I am a wife, mother, student, and I work full time.At 33 I was not thinking about breast cancer.I didn't want to be sick, but apparently I needed a wake up call. Started chemo on 4/11/2014, was supposed to have 6 rounds of Taxotere, followed by lumpectomy, and then 35 rounds of radiation. Well, I am a self proclaimed "trouble child" to my oncologists. After my 3rd round of that chemo I noticed that my tumor felt larger to me so I asked my doctor about it. My tumor had grown, they had to change my regimen. I went from having little side effects to a chemo called "the red devil". I got sick, weak, and tired, but I didn't lose hope. I spent 5 days in the hospital. I wanted terribly to quit the chemo and just have surgery, but my doctors and loving husband convinced me not to. I was a fighter and I could pull through this. I completed in total 7 rounds (3 Taxotere, 4 A/C), then I had to make a decision on what type of surgery I wanted. Up until this point I was leaning to the lumpectomy, but upon a lot of research, and discussions with my husband I decided that a double mastectomy with reconstruction was the way to go. My plastic surgeon suggested the Lat Flap (back fat and muscle pulled to the front) to help make the new breasts feel more real. A day after surgery I was questioning that decision. The pain was unbelievable to me. I did have the best care taker, my loving husband. He did everything from helping me potty, to changing my dressings. It has been almost a month since surgery, and I am getting back to "normal". I had my first, and subsequently only, visit with the radiation oncologist and received the best news ever. He decided, after consulting his colleagues, that since I opted for the mastectomy, and I got an all clear from pathology reports, that there was not a need for the radiation. I am a fighter, I am a survivor.

Katy J
Simpsonville, SC