I know you are supposed to have mammograms every year. I try but you know how it is, you think about it but don't make the appointment and then you forget about it. Well, I finally remembered to make that appointment. It had probablly been a year or two since my last one, I don't remember, but I scheduled mine the last part of August 2013. A few days later they called and said they saw a small shadow, thought it might just be a calcum deposit but needed another mammogram to check for sure. I went in and they told me they would look at it while I was still there but if they weren't absolutely positive I would have to have a biopsy done. They weren't positive so I scheduled the biopsy with the Breast Cancer Center. I didn't know what to expect. I didn't know anyone who had gone through any of this. I had the biopsy one morning before work. A few days later the doctor called with the results, pre-cancer. I went in to talk to her, she explained everything and said she wanted to biopsy the other end of the duct. That came back as non invasive cancer. She said I also had LCIS cells, high risk cancer cells. That part went right over my head. I was dealing with the "C" word. Then she said the tests showed I could have something in the other breast. So I had an MRI of the breasts. Result: invasive cancer and LCIS cells on other breast. From the beginning I only wanted a lumpecotomy. After talking to oncologist and plactic surgeon and letting information sink in for a few weeks I finally decided on a bilaterial mastectomy. For me that was a very hard decision. After surgery results were in, lymphnodes were clear and even though another cancer was found behind one of the others, none were large and oncologist said I did not need chemotherapy. Early detection make a big difference. I will be 1 year cancer free October 22, 2014

Connie Butts
Greenwood, IN