During my family’s vacation to Michigan in July of 2007, I noticed a funny-feeling, slightly painful, lump in my left breast.  The craziest part was that I had had a mammogram that March that showed nothing suspicious!  At 41, I was in terrific health, and strong physical shape.  Because of my age and the fact that I had always had “lumpy breasts”, typical of a pre-menopausal woman, my hunch was what I had felt was a benign fibroadenoma. 

Unfortunately my hunch was incorrect.  Through the use of diagnostic ultrasound we learned that the lump was cancerous.  The primary cancer site would be a 2 ½ cm by 1 ½ size lesion.  An additional Core Ultrasound Guided Biopsy found a second cancerous lesion in the same breast.   The pathology result was that I had what is called an aggressive, highly proliferative cancer called Invasive Ductal Carcinoma.  Though it manifested only in one breast for me, the chance of recurrence was quite high so I decided I should undergo a bilateral mastectomy.  A few days after my initial diagnosis my surgeon, upon her physical exam, palpated my lymph nodes.  She determined that they also had suspicious cancerous attributes.  Breast Specific Guided testing, BSGI, confirmed that they were positive for cancer as well and in my case cancer had metastasized to my lymph nodes. 

Fifteen days later cancer eradication began,  I underwent a double mastectomy and a lymphadenectomy.  My surgeon removed both breasts and 23 lympnodes throughout my left arm, 3 of which were cancerous and had extra-nodal extensions.  Extranodal extensions are a scary concern because it means that the cancer has grown beyond the borders of the nodes.  Mine was already spreading to other parts of my body.

I was required to undergo 18 weeks of chemotherapy and then subsequently reconstructive surgery, and finally 35 radiation treatments.  I was diagnosed with stage IIB breast cancer

My treatment ended 7 ½ months later, ironically this was Good Friday.  During those months, I became mindful of the love that surrounded me everyday I fought for life.  On that day, I would shout out: “I am a cancer survivor! Look!   I am alive.” 

On March 21st 2010,  I am two year cancer survivor.  My children will be turning 8 and 6 this summer.  The days when Mommy had no hair and was very sick and weak  is but a distant, painful memory.  My only reminder is the daily dose of Tamoxifen I must take from this day forward, for the next 3 years to assure that the cancer does not return.  In my book that 20 mg pill is a small price to pay!