At 37 yrs old, I felt a lump, went to have it check out. All test were done and I was told it was just a lymph node. A breast surgeon reviewed my films, examined me and told me that I had nothing to worry about. He said to me that I could leave it or remove it but that it was not cancerous. I saw another specialist, said the same. I made an appointment with the first doctor to have removed for vanity reasons but he kept cancelling appointments. I decided to have the 2nd specialist removed it just because I got tired of feeling it. At the follow up appointment to remove the stitches, she tells me she was wrong and it is cancer. I felt the floor dissappear from under me. I thought life was great, I had just graduated college after putting it off for so many years due to being a single mother, I had just gotten engaged a month earlier, my 17 year old son was graduating H.S. My main concern was how to tell my son, father, brother and fiance. My mother passed away when I was 17 & I took over the female role in the family, I did not know how my brother and father world handle it. I am all my son has and was scared that he would experience the same as I did at age 17, losing his mother. I was fortunate to work with a medical group, Oncology as a specialty. I was able to receive treatment during my working day. I received 8 months chemo, 6 weeks radiation. I was blessed enough to not experience any changes in my life. If I would not have told anyone, they would have never known I was fighting cancer.

sonia gonzalez
yonkers, NY