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Eating to LIVE

Hello I am a 38 year old Breast Cancer Survivor! I was diagnosed a little over a year ago (stage 3) The Drs. ALL were insisting on Chemo or removing my breast! Well That was NOT an option in my book! I told the Drs. there is NO WAY that I am going to go through Chemo!! They told me but you HAVE TO it is going to save your life! As soon as I heard the word "Chemo" Something came over me and gave me the strength to battle this Evil monster on my own! I became a Vegan IMMEDIATELY I went and read tons of books watched many documentaries TOTALLY changed the way I eat which is a little beyond Vegan nothing processed refined or FAKE Everything RAW or Whole! Well about 3 months later I went back to the Dr. had another Biopsy and he was absolutely AMAZED when my results came back!! 100% CANCER FREE!!! I beat this evil monster simply by changing my diet! I did this all on my own! People were totally against my idea constantly telling me that I should get the Chemo!! I can tell you this I have NEVER in my entire life felt better so much energy and such a great outlook on life. Now I would never tell anyone to go against their Drs. orders as I have done All I can say is this worked for me!!! :) Blessings to ALL that have to go through this horrible disease I give my support ALL I CAN to those in need! And I am more than willing to help ANYONE in ANYWAY possible!! I wish you ALL the best of luck through your battle! God Bless!!! Please feel free to contact me for any advice I may give!

SUSAN
Dix Hills, NY

Good Came out of Bad

A friend was diagnosed with breast cancer 9+ years ago. She was in her 30s, a music teacher at area grade schools. Her breast cancer journey led her, her husband and two other friends to create a Foundation that continues to give to others going through breast cancer treatment. Kathy went to leading edge medical centers and encouraged medical personnel to try anything they wanted on her, to give them the data they needed to improve or enhance treatment for future breast cancer patients. For many years this effort was run out of her home and eventually it took over the house. A local business now allows the Fundatioin to use space in the basement area of the business and there are many more volunteers who head committees and continue the work she began.
Kathy went to her eternal reward two years ago this month and is missed by all who knew her. However the Foundation is strong and continues to assist others who are going through breast cancer treatment. Through June the all volunteer Foundation has provided over $650,500 to 472 individuals going through breast cancer treatment.
Kathy had something good come out of bad during her breast cancer journey. :-)

Barb Roznowski
Green Bay, WI

Man fights for his life and the lives of his animals

Last November my husband was diagnosed with breast cancer. We weren't even aware that men could get breast cancer. He had a 2-3 cm lump in his left breast. He had to have a mastectomy on his left breast the week before Thanksgiving. Thankfully, it did not spread to the lymphnodes, so it wasn't mandatory to have chemo or radiation.
Four days after being diagnosed with cancer, the theme park we were subcontracted at let him go after over 12 years of his services. It was devastating to learn you have cancer then lose your job and still have a family to support. We also owned tigers, bears, cougars and wolves that we performed with and did not know how we were going to be able to feed and house them as well. So, we decided to start an exotic animal sanctuary for these magnificant animals. My husband would not be able to perform shows like before, due to the effects of the cancer. He has lost some strength and mobility in his left arm and numbness in his torso area. His show was very popular at the theme park, and alot of guest were upset that they let us go. So we decided to open to the public, hopefully this Fall, for school groups, church groups, girl/boy scouts and clubs and the general public to educate them on these magnificant animals. Due to the cancer and the loss of his job we have lost everything except our home and the animals. It has been a rough road but feel very blessed that his life was spared and that we were able to bring our animals home to live out their lives at the sanctuary. God has special plans for us.

