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Total Eclipse

Darkness arrived at my door 4/20/10. After being told I did not have cancer fpr 4 mos. I had a lumpectomy for a "cyst" on April 10. The tumor did not show up in any tests & I had them all. My tumor was 8cent & hiding behind the cyst! Now I have Stage 2, Triple Neg, Invasive Ductive breast cancer with Aggressive grade.
One real positive thing is there is no node involvement and all margins are clear. I am gearing up for 4 months of chemo and 6 weeks of radiation. So far, no mastectomy will be needed. I am going to fight this thing with all I have with My Lord & Savior Jesus Christ right at my side! I will be a survivor!!
My prayers go out to all that are on this journey, it is not 1 we would have chose but have to endure. May you have peace, strength and courage...
GOD IS WITH YOU, YOU ARE NOT ALONE!
Marianne

Marianne
Brooklyn, NY

Greatful For My Scar!

Oct. 2006; I thought we had it all; friends, family, nice home, nice jobs ect... until I thought I felt a small lump on my right breast when I did a self examination (SO IMPORTANT TO DO LADIES!) in the shower. Wasn't a big deal; serious things were not going to happen to me. It was probably fatty tissue or too much caffeine.....right? WRONG!

A few days went by and I thought, "Well, maybe I should have Bun (my husbands nickname) check it....just to be sure." Sure enough he felt it and told me to get it checked since I already had to have cryo-therapy for cervical cancer a few years earlier.

About a week later I went to my scheduled appointment and to make a long story short, I was told it was "nothing." Well, "nothing" felt like SOMETHING but we were so busy with the moving and getting things packed. I pushed the thoughts to the back of my head....explaining to myself that this Dr. would know, after-all he found the cervical cancer!

I finally decided once we got settled in Kansas I would get a Dr. and have this inconvenience checked out again; by this time I thought it had actually gotten bigger and harder.

I had now lost my father who passed with no notice and a few months had gone by. It was now April of 2007 and I scheduled an appointment with Dr. Stephanie and decided a physical is what I needed.

My Dr. is my hero.

Within two weeks of finding the lump she was having it removed.

It is now May of 2010 and I am loving life & cancer free!

Kathleen Munday-McGuire
Cheney, KS

This chapter in my life....

In October of 2009, I heard the dreaded words "You have malignant breast cancer." I had gone for my first mammogram and wasn't concerned because cancer does not run in my family and I hadn't noticed any lumps. A few days later, I received a letter stating that there were shadows on my films and I needed to re-do the mammo. I scheduled it for a couple of days later. The technician showed me a few calcifications on the previous films and said they just wanted to "make sure". Five minutes after she took the new films to review with the doctor, he rushed into the room and told me I needed to see a surgeon immediately. Within the next 3 weeks, I had a needle biopsy that was positive and a surgical biopsy to confirm. Three days later, my surgeon called to tell me I had malignant breast cancer and would need a mastectomy. On Nov 4, 2 days before my birthday, I had a radical mastectomy of my left breast along with 20 lymph nodes removed. Two large tumors were found in my breast and 2 lymph nodes were fully involved. I decided to begin with reconstruction prior to chemo. On Dec 11, I checked into the hospital for a one surgery, 4 day stay. Unfortunately, I ended up with 3 surgeries in 72 hours with a 6 day stay. Sadly, the reconstruction was not successful. On Feb 5, I started chemo, finishing on April 9. I am having a follow-up mammogram on my right breast this week and, if all is clear, I will attempt reconstruction again. My family has been a great support and I wouldn't have been able to do this without them. I now live every day as if it is my last.

