I'm 57 years old, I've already survived polio, my parents were told I'd be in a wheelchair in my 20's, they were also told I wouldn't be able to have children. Boy, did I prove them wrong, 37 years later, I'm still standing, I have 3 terrific kids, 1 grandson and I'm expecting a granddaughter in March. Doctors can't measure the strength of someone's will. I was negligent about my mammograms for about 8 years, did my self exams and let it go. My daughter works in a ob/gyn office and made me get up to date on my annuals. It came as quite a shock that I was diagnosed with, Invasive Ductal Carcinoma, me!!! Then I was diagnosed Triple X positive, thank goodness it's only stage 1, simple lumpectomy, 36 radiation treatments and I'm good to go!! That's not how it turned out, genetic testing came back, I'm also BRCA 1 positive. I have a 97% chance of recurrence. My choices got so much more difficult, I'm already scarred, I've had many, many orthopedic surgeries, suddenly, I feel really damaged. I'm losing my ovaries, and I'm having a bilateral mastectomy. I feel like I've been thrown in a whirlpool of information and uncertainty. I survived polio, now I'm fighting a real battle, I had no idea how many lives this disease has touched, I have spoken with so many survivors, this effects your whole network of friends and family. It's very hard to share the fear and uncertainty with the people closest to you. I know consciously that I'll be alright, I won't ever be the same, but I feel so many things deeper, my life has become richer, I am very blessed and very afraid, it's human to want to run, but you can't run from this, you have to face it. My daughter saved my life, I didn't find the lump, my ob/gyn couldn't feel it and neither could my surgeon, don't count on self exams, be proactive, get your mammogram diligently!! Save your own life, don't wait till you're fighting for it.

Kim
Rochester, PA