On July 23, 2015 I was diagnosed with breast
cancer. I wish I would have been able to start this the day I found out.
So many ups and downs since then.
I was only 42 years old. I had my first mammogram
just a few months earlier. It was clear. I did receive a letter in
the mail, stating I had "dense breasts" and some cancers may not be
detected in a mammogram. So a few months later, it was confirmed, I
indeed have Stupid or dense boobs!
I felt a lump and did not ignore the
voice telling me to go in immediately. The nurse practitioner felt it as
well. Two days later, I was scheduled for an ultrasound.
The technician was looking in the area I felt the lump, she happened
to move the wand over, as to spread out the gel they use, when she saw
something, about an inch away. She began taking pictures. I
remember that image an how it looked. They took another mammogram and did
the biopsy that day. As soon as I got home I googled ultrasound
images of breast cancer....I KNOW you're not supposed to do that!! But I did, and I knew that's what it was, so the phone call two days
later was just the confirmation. I strangely had such a peace about
it.
I remember feeling sorry for the woman whose
job it was to tell people the bad news and then being so grateful for the
ultrasound technician, she saved my life! It never would have shown up
in a mammogram until it was very advanced.
Now, the hard part, I had to tell my
family. My kids were still in Hawaii visiting their dad, so I would wait
until they got home to tell them in person. My oldest sister, had just
been through this, only a few months ago, with their son who had testicular
cancer. It broke my heart to tell her. I knew my parents would
be devastated.
Having kids definitely changes your perspective on life, but this news....is a game changer for sure! I decided from that day, I would be positive and soak up every beautiful thing in my life.
