMOVE THE IMPLANT SO I COULD START THE CHEMO. THEY FOUND IT IN 9 LYMPH NODES. I DID THE CHEMO EVERY 3 WEEKS FOR 5 MTHS, AND NEVER GOT SICK. I WOULD GO ON FRIDAY, RIGHT FROM WORK. THEN I HAD 5 WEEKS OF RADIATION EVERY DAY AND NEVER GOT SICK. MY CHILDREN WERE AT THE TIME 6 AND 12 YEARS. I COULD NOT LET MY FAMILY SEE ME GET DEPRESSED AND I NEVER DID. I HAVE TO TELL YOU MY HUSBAND WAS MORE DEVASTATED THAN I WAS. THERE IS NO HISTORY. I TELL PEOPLE YOU HAVE TO THINK POSITIVE AND I KNOW WITHOUT A DOUBT THIS IS WHAT GOT ME THROUGH IT. MY FAVORITE SAYING IS, GOD GAVE YOU THIS AND THERE IS NOT A THING YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT, EXCEPT GO ON AND FIGHT. IT HAS BEEN 8 WONDERFUL YEARS AND I AM TRULY A SURVIVOR AND SO CAN YOU. I HOPE AND PRAY I NEVER HAVE TO GO THROUGH THIS AGAIN, BUT IF I DID I KNOW I COULD DO IT.

karen
beacon falls, CT