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I am a survivor!

In May this year I felt something in my left breast that did not seem right. I ask my husband also to look at it as I have been before to hospital before about my breast and they gave me antibiotics to work it away. My husband told me not to go work and go to a private docter which I I did docter examine and gave me one look and said he need to make me appointment at the Hospital. I Got and appointment for 23 June 2014 had a biopsy and was told to come back in 2 weeks time for results. The 15 July 2014 was a long day I was 7 o'clock at the hospital only saw my docter 13h30 that afternoon I got the news Phoebe you got cancer I was not shocked as God is walking this walk with me. I phoned my husband who was at work an he answered his phone Yes babes I know its good news I had to tell him I got cancer I got hear him go quiet and telling me I'm joking and had to tell him I'm not as I was so calm after praying. I went home and was jus going to sit down when I heard somebody open the door it was my husband I just ran to him and we cried and afterwards he put some music on and we dance. Later we phoned my children and family all was shocked and was crying I just had to be strong. I was book for my masectomy 13 October 2014 and it went very well my husband Quinton was all the time with me supporting me. I was off for a month went back to hospital 13 November 2014 got good news I'm cancer-free on Tamoplex for 5yrs and just need a small operation to have my ovaries remove otherwise I'm well. I want to thank each person that was praying and supporting me but most of all thank God for his mercy and healing upon me. I am a Survivor!

Phoebe
Cape town, South Africa

Not So Boldly Bald (an excerpt from laurasjourneyofhope blog)

I was 47 years old when I was diagnosed with Invasive Ductal Carcinoma. How could this be? By the time I was diagnosed, the cancer was Stage 3a and Grade 3, a very aggressive form of cancer. The silver lining in all of this is that it was triple positive cancer.

The second A/C (red devil) treatment hit me sooner than the last one. I went to bed about 8:30 PM and stayed there. I only moved to take the anti-nausea medicine and sip my favorite purple Gatorade. I laid very still so as not to get sick. This treatment hit me with extreme nausea and fatigue. I stayed in bed only eating when I had to take meds and got up around noon the next day.

My hair was starting to fall out and I wanted to bond with my girls in a hair cutting celebration but it didn’t really turn out to be a celebration. It was still too raw for all of us. The girls didn’t really want to cut my hair so Kelsey took the pictures and Paige reluctantly began to cut my hair. All of us had to hold back tears and we tried to smile through the tears. I admire all of the women who journey through this disease and boldly go bald. That just wasn’t me. After my head was completely shaved, I joined Doug and his mom in the family room. I was wearing a soft beige turban. Turbans and wigs were part of the new normal.

I want everyone to know that it is okay to be sad about losing your hair, even grieve the loss of your hair. However, everyday is a new day and God will give you strength. "For I know the plans I have for you..." Jeremiah 29:11

Be Blessed.

Laura Starner
Lakeland, FL

I thought my life was over - but it was just beginning

Let me take you back to May 2011 - I had given up a very stressful job and doing voluntary work. For a couple of weeks I had felt the occasional sharp stabbing pain in my left breast - but when I checked it out - found nothing to be concerned about. Then on this particular day in May - I felt the pain again. I reached to touch my breast and felt a hardness that I hadn't felt before. I raced home to check myself out in the mirror. When I lifted my arms I could see a dent below the nipple on my left breast. I rang the doctors and asked for an urgent appointment. I was referred to the local breast clinic and seen within 7 days. I was given an ultra sound after an examination - and remember the beeps as the surgeon printed off scan images, I also remember the looks that the breast care nurse kept giving me. His words will stay with me forever "99% certain that you have breast cancer - I am sorry" I told him it wasn't his fault. It was two days before a bank holiday weekend, I was booked in for a mammogram and a core biopsy. The results showed stage 3 invasive Lobular. What followed was 8 sessions of chemotherapy - radical mastectomy - 15 sessions of radiotherapy, delayed pediculed tram flap reconstruction (which had partial failure)

Why I thought my life was over? Cancer = death - right?? Not for me - Yes it was a big shock but I got through it all - yes my hair fell out, my nails dropped off, it was tough! but I got through it with help from the NHS and my family. Now my hair is longer than before, I appreciate every single day and started my own business which is doing okay! I don't fret about the small stuff that used to bother me. I love life and love being alive.