Kelley
Sachse, TX

odessa lawrence

MY MOTHER ODESSA LAWRENCE
TO KEEP THIS SHORT AND SIMPLE MY MOTHER HAS BEEN UP AND DOWN BATTLE WITH CANCER OVER THE LAST 4 TO 5 YRS BUT OVER THE LAST YR SHE HAS HAD A BREAST AUGMENTATION AS WELL AS WENT THROUGH NUMEROUS AMOUNT OF TREATMENTS SUCH CHEMO-THERAPY AND OTHER CANCER TREATMENTS THUS FAR IT IS IN REMISSION BUT AS FOR HER SHE HAS HELPED ME ALL THE WHILE WITH TEENS AS IN RAISING THEM TO SHOW THEIR APPRECIATION LEIGHA HAS HELP HER WHILE GOING THROUGH THE TREATMENT OTHER HAS SUPPORTED HER BY GOING TO BREAST CANCER WALKS IN CLEVELAND MY SUPPORT WAS STAYING AROUND TO MANAGE THE HOUSEHOLD COOKING CLEANING HOUSE CHORES BUT THE MOST OF ALL BEING ABLE TO WEARING THE PINK BRACELET FOR A YEAR STRAIGHT AND RESEARCHING THE STAGES OF CANCER LEARNING FROM THIS EMOTIONAL EXPERIENCE I TOOK A LOT OF PRAYER AND SUPPORT TO HELP HER GO THROUGH THE MENTAL CHALLENGES SO MOM IF YOU READ THIS ME AND THE KIDS LOVE YOU VERY MUCH WE WILL CONTINUE TO SUPPORT YOU
LOVE YOUR SON
ISANI WADUD

Isani Wadud
cleveland, OH

A Reason to Live

My breast cancer journey began after finding a lump in December of 2008. I had a mammogram one month later.

On the day of the mammogram, I still kept thinking that it couldn't be anything. My mom has had many cysts removed from her breasts and none have ever been cancerous. I am the baby of four girls. I have many female cousins. There is just NO history of breast cancer in my family.
The mammogram, sonogram, and biopsy told a different story: ductal carcinoma that had spread to at least 2 lymph nodes. That diagnosis held such power over me at that time.

I truly thought that I was going to die. My husband would be left to deal with our two kids, one of which has autism, all alone. And my kids would be left without their mother.

I also knew that God could cure the cancer. He could lead me to the best doctors, and that treatment could be successful. And so, we prayed and we trusted. My church, my family, and people I had never met before prayed! It was amazing to see the spirit of prayer and love that began to fill our days and nights. We knew God was with us because of the people He sent into our lives. And God did just as I knew He could. He lead me to a very knowledgeable oncologist who used all of the latest treatments. He found me a fantastic surgeon. And then He sent me to a very skilled plastic surgeon. I am excited to say that now, a year and a half later, the words ductal carcinoma no longer hold any power over me! I am cancer free!!!

Tracy
Carrollton, TX

My Breast Cancer Journey

I was diagnosed with breast cancer in March 2007. I had had my annual mammogram and was called back. On the second visit the radiologist showed me a lump the size of a quarter. I had a biopsy and the diagnosis was confirmed. I was devastated to hear the news, thankfully my husband was with me, because I stopped hearing anything after the word cancer.

I had a partial mastectomy (essentially a lumpectomy) and started chemo at the end of the month. Chemo lasted 6 months. Chemo is an ass-kicker. I was grateful for the anti-nausea shots in between chemo sessions. Nothing can prepare you for the chemo room. You go in there and see all of these really sick looking people and you do not want to become one, but then there you are, one of them. I took my Dr. Teddy Bear and wore lipstick and fabulous shoes. I wanted to add some color to the room.

My hair fell out (right on schedule) and I chose to wear hats instead of wigs or scarves. Had a lovely collection by the end. The tests, scans, surgery, chemo, radiation where all grueling, but I considered them all a part of the Life Saving Procedure. Including all of the gazillions of side effects, but worth enduring to keep living.

I was reluctant to celebrate too much when my treatment was complete. I don't want to tempt fate. There is still the fear that the cancer will return. But whatever happens I will keep moving forward. I had triple negative breast cancer, no estrogen receptor (er), no progesterone receptor (pr) and no human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (her-2), prevalent among Black women. Rarely returns after 2 years. In June I'll have two years. I'm still standing.

Denise Billings
North Hollywood, CA

BRCA 2

I'am 32 years old, in Sept. 2008 I found a very large lump in my left breast. I went on to have a double mesectomy with some limp node removeal. I soon found out that it was Hereditary Cancer. I went thur 9 months of Chemo and 5 months of Radiation. I lost all the hair on my body but is very happy to report that it all came back, IAnd I'm getting ready for a 5 mile walk on June 12th, It will be my first walk I'm very excitied. I really still do not know how I feel about all of this, I think I'm still in shock sometimes. During that whole time I shut myself off, and just did what the doc's told me to do. I Pray it will never return, and That we will find a cure before my daughter is old enuff to have it. Be stong and don't get to sad new things are happenong all the time.