Kim Kilpatrick
Quitman, GA

I will survive and fight

In January 2003 I became a grandmother, I had a wonderful boyfriend and life was wonderful. In March I was diagnosed with bilateral breast cancer, in April I underwent a bilateral mastectomy and immediate reconstruction. The surgery took a total of 12 hours and when I awoke in my room my sons, daughter-in-law and granddaughter were all around me. The first person I noticed was my granddaughter fussing in her Daddy's arms, as he adjusted her she looked at me and became quiet. it seemed to me that she had been waiting for me to wake up. I knew then that I would do whatever I needed to do to live.
While going through the recovery, chemo and radiation treatments I didn't feel as bad as I had feared it would be. 7 years later and life is good. I have been told that I will be taking Femera for the rest of my life and see my oncologist every 6 months because I am have a high risk of a recurrance, and that is ok. I will continue to fight to survive, live, go on walks to find a cure, and click so that others can get the mammograms that they need. Hopefully a cure will be found so that my granddaughter and her friends don't have to worry about this damn disease.
For those of you that are beginning the fight, I want to let you know that there are many of us survivors out here. I have met women that have been surviving over 20 years and personally my mother-in-law has been surviving since 1994.
Sometimes we have to slow down, focus on getting well, let others support and love us. Live, Love and Laugh alot. Have that dessert first!

Theresa Diane
San Diego, CA

Mountains to climb

I have been a battered wife, a single mother, a full-time graduate student and full-time technician. I divorced the batterer, graduated with a Ph.D in Biology from NYU, and raised a beautiful daughter. I have been blessed with my best friend becoming my new husband. The same year we were married my Father-in-law was diagnosed with breast cancer. I researched docotors and facilities and found a doctor at NYU who preformed a mastectomy and preserved the life of my Father-in-law. My husband and I then wanted to have a child together but, we could not. After many unsuccessful fertility treatments we decided on an egg donor. To prepare I decided to have very extensive testing to ensure a healthy pregnancy. I got as far as the mammogram. I was diagnosed with breast cancer. What a shock I had absolutely no symptoms. So now that same doctor at NYU became my doctor. I had a mastectomy with TRAM Flap reconstuction of the left breast. Shortly there after my mother broke her left hip which was repaired and then broke the right hip which was not repaired. Later she was diagnosed with dementia. I now became her sole caregiver. I moved into her house with her and my husband sees us on weekends. I began a career as a Health Coach. Then after 5 years cancer free I was diagnosed with cancer in the right breast and will have a mastectomy with lat. dorsi flap reconstruction on 8/4/2010. After healing I will be doing a fund raising climb of Mt Kilimanjaro in Feb. 2011 for children orphaned due to HIV/AIDS. I've had my mountains to climb....this is just another one. If you can conquer cancer you certainly can conquer a mountain!

Celeste D. Valle
Kingston, NY

Cancer?

I had just separated from my husband when I discovered a lump in my breast. The biopsy came back benign but the surgeon didn't like the looks of it and wanted to remove it and that's when they found cancer. It all seemed so unreal. From there it was all the testing, chemo and radiation. I just finished everything after a year and a half.

A man I work with was just diagnosed with prostate cancer. He said I was his inspiration! Wow! Everyone thought I was so strong while I went through this. Living on my own and so far away from my closest friends and family, what choice did I have? I HAD to work for the money and the insurance. And I had to be there for my son. So, I just had to push through. I told everyone that cancer was really easy compared to so many other issues in life. I was still very sad about my separation and what had led up to it. And we were all still dealing with the terrible tragedy of my son being molested just two years earlier. Those matters of the heart are far more difficult to bear than what I was facing now. And maybe it was because this was happening to me and not a loved one, so I could somehow handle it better. When something happens to your kids and you can't protect them you feel helpless.

This may sound crazy, but going through chemo was a good time in my life. It was a time when I didn't think about the stupid, petty issues we do so many times. Now that I'm "back to normal" I find myself fretting over really dumb things again. I just need to remind myself of where I've been.

