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A very lucky cancer survivor!

I was 55 and one month away from getting hip replacement surgery. I was very upset that it meant they would postpone the hip surgery. I don't really consider myself an overly religious person, but I did feel that I could only do all I could and G-d would take care of the rest it was in his hands. I was very lucky, the lump was the size of a dime, no node involvment. I had a lumpectomy. Also, I had almost no reaction to the chemo or the radiation. The only reaction I really had was now I have a low blood count and occasionally I go anemic. Since my lump was sooo small the only way to find it was a mamogram. It was too tiny to feel.

Sandy
Delray Beach, FL

29 single and ........

I was 27 when I had my first lumpectomy. At that time I was scared but once the tumor was out I felt SO safe. I guess that was a false sense of security. At 29 I found myself diagnosed with cancer and pre-cancer cells in both of my tiny breasts. I never thought that such small breasts could be so dangerous. I was informed that a bilateral mastectomy was my best bet and would remove everything. My first thought was "Oh my God - I am single and a mother of 2 ...who would want me with no breasts." It did not take me long to realize there is SO much more to life than breasts and how we look on the outside. I found an inner strength that I never realized I had. I found the love of family and friends. I decided to turn this negative situation into something positive. I had rescontructive surgery for ME. I got educated on breast awareness. I am VERY open about all my experiences and try to educate and support other women whenever I can. I think what we must all remember is that we are NOT alone. Just look at all of these amazing stories of survival. I am a 6 year survivor and still going strong!!!!! PS- I am happily married now to a younger man who loves me just the way I am :o)

Anonymous
Peoria, IL

Better Safe Than Sorry

I was 30 when I found the lump. It was in my left breast, under my arm. I couldn't call my mom because she had died 6 years earlier, at the age of 49, of metastatic breast cancer.
I called my dad and he took me for a mammogram. They sent me to a surgeon directly from their office.
It ended up being Tubular carcinoma. Only a couple of cells, the rest was pre-cancerous. The doctor had removed the entire left half of my breast. He felt I was safe.
Six months later I found a lump in my right breast. The biopsy showed that it was pre-cancerous.
I was scared to death. It seemed like I had just watch my mother die from this terrible disease that was haunting me. My children were whispering to one another, "Is mommy gonna die?"
One doctor suggested I consider having a prophylactic bilateral mastectomy. I thought he was crazy. By that time I was 31 and a single mother.
The more I thought about it the more I realized that it was the answer. If I had no breasts there could be no breast cancer.
I checked with my insurance and yes, they would cover both the mastectomy and the reconstruction.
Less than a year after that first malignancy I had both breasts removed. Inside my right breast was another tumor, also pre-cancerous.
That was 18 years ago. I no longer worry about me getting breast cancer because I did what a lot of people think of as "radical". It kept me alive all these years.
Please, think about being "radical" should this happen to you. If you are young and it looks like you have a lifetime of fighting breast cancer consider the route I took.

Susan Dunn
Pensacola, FL

Thank you for help

When I turned 40 my doctor recommended a base line mammogram. At the time, I was only employed part time, had no health insurance and could not afford the mammogram. Through a grant in Mississippi, I was able to have this done. Though the screening showed no problems, since there is a family history of breast cancer, this took a world of worry off my mind. It is entirely possible that clicks made on your site helped me to have this mammogram, so I wish to extend a heartfelt thanks to the site, the low income aid program and all of those who comtributed.

Leigh
Mount Olive, MS

I'll Dance at my Granddaughter's Wedding

In March 2007 I was diagnosed with Stage IIIb invasive ductal carcinoma in my left breast, 4 months after a clear mammogram. I needed chemotherapy to shrink the 4" tumour before they could operate - complete mastectomy and removal of 6 lymph nodes. The surgeon said this was a very grave situation. I said, let's get going and fix it - I have a six week old granddaughter and I plan to dance at her wedding! I ended up needing radiation as well, and now, 2 years later, I remain in remission. I had a prophylactic mastectomy of my right breast a year later, and gall bladder removal in between, so it was a brutal couple of years! I was cheerful and optimistic throughout. Why not smile? There is no need to be miserable, no matter how I feel or what I am going through. Each day that I wake up on the green side of the grass is a gift! Now Julia is nearly 3, and I am completely confident that I will be dancing at her wedding!

