I was diagnosed with Stage 2B Invasive Ductal Carcinoma DCIS on Feb 23, 2012; I am not good remembering dates however, this is a date that I will remember for the rest of my life.  I work for an Oncology Practice and I see many patients from all walks of life suffering with different types of Cancer & no matter how much we see hear and study we never really know until you have to live through it. Not having a family history of Cancer made it even harder to comprehend.  I’m a single mother of 3 and I have 3 beautiful grandchildren communicating my diagnosis to my children proved to be the hardest thing I have had to do in all my life.  The fear in my children’s eyes was heart breaking however; I remembered the one word that stuck out shared with me by my Oncologist “curable” that being said I reassured them that we were going to get through this. Appointments came and went quickly and I knew I would have to come in touch with an inner strength that I never knew I had, I relied on my faith and the love of my family and a few friends I asked for help when I needed it and I stayed busy. I never stopped working although Chemo is accumulative the more treatments I received I noticed the more fatigued I became and therefore I made some modifications to my daily routine but I was determined to win this fight.   I underwent 6 cycles of chemo, I had a bilateral mastectomy followed by a 6 week course of radiation therapy and now I am on Tamoxifen for five years a very small price to pay in exchange for my life.  My attitude had a lot to do with my ability to overcome Cancer; I have started my reconstruction process and it’s probably the part that just drags along but it’s ok because I’m here, I won.  My scars remind me of a fight well fought and I’m proud to say I am a Breast Cancer Survivor.

Joanna Ruiz
Katy, TX