In July of 2003, I was scheduled for my regular check-up. The night before I went in, I found a large knot on the underside of my breast and showed it to my doctor during the exam. He scheduled a diagnostic mammogram on July 30th at UMC Image Center. Cancer never entered my mind; there was no family history of breast cancer, and I had only been taking hormones for about 2 years. This was the day before my 37th wedding anniversary and the day my world was changed forever. After what seemed like a long time of being x-rayed every which way, it was suggested that I have a sonogram done, and they could do it right then. I should have known something was wrong at time, but I had no idea. It was at this point I was told I had tumors of a highly suspicious nature.
     
I do not remember much about leaving the office except knowing I had to go home and tell Jerry (my husband), our kids and my mother. I remember being so upset that it was hard to tell Jerry what I had been told and then having to tell rest of my family and friends.
     
I met with Dr. Hyacinthe on August 4th, and she confirmed that I had cancer in both breasts. I had a bone scan, CT scan and a sonogram of my liver. On August 11th, I was told that the cancer had spread to my liver. I was told I had stage 4 breast cancer.
     
Up to this point I was in a daze. I felt like someone had gut punched me. Neither I nor my family knew what to expect. I knew I was in trouble and it seemed like every time I talked with Dr. Hyacinthe, the news kept getting worse. I believe that the only reason I was able to go was the support of my family, friends and most of all my faith in God. I know that a lot of prayers were being said on my behalf.
     
Since I had no family history of breast cancer and had been on hormones for a short time, the models showed that I had less than a 1 percent chance of having cancer. I had taken the attitude that since I did not have family history of breast cancer I did not have to worry about it and did not have mammograms done on an annual basis. In fact, it had been three years since I my last one ñ not a smart move on my part.
     
I met Dr. Shalaby on August 18th. He went over my diagnoses and my options. I remember him saying I had three options - one being the standard type of treatment, another was experimental, and the last was an aggressive type of treatment. I remember being told that my cancer was aggressive and felt that the last treatment was the best and only choice for me. On Aug. 19th, I had my first chemo treatment. The drugs that I was given were Taxotere and Navelbine.

I was not sure what to expect. Like most people, I had heard stories about how sick chemo made everyone and that was all I had to go by. So needless to say, I was not looking forward to the treatments. I attended a class to prepare me for the treatment and thought I was prepared. No one is prepared for the side effects and everyone reacts differently. I received my treatments every two weeks, and by the second treatment, I had started losing my hair. In fact on Sept. 6th, my husband kissed my tears away as he shaved my head. During my 2nd treatment, I made the remark to Dr. Shalaby that I was telling friends that my cancer could be fatal. He just looked at me and stated that he did not agree with that statement at all. He felt that my chances were very good. From that point on, my attitude was that cancer was not going to win ñ I had too much to live for. Besides, I could not have Jerry spending my insurance money.
     
By the fourth treatment, we could not feel the knot any longer and the scan confirmed that the tumors were getting smaller in both my breast and in my liver. At this point Dr. Shalaby added the drug Herceptin to my treatment; in all I had eight treatments over 16 weeks. The only problem I had was that the week after I finished my treatment, I got an infection and my white blood cell count bottomed out. I had to spend four days in the hospital. I told everyone that this was just a small bump in the road to recovery.
     
I was very lucky in that the treatments did not make me sick. I got very tired, lost my hair, and some days did not have much of an appetite. I missed only one day of work every two weeks. My goal was to keep my life as normal as possible, and for the most part I was able to do that. I learned to decide what was important and what was not.

In December 2003, I was told that since I had responded so well to the treatments that I would not have to have a bi-lateral mastectomy. Because of the tumors in my liver, I received chemo first to take care of them and then I would have surgery. I can tell you that there were tears that day, but this time they were tears of happiness.

I continued taking Herceptin every three weeks and had scans done every three months. The news keep getting better as the tumors in my liver were going away. I was advised that I could be on Herceptin for the rest of my life. On June 18, 2004, I had a PET scan done and the report came back with the news that I did not have any cancer cells in my body that could be seen. Life was getting better day by day; my hair was coming back and I was starting to get my energy back.
     
In the fall, I saw Dr. Phillips as I was having some problems with my bladder and was advised to have a hysterectomy. The surgery was done on Dec. 7th, and I came through it with no problems. On Dec. 29th, I went in for my mammogram and ended up having a sonogram done at the same time; seems like the tumor in the right breast was growing back. I was upset but knew what to expect this time around.
      
After Jerry and I had visited with Dr. Hyacinthe and Dr. Shalaby, it was decided that the best thing for me was to have a bi-lateral mastectomy. On Jan. 18th, Dr. Hyacinthe removed both of my breast and three lymph nodes under my left arm and 16 lymph nodes on under the right arm. The test came back showing that the first lymph node under the right arm was involved. I did not start the reconstruction process at this time, as Dr. Hyacinthe strongly recommended that I wait at least a year to make sure we had gotten all the cancer.
     
Because of the involvement of the lymph node, it was decided that I would need to have another round of chemo. This time the drugs were Taxol and Carboplantin, and I was to take them every three weeks for six treatments. Basically the side effects were the same as the first time, but I had some trouble with my white and red blood cell count and could not always take the treatments when scheduled. Not being able to have the treatment on the day it was scheduled was hard to take. I am not a patient person and wanted to get the treatments behind me. At long last, I was able to take my last treatment the last of June 2005.
     
I have been on Herceptin since Sept. 30, 2003 and now have the infusion done every three weeks. At this time we are sure how long I will have to continue with the drug. I see Dr. Shalaby every three months and he checks to make sure I am not having any side effects. One of the main concerns with Herceptin is possible heart damage. As of now, I am not having any problems with the drug.
     
After having three scans that showed no cancer, I was given the okay to have reconstruction done. In December 2005, Dr. Jane Rowley began the process to stretch the skin, and on March 20, 2006 I had the implants put in. The first part of the reconstruction surgery was much more intense than the mastectomy, and at the time I wondered what I had gotten myself into. But in the long run, I feel I made the right decision.
     
Through all this, I found that I have an awesome family, some very special friends, plus many more friends that I never knew I had. Our customers would find out what I was going through and the large majority wanted to know what they could do for me. It was very humbling to know that so many cared about me. I feel that my faith in God and the support I received played a very big part in my being here today. I know for a fact that prayer does work... I am living proof.
     
Support groups like the one at Joe Arrington Cancer are an important part in a cancer patient treatment. There, you are with others who have been there or who are going through the same thing. It is very comforting to be able to let your guard down, ask questions or just get encouragement. They are able to share the ups and downs with you and support in a way no one else can because they have been there. I can only hope that I will be able to help others as I was helped.
     
Do I wish this had not happened to me... YOU BET I DO, but it did happen to me and I can not change that. It was through the grace of God that I was referred to the Joe Arrington Cancer Center and the awesome doctors, nurses and support staff that help me to get where I am today. It may sound strange, but because of my cancer I feel that I am a better person today.

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