I am 44 years old, have been married for 23 years to my high school sweetheart. We have two sons, ages 13 and 20. I have worked as a registered nurse for 19 years. On October 1, 2008 (the first day of Breast Cancer Awareness Month) I received the biggest blow of my life as I was diagnosed with breast cancer.
After multiple tests and two weeks of time, it was confirmed that I had Stage IV breast cancer with metastasis to the bone (isolated to the sternum). Again, we were devastated with the news of metastasis. I went through aggressive treatment including 14 rounds of weekly chemotherapy, followed by bilateral mastectomies, and daily radiation therapy for 6 weeks. I am now on Tamoxifen and I currently have no evidence of active cancer. This was the news we had been waiting so long to hear! I continue with scans and follow up every three months and so far all is good!
I fought hard and am currently cancer free. We have been thrown lots curve balls and it is not easy, but we survived! I can only hope that any other struggles we face in the future will be a piece of cake compared to dealing with cancer. The enormous amount of support from family, friends, co-workers, and our community has made our journey a little easier, for that we are forever grateful.
Fenton, MI
