It has been a long hard road to get to this point. I was diagnosed with invasive breast cancer on September 6, 2006.

I had a lumpectomy on October 3, 2006 followed by chemo therapy and 7 weeks of 33 treatments of radiation. I lost my hair…….I lost my identify, but I never lost my ability to fight  the cancer and I got rid of the cancer! I was scared, real scared that I would die but decided early on that I was not going to let cancer rob me of seeing my son graduate from college, get married and all of the other things that go with seeing your children grow up. My husband took it hard, real hard, but we all survived and are stronger today because we didn’t give up, we fought the cancer all the way. It is funny how looking back I ask myself how I got through it. Faith in God and the support of family and friends all had a huge impact on my recovery. I did not do it alone. I had a wonderful support system. Other women going through diffierent stages of cancer were a true inspiration to me and I soon began trying to help other women get through their cancer treatment and recovery. A smile, a small token of love, an angel pin, or just being there to listen when someone needed to talk soon became a big part of my life.

As hard as it is to hear those words we all have dreaded everytime we have a mammogram, we find a way to get through it. The support from other women is amazing and that angels that come into your life just when you need them are nothing short of a miracle. For me, losing my hair was the worst part of the cancer. I hated to look in the mirror and avoided it at all costs. I never let anyone (not even my husband) see me bald. I tried to keep things normal even though going through cancer treatment is by far not the least bit normal. Everything in my life turned upside down. I soon learned that it was doable and I was going to survive the breast cancer. By the way, I had no family history of anyone having breast cancer in my family. I was told that 80% of new cancers are with women with no family history. WOW, that is unbelievable. My mother had two surgeries removing a total of 5 lumps, all beneign. When I found my lump, I wrongly assumed they would be beneign just like my Mom’s.

Early detection is key!  Don’t wait if you find a lump. Have it checked out because more than likely it will be beneign. Listen to your body, use your natual born intuition. I knew inheritantly that somthing was wrong. I feel that women have a built in intuitive clock and they know when something isn’t right.   Listen to your inner self. Don’t second guess yourself.