My Breast Cancer Story

It has been 2 years since I was diagnosed with breast cancer. When I was told that I had breast cancer I knew my life would change, though I wasn’t sure how.  

I had two lumps on the right breast that were moderate in size.  I had a mammogram and a breast biopsy that identified that I had breast cancer.

The first thing that went through my head was how my children would handle the news. Not only that, but what about my grandkids? They needed their Granny in their lives to spoil them! These are just a few of the questions among many that you ask within the first hour of being told you are positive for cancer. 

I have always been the type of person who tries to look on the bright side of things.  I told myself, “Well, nobody has said anything about me dying, so maybe this won’t be too bad.” I was already thinking about the wigs I would wear when I lost my hair. 

The mass was hormone receptor-positive, or ER-positive, which means that the cancer was feeding off the hormones my body produces. This type of breast cancer has a high chance of being successfully treated; however, there’s a high risk that hormone positive breast cancer will recur. 

I learned that chemotherapy would be less than 3% beneficial to me, so I decided that there was no need to go through that process. 

I also had a genetic test done to see if I was a carrier of the gene that causes these types of cancers. I have two daughters and grandkids, so I wanted to know if there was a possibility that this could impact them in the future. That test come back positive, affirming that I do carry the gene for breast and colon cancer. With that news in mind, I decided to get a double mastectomy to avoid the chance of having more masses develop in my other breast.

Both my daughters were checked at the time to see if they also had the cancer-causing gene, but thankfully their tests came back negative.

Through the whole experience, I learned to appreciate life more and not to stress over things that are out of my control. I try to enjoy life to its fullest, go with the flow, and make memories every day. I knew God had this, too, in His hands.

It has been 2 years since I was first diagnosed, and thankfully I continue to be cancer free. I am very thankful for my family who stuck by me through it all. Two of my grandsons always make it a point to wear pink for the month of October to show their support, and they keep bugging me to get a pink license plate holder.

In many ways, being diagnosed with breast cancer has helped me relax more, and the experience has brought my family closer together. We have all learned to not take time for granted, because we realize that you never know what each day will bring. 

All you can do is live each day as if it was your last.

Liberty HealthShare members share into mammograms, so be sure to schedule your mammogram this–and each–October. See Liberty HealthShare's Sharing Guidelines for member sharing information and guidelines.