Anonymous
Logan, OH

today is my 1th birthday :-)

Hi all together,
today, one year ago I found the knot in my breast.
It was a hard year with tears and fear but also with hope and laughing!
I killed this bastard inside of me. I WAS STRONGER!!!!!
I survived all the painful things. I SURVIVED AND THE BITCH IS DEAD :-)
And this is what I want to shout out to all of you who are at the beginning:
You can be stronger, you will be stronger! Kill it! No Mercy! Kill it.
After all I feel now stronger and full of the joys of life :-)
Love to all of you
willy from Frankfurt/Germany

cornelia called Willy :-)
Frankfurt, Germany

Survivor

Let's start back when I was 29 I am now 41 I found a lump they told me you have breast cancer. I felt at that moment was like my world was turned up side down. Decided I wanted to live for my 3 children so I fought the cancer and the doctors said we got all the cancer. Flash back to when I was 31 diagnosed again found a lump on my neck while scratching. I received a stem cell transplant.I was feeling like my world was turned upside down doctors said got all the cancer. A year and three days later age 32 was scratching my neck again found another lump. The doctors confirmed my worst nightmare again cancer had returned. I did all the treatments, doctor said got all the cancer. Back in for a mammogram found something again age 38 cancers back again devastated again, doctors said removed all cancer. Age 40 found skin cancer on breast and lump in breast had breast removed and now today having other breast removed and reconstruction end of July well I am still here and fighting want everyone to fight to live as much as you need to.

linda
sunbury, PA

My Little Miricle.

Imagine my surprise!! 42 years old and going to have a baby!!!! I had one child, a 12 year old boy who was (and still is) my Pride and Joy! Long story short," . On Christmas Day 2006 I found out I was going to be a Mom again! I was in a state of Shock and at the same time Estatic. I was going to have another baby.! All went well until my 7th month. While doing my monthly self breast exam, I found a lump in my left breast. I started to panic, then reminded myself that I was pregnant, and it was most likley a Milk duct that was clogged. I made sure to tell my Doctor the next day at my appt. My Doctor examined me and said he just wasn't sure and had me set up an appt with the Breast Center. . I was three weeks from my due date, 2weeks from my planned c-section. My Breast was bi-opsied, and the next day at my Dr appt I was Told I had Breast Cancer.My first though as I sat there was, "I am going to die" My very next thought was, Oh No I am NOT!!!!! They scheduled me for a c-section the next day, I had another beautiful baby boy. I chose a lumpectomy. I underwent 6 months of chemo, 32 radiation treatments, and have been caner free for two years. I will beat this, I will see my children get older, and I will, someday become a Grandma." My oncologist told me that.....If I had not gotten Pregnant, I would not have found that that lump, my Cancer was hormonal. Being pregnant made it easier to find. I still "Check Myself" every month. And I cherish every moment with my family!

Diana Eggleston
Phoenix, AZ

Garden Show

My appointment at the Hospital to get my results of Breast Cancer was one I will never forget!. It was the day the annual Garden Show was on
at the Exhibition Building opposite the Hospital......People were passing
me by in their anticipation to see this wonderful show while I felt sad at the
knowledge of the bad news that may await me!
Of course the news was what I expected and from then on my journey took me from a mastectomy to chemotheraphy to radiation.
During these sessions I met some wonderful women - one whom I will never forget who was blind and she was my inspiration.
All in all it took a year from my life - but I have survived and am grateful to have - the words ringing in my ears from the first diagnosis - "you're not the first and you won't be the last".
I continued to live as normally as I could - I walked my dogs, I shopped
with tubes hidden under my coat sitting in a plastic bag which was
draining the fluids from my carcinoma. This wasn't going to beat me!
I kept my sense of humour all through - laughing at the wig I had to wear commenting on the baldness and telling my husband that at last he had more hair than me!!
The flower show is still my reminder of the bad times which I can't forget but now after 8 years as a survivor I can appreciate the 'good times'.
I would love to donate my money to the Olivia Newton John Cancer Clinic in Melbourne, Australia!

Pam Gehan
Melbourne., Australia