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Grandmas cancer

My Grandma found a lump in her breast in the early 1950's she went to her Doctor and he had trouble finding it and asked her where it was she showed him and then he couldn't figure out how he couldn't find it because it was as big as a Golf ball. He refereed her to the Doctor that developed the mastectomy surgery. The Doctor performed the surgery and told her he went deeper than he needed to in order to make sure he got all the Cancer. My Grandma was worried how she was going to provide for my Mom and my Uncle while she was laid up since my Grandfather died of a Heart Attack one year before. The Doctor told her not to worry he took care of the Hospital bill due to a widows fund he set up, and she would get money to take care of her and my Mom and my Uncle from the widows fund. The cancer never came back she ended up living another 46 years and died of Heart Disease at age 77.

Tammy
Portland, OR

my one and only sister

My sister had breast cancer - the kind that spreads real fast, and she suffered a lot. She was only 60 years old. I miss her and love her a lot. My sister passed away on January 18, 2009.
MY MOTHER SHE HAD BREAST CANCER TOO, BUT SHE MADE IT THROUGH, AND SHE HAS BEEN FREE FOR 5 YEARS NOW! MY MOTHER IS 78 YEARS OLD.

donna westberry
shafter, CA

Check yourself every month!

A week before my 49th birthday I found a small lump during my monthly breast check. Luckily I did my checks regularly because it turned out to be a very aggressive breast cancer - triple negative. My surgeon told me that it definitely had not been there a month before and that if I hadn't found it, my chances of a good outcome would have been doubtful. Four years later, after a lumpectomy, 18 weeks of chemo and six weeks of radiation, I am still alive and kicking. I still do my monthly checks and urge all the women in my life to do the same.

Lianne Friedman
Montgomery Village, MD

Just got results from Imaging Center

I just got results from my mammography . There is something that needs further investigation. I am so upset with myself because I just kept procrastinating. I am 60 and I waited 21/2 years between mammograms. Couldn't take time off from work, just plain forgetting, didn't have a RX and now I feel like I have this "thing" groing in my breast since then. But I always try to click this site to help other women. Glad I have this site for information etc. Everyone pray for me as I do for all others.
Thanks

Sandra

Anonymous
Coconut Creek, FL

Assume Kindness...

Treatment for Stage 2 Triple Negative Breast Cancer was a humbling experience. I was diagnosed 2 years ago at the age of 42. I had recently returned to teaching & was the Mother of 7 and 9 year old sons. There was no history of breast cancer in family.
Yearly mammograms did not identify the tumor. I had only missed 2 months of self breast exams, resulting in a 3.5 cm tumor. I count myself lucky, since I had an aggressive form of cancer.
Surgery for a bilateral mastectomy, complications of lymphodemia and 5 months of weekly chemo (sparing you all the complications) soon followed. If women only knew that the side effects of treatment far outweigh the minimal inconvenience of a monthly breast exam. When cancer is caught in it's early stage, chemo can be avoided.
One of the graces of chemo is that you get to be on the outside, looking in. Observant to life's lessons. During this time I lost a new friend to a 10 year cancer fight. Visiting Joyce on her last day made me realize that the little worries just aren't worth the effort.
Surviving cancer isn't about you, it's about the people around you. You have the power to set the tone and teach people how to handle adversity. Assume kindness every day. You just don't know what others are experiencing in their own lives.

Kitty Opatz
Maple Grove, MN

my mom lost her fight

My mom Debra Elizabeth Brown lost her fight with Breast Cancer on 3/21/07, at the age of 46. We all knew she had cancer, and expected her to win her fight.

She found out she only had months to live, and kept that away from everyone, no one knew. She wanted to spare everyone's feelings, yet she suffered all alone, by knowing she was dying!!!!!!

The last two weeks of her life, I was by her side, and never knew she was dying! We were all in such shock, that she died. We all continue to mourn our loss, and miss her so much..

We love, and miss you so much mom........R-I-P

Lisa Brown
Detroit, MI

Changed a Wrong to a Right

After all the misdiagnosed reports, delayed treaments and the bad advice,
I was alone and desperate for help after I found out I had breast cancer.
I had no where to turn. Alone and weeping I asked God what am I going to do. And in the quiet moment of prayers, God began to answer all my questions and lead me to all the right people and the right choices.

Barbara Newmark
Woodridge, NY

MY FRIEND , MY ONCOLOGY NURSE

Angela My friend , My Oncology Nurse

Our story is in two parts, the treatment and the things that take place after.
Angela and I came together as a team when my Breast Cancer was discovered, through a Mammogram and ultrasound. The results were sent to my Doctor who made arrangement to have this taken care of. A Core Needle Biopsy was done . I was told that I had stage 1 Breast Cancer , a lump was removed along with 3 lymph nodes were moved. The Cancer was found early I was able to receive a treatment called Mammosite. This procedure was something new to me, there were questions that I needed answered . She explained how long the treatment would last and what they would be doing. 5 days 2 times a day and that I would be good to go. Knowing what was to take place made me comfortable. She was there each time making me comfortable.

She is a single Mom of 2 , holds a Certificate in Clinical Administration Medical Assistant
an Associate of Arts-Health Care Management and Technology Specialization. Now is lead
Radiation Oncology Medical assistant. Even though she holds many titles, she does each job as needed.

The Second part of this story takes place 6 months later when I went for my follow up. Here she was in a my new Doctor office . Each time I see the Doctor she continues to love and support me. I
It takes a special person to spend their life loving and caring for people that have to go through
this pain and stressful time in their life.

Angela is my sister and my friend.

Sharon Lewis
Queen Valley, AZ

My Cancer Trip

My cancer trip all started with the yearly exam, had the mammogram done. Went home and the phone was ringing telling me I needed to go back for an ultrasound as there was a spot in the right breast. My answer yes I know has been there for years and a biospy was done and all was negative. The person stated no this is different. Well had that done and biospy and this came back postive for breat cancer. Then surgery with lympectomy and sentinal node removed, then more surgery as the cancer had spread, then radiation internal and now we are doing chemotherapy for a year as the test revealed HER2 postive. This hasn't been fun or easy as I knew, I work in the medical field and have work in oncology, this will be a fight, I am just glad that my doctors are good and at the top of the field as far as I am concerned.

Thanks for reading this.

Diana

Diana E. Boudjouk
Surprise, AZ

StoryCorps

Hi!

I'm writing from StoryCorps, America's largest nonprofit national oral history project. I thought you and your blog readers would be interested in listening to StoryCorps' latest story to broadcast on NPR this morning. Dottie Copeland, who discovered that she had breast cancer 10 years ago, talks with her daughter Tina Nelson about living with the disease and learning to fight for her life. You can take a listen here (about 4 minutes): http://www.storycorps.org/listen/stories/dottie-copeland-and-her-daughter-tina-nelson.

StoryCorps is an independent nonprofit project whose mission is to honor and celebrate one another's lives through listening. Since 2003, tens of thousands of people from across the country have interviewed family and friends through StoryCorps. Each conversation is recorded on a free CD to take home and share and is also archived for generations to come at the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress. Millions listen to the award-winning broadcasts on public radio and the Internet. Select stories have also been published in the New York Times bestselling book, Listening Is an Act of Love.

I hope you take the time to listen and share.

Thanks,
Amber Leigh

Amber Leigh
Brooklyn, NY