Judy Mills
Windsor, Canada

20 year survivor

I was told by a cancer specialist when I was 21 years of age that someday I would have cancer because of my lumpy breasts. Beginning at about age 40, I had numerous lumpectomies, (most of them in my right breast) which I had found through self breast exams. None of them were cancerous. However, by the time I was age 59, a lump was found in my right breast in a mammogram exam that turned out to be cancerous. Due to my past history I decided to have a mastectomy of my right breast. The cancer had spread to the lymph node closest to my breast, but there was none in the 17 others which the doctor removed. I feel so fortunate because I did not have to take radiation or chemo. I took the drug tomoxafin for 5 years. and to this day, 20 years later, I have not had another lump in my left breast. I owe my survival to God, my doctor, and my own positive attitude. I did not once think I was going to die. In fact, I smiled at the nurses as they moved me from the gurney to my bed, and it nearly blew their minds. They said they had never had anyone smile after coming out of surgery. I feel so blessed.

Wilma
Springfield, MO

Positive Breast Cancer patient -Drownding in negativity

In late june I went through a lumpextomy, followed by a mastectomy in August. I began treatment-Chemo in October,A 21 day regime. But even though I go through my treatments, both my son and my partner don't expect that I should'nt be the same because I'm not laying bed dying. Since I have a positive attitude , they act like nothing is wrong! How do I get them to realize that I need thier support? Being too strong of a women leeds them to think i don't need them even more now. what should I do?

Susan C. Boren
Wallace, ID

My mom's battle with breast cancer

My name is Genny Willis, my mom Deanna Darbonne was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2001. She had 4 treatments of chemo and 36 treatments of radiation. She really suffered with the first round of chemo,but the last 3 weren't too bad. She went into remission and was diagnosed the next year on the other side. This time the tumor was so small they almost missed it. She only had radiation treatments this time. Then she went into remission again for 4 years. Then in June of 2007 she was diagnosed with acute leukemia that was caused from the radiation and chemo from the breast cancer. She was hospitalized for 4 weeks and given high doses of chemo. She was released from the hospital and told that the treatment had not worked and there was nothing more that could be done because the leukemia had spread too much. On August 25th she was put back in the hospital, this time would be her last. Pneumonia had started developing in her lungs, the only thing the doctors could do now was keep her as comfortable as possible. My mom lost her battle with leukemia caused by the treatment for breast cancer at 6:20p.m. Sunday August 26, 2007. My mom may have lost her battle but no matter how sick she was from the chemo treatment she never let it show and as tired as she was from it she never gave up. She had a family history of breast cancer. Her mother was also diagnosed with cancer years ago and had to have a mastecomy. I pray everyday for a cure, not only for breast cancer, but for all cancers. May everyone that has lost their battle rest in peace.

Genny Willis
Eunice, LA

Life Changes so Fast

It was almost two years ago, I had my annual mammo which was unclear and I needed a second one, then a sonogram and a biopsy. Even after all those extra procedures I felt everything would be ok. We had just returned home after celebrating someone's birthday when I got the call. My own doctor was off so my husband's dr. made the call. I remember hearing "positive for cancer", "it's small", "surgery" and then I stopped listening; listening was taken over by crying and thinking about death, my two boys and my husband. Life as I knew it, had changed in a matter of minutes with one phone call. My mom had breast cancer so I felt I would probably have it also, I thought I was ready for the bad news one day; I most certainly was not. The news caught me completely unprepared, I was devastated.

I had the surgery and the lymph nodes were clean so the next treatment was radiation; no chemo. I was very lucky, we caught it in the very early stages. Looking back now, it could have been so much worse but at the time it was the end of the world for me, I truly know now the feeling of devastation. My last mammo was clean and I take my blocker everyday faithfully. I thank God I'm a survivor, but I can't help wondering when it will come back.

Liz
San Diego, CA

My Best Friend... My Mom

My mom has been my hero my whole life. She has raised me on her own since I was a baby. She has helped me take care of my kids, she is our shining star. She has always been so strong. She found out she had beast cancer a year ago. We went to the doc's many times. She had sergury to remove the cancer. Well things had been going very well, then medicade dropped her coverage just because she is getting (a very small check) social security. They even dropped her food stamps of $45 a month. She is retiered. Now she can't afford her hormone meds. I am not in the best way financially. I had a great job, then technology took over my job. I worked in the car industry. I have had a hard time finding a job. My credit is bad so that leads me to think that is why I cant get any call backs on applications. I have never been fired from a job so that can't be it. Well I want to help my mom, but I can't pay for her meds either. The meds are $300- $400 a month. That is just the hormone blocker. I really want to help her in anyway that I can. I feel that I owe her so much. She has always been there for me in many ways and has been my best friend, my only true friend. She is all I have left, Both my dad and step mother passed away. I told my mom she can't leave me, I want her there by my side for as long as we live. If anyone knows where we can get some help for her please get in touch with me.
(734)444-7410 , bobbidud2@yahoo.com

Bobbi Dudley
Canton, MI