In January of 2014 I found a lump in my breast so of course I had it checked. On Tuesday my doctor said yes something is there but it's not hard and with no family history its probably nothing but let's get it checked any way. I called the local women's mammography center and they had an opening on Wednesday. After a mammogram and sonogram I was put back in a holding area. They took me to a room with 7-8 monitors all with my breast pictures on them. The doctor said "well you can see something is there but you can survive this. There are walks and all sorts of support. Good luck" I walked out stunned. What just happened? My doctor called and said she wanted a needle biopsy. I was able to get in on Friday. The breast surgeon said after reviewing my file she was going to do a tissue biopsy. Ouch. I still thought that with no family history this can't happen to me. The following Friday I got the news. Triple negative BC. February 4th I had a lumpectomy and 3 lymph nodes removed. Stage 2A and nodes were clean. I've completed 4 A/C and 4 Taxol chemo treatments and 7 of 33 radiations.
I'm feeling great and know I can beat this. The love and prayers of coworkers, friends and family were truly felt when I walked into every chemo treatment. I was blessed to not miss a day of work during treatment and I know I can survive this horrible disease. I realize that if it can happen to me at 61 it can happen to anyone. Please talk to all your women friends about self exams and mammograms. Even though I'd had my annual exam 6 months earlier my self exam saved my life.
Orlando, FL