It was a normal morning in November of 2008. I was in the shower getting ready for the day. I reached for my loofah (bath sponge) and shower gel. No loofah! It was across the bathroom in the bathtub and I was in a hurry so I just put some shower gel in my hand. As I moved my hand under my right arm, I felt a lump. I thought to myself...that's odd. Then I compared it to the left side and something was definitely different with my right side. My primary care doctor ordered a CAT scan and mammogram just to be on the safe side. The mammogram detected a tumor in my right breast and two tumors in my right axilla. A biopsy confirmed that all tumors were cancer. At age 47, I was diagnosed with Invasive Ductal Carcinoma (IDC). I had no history of breast cancer in my family. By the time I was diagnosed, it had progressed to Stage 3, Grade III, a very aggressive form of cancer. The silver lining in all of this is that it was triple positive cancer. The treatment plan was aggressive as well, with 8 cycles of chemo, partial bilateral mastectomy, 35 rounds of radiation and Herceptin for one year. I currently take Femara. I am blessed to have a supportive husband and family. I know that it is no coincidence that my loofah was across the bathroom on that November morning. I live by Jeremiah 29:11... God has a plan or my life. I was given a 56% chance to make it five years and in December 2014, I will be a 6 year breast cancer survivor. In the years since my diagnosis, I have been blessed to plan and attend the weddings of both my daughters, attend the graduation of my youngest daughter from the University of Florida and blessed with 3 grandchildren. I'm sharing my story on my blog because I want to be an inspiration to others. I post to my blog every Tuesday and Friday: laurasjourneyofhope.wordpress.com
Be Blessed,
Laura
Lakeland, FL
