My story begins June 10, 2014 I went in for a routine physical. Being 40 years old I knew I needed to schedule a mammogram and just have routine stuff done. The Dr did a breast exam and found a large tumor. She immediately scheduled a mammogram followed by a ultrasound and then a biopsy.
On June 14 at 11:02 am I received the call from her. I heard the words it is cancer. She proceeded to tell me it was Invasive Ductal Carcinoma Grade 3. No idea what stage it was as of yet because my lymph nodes had not been biopsied. The following day they were biopsied 1 negative and 2 were isolated. So a pet scan was ordered. The
Results were it was only in my left breast. GREAT NEWS. My tumor was 5cm which meant chemo to shrink it followed by surgery then radiation It was stage 2. I begin chemo on July 15, 2014.
Today I finished chemo. This is a huge accomplishment for me. I did 8 rounds and had every side effect there was. But there was no way I was giving up. I take it one day at a time and consider myself lucky. I still have a very long road ahead. In December I will have a double mastectomy and then radiation. After 6 months I will have reconstruction. Giving up was never a option. I walked into the cancer center for each chemo with my head held high and a smile on my face. I wasn't going to let the chemo get the best of me and I didnt. I won't alow cancer to win and with every appointment or procedure I make sure and have a smile on my face. Today marks a very important day for me. For anyone going through the start of chemo I say, although you may not know what to expect you can do it, there is a end to it and don't EVER GIVE UP!!!!!!
Minot, AL
