…….. October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. I think the American Cancer Society does the best job of marketing the cause of any in the health care industry. No-one wants to think of breast cancer, but everyone knows a family member or friend who hashad it. Research indicates that one in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer. That seems impossible that this insidious disease strikes so frequently and indiscriminately. It seems like the odds aren’t in our favor, but that only applies if you’re the one in eight
……….I was the one in eight ten years ago and though I’ve tucked my memory of it far, far, away that memory emerges every year when it’s time to get my mammogram. Then I am sure, absolutely sure that my cancer has returned. But it hasn’t and after ten years I am one lucky woman,
……I could be a poster child for early detection of breast cancer. I was Chairman of the Board of CHANGE, Inc. at the time I discovered I had breast cancer. I had skipped my Mammogram for a few years all the time marching for awareness, wearing pink T-shirts and talking the talk. I am a professional in in avoidance behavior. It came to me that year, however, that I wasn’t walking the walk when it came to the annual mammogram. So I took the first step and made the appointment
……I really wasn’t worried because I had nine months previous to that, I had plunged over a thirty-foot embankment in my car. The result was a fractured C-1 disk which could have left me dead or paralyzed. It did neither, but it reaffirmed my belief that I had been spared for a reason. I spent four months trapped in a hard cervical collar and having emerged from that with an unbelievable sense of joy and freedom. Having dealt with that, I sincerely thought I was good for a few years. I didn’t think fate would rain on my parade again so soon.
……But, it did. I went through the mammogram, sonagram and biopsy hopeful. But something the doctor said when he was doing the biopsy tipped me off. He said we would get a plan in action. “If it’s not malignant, why would we need a plan,” I thought to myself.
….Shannon came with me to get the results. Why they just don’t come out and say cancer is a mystery to me. The doctor uses descriptions that go over the head of the average non-medical person. Somewhere in between cells divided and further surgery, I caught on. And, then I cried. I kept apologizing for crying, but I kept crying nonetheless. I think even the strongest women cry. It’s a fear that encompasses so much. You think first of chemo and losing your hair and by the time you’ve run the gamut of what you could lose, you’re praying you’ll see your grandchildren grow up.
……..I was very lucky according to the breast surgeon. The tumor was only 2 cm and totally encapsulated. The outlook was positive. I would not need chemo and I was a candidate for a new type of radiation…mammosite which took targeted radiation directly to the tumor cells and was administered twice a day for seven days.
……..With the Shannon’s support and that of my four granddaughters near and far, my resilience and sense of humor returned. I had to go to Allegheny General in Pittsburgh for the mammosite and it was not far from Ross Park Mall. I had one session at 8 a.m. and another at 5 p.m. and a whole day in between. It was silly to return home. Some women got hotel women and stayed in Pittsburgh. I wasn’t going to do that. How would I fill the day. I discovered Ross Park Mall was fifteen minutes away.
……The absurdity of me trying to act like everything was normal finally sunk in at the shoe department of Nordstroms. I had limited movement in my arm and a tube attached to my breast. I couldn’t even get the shoe on so I explained to the sales girl what I was dealing with. She looked at me and said in a very soft voice. “Why are you shopping?” I knew then that I was shopping because I was refusing to admit that anything was different in my life and if I was shopping all was well.
…….Mine was the best case scenario. Others aren’t so fortunate. I was inducted into a sisterhood when I discovered breast cancer and think we each have a responsibility to make sure those we love get a mammogram.. Early detection is vital and it saved my life. Research is improving the chances for survival every day. The mammosite radiology that I was able to have was the newest development ten years ago. Now, I am told they hardly use it because the technology has new and improved treatments.
……So this October, do your part by taking care of yourself and getting that mammogram and then take care of those you love my making sure they do the same. Participate in a walk, wear a t-shirt and if you have the resources donate to research. It all makes a difference. I’m living proof of that.