Debbie
PRESTON, LANCASHIRE, United Kingdom

Surviving Breast Cancer / Divorce / Pneumonia

Well what I thought was going to be a normal checkup turned out to be the beginning of a nightmare..I was 37 years old and was told that I had Stage 11 Breast Cancer..I just couldn't believe that something like this could happen to me but it did..I would later have surgery and start my treatments not knowing what else was fixing to happen to me..All during my treatments my husband was there but not physically or mentally..Ignoring me all the time and sleeping on the couch..It hurt but I knew that I had to fight this terrible disease that had taken over my body. The treatments were terrible but I fought through them giving god all the glory..During this time I begged and begged my husband to not leave me but he chose to do so anyway..He would literally serve me on my last treatment....Forcing me to move out of my brand new home and telling me to find me some insurance..In my mind I was thinking how could somebody be so mean and cruel but I knew God still had me in his hands and he had a purpose..I then caught several different kinds of pneumonia and not expecting to live but by the grace of god..He pulled me through once again and I gave him all the glory..To this day I haven't heard from my husband and I am now a 3 year survivor..How he lives with himself, I do not know, but I do know that god has met everyone of my needs and has never, ever let me down..He got me through the chemo, my hair falling out and radiation..As well as all of the other terrible side affects that go along with chemo and radiation..So remember FIGHT LIKE A GIRL AND FIGHT IT HARD...And remember that you can overcome anything you want to..But you have to get strong and stay strong..I know that god left me here to help other women and give them hope and courage and that is exactly what I will do..SO FIGHT IT HEAD ON AND BE STRONG..

tammy montgomery
odenville, AL

Belife is the key

When hearing the word cancer, we think of death. Not all cancers end up with death. With proper support and strong belief in god and yourself, you can beat your cancer.
Days before my 26th birthday, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. Hearing the news, I was so shocked as no one in my family have had breast cancer or any cancer. And now me at the age of 26!! 13 January 2014 I had I lumpectomy and nodes removal. After that I started chemotherapy and radiation just after chemo. Chemo was the worst of all, the support I had from my family and husbands was huge. They provided me with all means of support I needed, financial and emotional. I couldn’t do it without them. The key to win this battle is to believe in god and in yourself. Believe you could beat the cancer, try to imagine the good times you will have in the future with your loved ones. Try to be optimistic all the way long. I am sure we all have the strength to win the battle. Enjoy your life to the max while you still living cause we aren’t staying here forever!

ula khaled
sana'a, Yemen

WHERE ARE YOU?

“I'm right here, standing beside you--holding you up as the tiredness of your last chemotherapy treatment is taking over. Now is the time for you to rest. Rest is healing. My Angels will be watching over you.”
“I'm right here, behind you--giving you gentle pushes forward since you are not feeling as strong in yourself today.”
“I'm right here, in front of you--leading the way over this rough cancer road, helping to make it a little more bearable.”
“I'm right here, inside you--as difficult as your journey is for you, you can still reach out and help others. I will help you to accomplish more than you thought possible.”
“I'm right here. I am your boss. I am your father. I love you like no other can.”
And in the fall of 2010, while I was in treatment for breast cancer, He was right there in answer to my prayers--I wanted to help other women as they, too, traveled their own unique cancer journeys.
He is here when I ask Him to help me author special letters and testimonials.
He is right here, answering prayers that I have not even thought to say yet.
He is right here, meeting every need I have in order to administer The Sparkle Caps Project, as we uplift, empower, love and pray for other women through sponsored Sparkle Caps gift bags.
He is right here, helping me to tell other women that, in spite of our hair loss, we are HOT CHICKS; that our hair is not tied to our femininity.
WHERE ARE YOU? “I am in you! And I am in you! And I am in you! I know your pain. I know your fears. Trust in Me and trust the plan that I have for you!”

Susan "Victorious" Heimbigner
Sumter, SC

My story...alive with No Regrets

After losing my Mom to breast, bone and lung cancer in 2005, I was diagnosed with stage lll breast cancer in Sept. Of 2007. As I got the diagnosis, my husband and best friend (my awesome support system) began to cry because I would require a double mastectomy. My surgeon laughed when I told them to stop crying... because (at 45) I would get to have them put back where they were supposed to be. I went through chemo first to shrink the cancer...just too much for a surgeon to remove, then a double mastectomy. Weird thing is, I wasn't scared. I guess my thought process was it is what it is, I am tough and will fight. Unfortunately, like many before me, I too had many complications. Infections, collapsed lung, Bells Palsy, which resulted in the right side of my face being permanently paralyzed (just to name a few). Oh, and the getting them back to where they were suspposed to be came in a much smaller size ( very happy that I now get to save money for things other than bras). It was a long tough fight and took almost 5 years of battling the pain in every joint, loss of muscle, weight loss, chemo brain and just a lack of strength and the ability to do the most basics of everyday life. However there is good news. I am proud to say that currently I am kicking cancer's ass. As of the 13th of Sept., it has been 7 years since my diagnosis. I feel strong and finally whole again despite my many battle scars and missing parts. To all those that have or may suffer from this terrible life threatning and debilitating illness, I pray that the good Lord gives you an awesome support system to help you stay strong and remain positive to fight the good fight. Much peace and love to you all.

