MY SECOND CHANCE AT LIFE WAS SURVIVING BREAST CANCER
11/12/07
Part 1 - Finding out I have breast cancer
It was like a slap in the face one morning while in the shower doing my self- breast exam. I felt something there that just didn’t belong. Of course, right away I jumped to the obvious conclusion - cancer. Why not? My mother died of cancer, my aunt died of breast cancer, so maybe now it’s my turn. It wasn’t fair. I didn’t have any children and never experienced true love.
When I got to work, I went straight to the company nurse. Much to my surprise, she said, “Oh, it’s nothing dear. Don’t worry yourself. It’s not cancer at all, just a little fatty node.” I couldn’t figure out how in the world she would know this just by touching my breast. So, I went to the doctor’s office.
Then the real worry started. My family doctor made an appointment for me with a specialist that same week. Before I knew it, I was in the hospital having a lumpectomy. They also took nodes from under my arm. Sure enough, just as I had felt the first time in the shower, my suspicions were correct. It was cancer. But, the good news was that it was not in the lymph nodes. The doctor felt she had removed all of the cancer; and therefore, I would not have to undergo chemotherapy.
Once out of the hospital, I had to go to The Princess Margaret Hospital in Toronto. There I saw a doctor who said to me, “I want to put you in a study where I give you an envelope, and if the note inside says radiation, you will receive radiation; and if not, you won’t.” I found this a bit strange, but after all, he was the doctor. I picked the envelope that indicated no radiation. That was it. I was free to go home.
Part 2 - The Cancer Came Back in One Breast
It was six months later, and I was happily involved with the love of my life. We were visiting his mother at Christmas time, and for some reason, my breast was sore. It was the same breast on which the lumpectomy was performed. When the holidays were over, I went to see my specialist. She scheduled surgery to have a piece removed. When I awoke from the surgery, she told me that it was cancer, and the best way to deal with it would be a radical mastectomy. I felt dizzy and sick to my stomach. My life was just starting to go where I wanted it to go. What if I had picked the envelope that said radiation? Would I still have gotten cancer?
When I awoke after the mastectomy operation, my boyfriend was right there by my side. He was so supportive and loving, and I felt so fortunate to have him. We had only been dating for three months, but there he was. I had heard horror stories of women who lost a breast and their husbands fled like a speeding train, unable to deal with such a heart- breaking illness. I wanted to live and spend time with this man, and enjoy loving him.
That time around, chemotherapy was a must. I received a treatment once every three weeks. I never gave up hope. Sure, I would get depressed and feel sorry for myself, but then I would tell myself that I could and would beat the disease. I was fitted for a prosthetic breast and felt totally normal.
After the six-month chemotherapy treatments ended, I found out I was pregnant. My oncologist and all my other doctors said it was okay and I would be able to have a perfectly healthy baby. My boyfriend and I got married and later found out that we were having twins. What a miracle!
Part 3 - The Cancer is Back in my Other Breast
At Christmas time, when the twin boys were one and a half years old, I found a little hard spot in the breast that I still had. That time, it was much more difficult to deal with because I was married and had two little boys to look after. I wanted to see them grow. I wanted to see them graduate, get married, and have grandchildren. I told myself, “I will see all this happen and I will stay positive. I beat this demon once and I will beat it again.”
In January, the second breast was removed and I underwent chemotherapy again. Did I want implants? Yes and no. I wasn’t sure I wanted to go in for another operation. My husband still loved me just as much or even more as when I had breasts. I did know I wouldn’t be able to wear those nice strapless dresses anymore, but so what.
Part 4 - The Final Chapter
Well, my twin boys are now eighteen and a half, and there is no sign of cancer anywhere in my body. I had another son after the second round of chemotherapy, and he is a strapping six-foot tall fourteen-year old.
Some people ask me what the secret to my success is, and my answer is always the same. You have to stay positive and truly believe that you can beat it, no matter what is thrown in your path. I am so grateful that I am alive today and writing this story. I hope it will be an inspiration to other people who have cancer.
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This article contributed by Susan Varden - a writer at Helium.com
Reader Comments (2)
Betty