Jesse
Anchorage, AK

Going to K.O. this

After having a normal physical recently I found out that I had a lump. After a Mamogam, sonogram and a biopsy I have found out that I have Ductal Carcinoma. I am taking this very well because God has a plan and I will stand solid! Some of my loved ones are worried, have cried, are being overly loving and sometimes annoying about this. I have told them, God has this one and I wont stress over it. I havent yet! God only gives us what we can handle, some more than others. The ones that get more, he trusts more! I am honored that God trusts me enough to make me go through this trial. I am truly laying this in his hands! The smaller things in life are the most important, I will stop and smell the flowers, I will squish my toes in mud and I will rejoice because God is on my side!

Dawn Crump
Salina, KS

Niccola's Breast Cancer Story

MY BREAST CANCER STORY HELLO MY NAME IS NICCOLA ON AUG.2006 I HEAR THOSE WORDS FROM MY DOCTOR YOU HAVE BREAST CANCER . I HAVE BILATERAL INVASIVE DUCTAL CARCINNOMA{STAGE3} IT STARTED MEMORY OF WHEN I WAS A TEENAGER I HAD 4 BIOPSIES DONE ON MY LEFT BREAST I HAD TUMORS THEN SUCH AS FIBROADENOMAS THEY WERE BENIGN AND REMOVE NOW I M HERING IT AGAN THIS TIME IT'S NOT BENIGN OCT,2006 I UNDERWENT A BILATERAL MODIFIED RADICAL MASTECTOMY YES I HAD A DOUBLE MASTECTOMY . ON NOV,2006 I STARTED CHEMO. IT WAS HARD THERE WAS TIMES I SAID I CAN'T DO THIS .I CAN'T MAKE IT BUT I KEPT THE FAITH AND I TALKED TO GOD A LOT AND IN MAY, 2007 I WAS DONE WITH CHEMO. IT WAS A LONG ROAD MY BLOOD COUNTS KEPT BEING TO LOW TO GET THE CHEMO SO IT KEPT PROLONING MY TREATMENT BUT I DID IT . AND ON JUNE , 2007 I STARTED RADIATION IT WAS HARD BUT MUCH EASIER THAN THE CHEMO AND JULY, 2007 THAT PART WAS OVER NOW FOR A YEAR I DO A1/2 HOUR TREATMENT SOMETHING LIKE CHEMO BUT MUCH MUCH EASIER IT'S A HERACITIN TREATMENT AND I M ON THE FIVE YEAR TREATMENT OF HARMONE SHOTS AND A PILL EVERY DAY THE PILL IS CALL AROMASIN I WOULD LIKE TO THANK GOD FOR ALL HE HAVE DONE FOR ME. I WOULD LIKE TO THANK MY FAMILY AND FRIENDS FOR ALL THERE LOVE, HELP, KINDINESS, YOU SHOWED ME.

And than in 2009

OH! MY GOD NOT AGAIN ! I HAVE WHAT OVARIAN CANCER

BUT ONLY FOR THE GRACE OF GOD

Niccola
Baltimore, MD

Never say Never

I always thought of my mom as a Wonder Woman of types, always there when any of her children needed her, a scout mom, working full time but always with time for us. When my mom told me 7 months ago that she needed to talk to me about something I automatically assumed I was in trouble. Even at 24 hearing "I need to talk to you" from your mom, you know it isn't good. She then sat me, my brother, and my sister down to tell us that she found out the day before that the lump in her breast was cancer. From there we saw doctors trying to find the right one for her. When we started on this journey it was constant doctors, hospitals but all the same it was constant support from our community, my brothers boy scout troop and everyone in our family. Watching my mom shave her head, be consistently nauseous, and sleep more than I thought possible was not an easy experience but my mom being her never felt sorry for herself, never cried unless I cried first (at least not in front of me) and always just knew that we would all get through this some how and always together. Now months later she just underwent her surgery to have both breasts removed and reconstructed, she is now home and recovering. My mom is my hero for many reasons but mainly because she never let me give up even when things were at their worst. Everyone to ever go through this is amazing and deserves to be praised, loved and supported. I love you Mom, your my hero, my best friend, and my everything.

Nicole Gibbs
Reisterstown, MD