Leslie Dietel
Longmont, CO

Surviving the odds

I was first diagnosed with early stage hormone receptor positive breast cancer in 2003 when I was 33. After 6 months of chemotherapy I was declared in remission and put on hormone therapy. A year later I had the Gold standard tram flap done where I elected to have my right breast removed too, and my stomach muscles brought up on both sides to form breasts. In 2009 I had my first relapse and found out the cancer had progressed to stage 4. It was in my lungs, liver, kidneys and wide spread in my bones. I felt let down by the system where the tumor marker blood tests had failed to pick up the cancer’s progression. After radiation and towards the end of 9 months of chemotherapy, I was experiencing breathlessness and dizziness. X-rays revealed that I had fluid building up in my chest cavity. A week and two operations later, they had drained 5 liters of fluid. After recovering, I was put on intensive hormone therapy. With a loving and supportive husband and three daughters still to raise, I threw down the gauntlet and was determined that I wasn’t going down without a fight! In December 2012 I, together with 11 other survivors undertook an expedition into Antarctica to raise awareness. Unfortunately in 2013 I relapsed once again and to everyone’s shock and dismay, my cancer had turned from being a positive to a triple negative disease. I slogged through 6 more months of chemotherapy and luckily responded very well to treatment. I’m stable yet again but remain on maintenance treatments consisting of low grade chemotherapy and Avastin, delivered intravenously on a monthly basis through a port. My experience with this disease has enriched me emotionally and spiritually beyond measure and made me a far stronger person than I otherwise would be today. I truly treasure every day, hour, minute, second. I recently started a blog where I am chronicling my experiences and if I can help just one other person, then it won’t have been all for nothing. You can visit it on http://survivingallodds.com

Sarah Avis
Pretoria, South Africa

"He Maketh Me to Lie Down"

"When your oncologist pronounces that you have Stage One breast cancer and you have lost your seven inches of hair from treatment, sometimes all you can do is lie down by the riverside and let it all go."

There is no rewind button on life, and at 48 years old, I have absolutely no regrets about my diet, exercise, spirituality, family, life decisions, etc. Cancer did not cause me to panic or to regret.

If you are a woman, please fight well now because you are by statistics ‘one out of eight.’ Be the most excellent version of you now. This is how you fight like a woman!

Rhonda Singletary
Moss Point, MS

My Husband is my Hero

At 40, in 2010 as a birthday present to myself, I scheduled my first mammogram. It went fine, no issues. The following year, I went in for my second mammogram. The nurse found a small lump which was followed up by an ultrasound. I received a notice from the hospital, stating result "benign", nothing to be worried about. The lump never went away, in fact, it seemed to get larger over the next few months. It never caused me any pain or issues and after all was benign. Life went on, in June of 2012 my boyfriend proposed. We set a date and on September 8, 2012 I married the love of my life in Lake Tahoe, CA. My husband received a call with a job offer the same week, the hitch, it was in Salt Lake City, UT...UGGH I had no desire to ever live there...EVER. While celebrating our wedding I could not help but feel heartbroken as this amazing opportunity meant leaving our home, our friends and my family. I had been unemployed for a year an this job would ease that burden. So we returned to Boise to start the process of moving. We both made appointments with our Doctors to get our records and take them with us. My OBGYN was concerned with the "lump" and scheduled another ultrasound and an order to have "cyst" removed. As I completed the ultrasound they asked if I would like to have my husband to come back to be with me? I was puzzled, not sure what that meant when the tech advised they would be performing a biopsy and not aspiration. We didn't really understand what was going on. On Oct 15, 2012, my husbands first day at his new job, I received a call with the diagnosis of Breast Cancer. I believe that if it was not for my husband and his new job, I would not be alive today to tell my story. As of today I am 2 years out and cancer free, I owe my life to my husband, he truly is my hero.

Sonya Rabe
Meridian, ID