well here goes. Oct 2012 I found a large lump in my right breast. with in weeks they told me it was cancer. total removal in December and chemo started in January. I am about to do my last chemo treatment and they want to check the left breast again. there are 4 non cancerous lumps there. am really scared that they will come back changed. I have a wonderful support system friends my sons , my boyfriend and my dad. lost my mom last year so 2012 will not be my fav year. but I keep strong , my faith is firm, my mom watch's over me I know it. if I can do it we all can. keep the faith and be strong everyone. there is so much to live for.

On October 31, 2009, just 5 months after earning my Masters, receiving a proposal for marriage, and looking forward to planning a wedding, and 1 month after running my first marathon, I was diagnosed with Invasive Lobular Breast Cancer. What a way to rain on my parade! I found the lump myself and my doctor referred me for a mammogram and ultrasound which both failed to find anything. Great! I'm in the clear, I thought, and quickly cancelled the appointment with the surgeon that my doctor had also scheduled for me. Luckily, I called back a few weeks later to ask if I was actually supposed to go through with that appointment. Yes, I was. I was then referred for an MRI which ended up saving my life. The MRI found two lumps which later turned out to be one 4 cm tumor in my left breast. The cancer was invasive (aka malignant), aggressive, and needed to be removed. Three weeks later, a few days before Thanksgiving, I had a mastectomy on my left breast. The surgeon informed me that they found 3 (which later turned out to be 6) lymph nodes positive for cancer so they removed all of them.

I termed the following year, 2010, as "The Year of Living Cancerously.” I endured 6 months of chemotherapy, 21 days of radiation, 52 weeks of "Herceptin" treatments, reconstructive surgeries, and the death of a courageous friend with cancer, to emerge as a somewhat stronger and very grateful survivor of cancer.

I was diagnosed at age 31 while pregnant with my son. With no history of breast cancer in my family the diagnosis was shocking. It was a time of joy and sorrow. I had always wanted to be a mom. Would I get to walk my son into school his first day of Kindergarten? See his first steps? Would he even remember me? Would anyone ever tell him how much mommy loves him and how much she always wanted him? I was stage 3 most aggressive per pathology hormone negative with positive lymph nodes. Treatment was grueling. My marriage, relationships, and faith were tested. Instead of searching for answers I began building hope. Prayers were answered each time I had a check up. Cancer was going away. But setbacks continued including being told I was not able to have anymore kids and being hospitalized for infections that could have killed me. After 10 months of chemo, surgery, and radiation I appeared to be cured. It was a waiting game until I hit 4 yrs. Then I found out I was pregnant with my beautiful daughter! Now my son is 10 1/2 and my daughter is 6. I am a Pink Warrior. I carry that title with pride and dignity. Please know to never give up hope. Don't listen to statistics. You are not a statistic! You are a mother, daughter, wife, sister, niece, friend, co worker. You are a fighter!!!!!

My daughter Dottie got this diagnosis ,and from that moment she said, it was all ok," I will beat this"

I am not sure where the strength comes from so quickly, but she has IT

Undeterred by the sick feeling of only her second chem treatment, she battles on, with that beautiful smile.

She is making us all FEEL her strength!

Amazing !

At the age of 36, I was diagnosed on 10/18/12 with Triple Negative Breast Cancer. I had a double mastectomy w/reconstruction in Dec. Started my 24 weeks of chemo in Jan. I have 8 more to go and I’m feeling better everyday.

• MY JOURNEY began with a huge discovery of a small lump on a Sept morning.

• The first step in MY JOURNEY was undergoing tests and hearing the words “the lump came back as cancer” come from a doctor’s mouth.

• Within the months of Oct & Nov MY JOURNEY was packed with meeting my doctors and learning about my breast cancer.

• There were countless questions I asked and answers to absorb next on MY JOURNEY.

• MY JOURNEY then took me to the decision that my “angry” tumor needed immediate removal.

• The month of Dec was the huge step in MY JOURNEY of having a bilateral mastectomy with reconstructive surgery followed by weeks of recovery.

• The New Year brought the next step in MY JOURNEY of 6 months of chemo & filling in my expanders.

• For the first half of chemo MY JOURNEY was a daily battle to stay positive and strong when everything in my body became weak.

• MY JOURNEY was filled with sickness, hair loss, pain, fatigue and many other symptoms that landed me back in the hospital to help my body recoup.

• The second half of chemo brought MY JOURNEY to more positive days ahead with my body feeling better every day.

I was diagnosed with Inflammatory Breast Cancer in June of 2011. It was a stage 3 and a very rare type of breast Cancer, which means it was a mass and could spread very quickly. Everything happened so fast, chemo, removal of my right breast, radiation and more chemo. I was never so scared in all my life. My family and friends helped me get through it and are still helping to this day. Living one day at a time and still going for checkups every 3 months. I am thankful to be here today to tell my story. Each day will always be a fight or battle, but I stay hopeful and keep strong. Never give up and let your cancer take over and win, always fight it, no matter how sick you are, no matter how much it hurts, NEVER GIVE UP!!! There is always that chance that it could come back, but you learn to live with that. Never take life for granted, and enjoy the little things in life. I am a 46 year old cancer survivor with my first grandson on the way enjoying my life and my family. Hope my story inspires others that are diagnosed with Breast Cancer to do the same and never give up!!!

As a breast cancer warrior, I am through the worst part of my breast cancer treatment: bilateral mastectomy, 16 weeks of chemo, hair loss, scars, 2 other surgeries and 2 of 28 radiation treatments. Just as I am waking up to the harsh reality of this last six months, I am struck with yet another very odd side effect of chemo: I have lost almost all of my eyelashes.

Normally, our eyelashes grow and shed on an intermittent basis...as one falls out, another one growing to replace it. Chemotherapy can cause the eyelashes to all coordinate their cycle of growing and falling out, so they all fall out at the same time. It’s a slap in the face after everything my psyche has been through.

Now I find myself staring at other people’s eyelashes. I covet them...staring at them, wondering if the beholder of those beautiful little appendages have any appreciation for them. I will be talking to someone and focus on their eyes, blinking and beautifully outlined by lush eyelashes. I can barely contain myself from echoing my own version of Little Red Riding Hood’s famous quote: “What lovely eyelashes you have...”.

I guess it boils down to appreciating the little things in life.

If you haven’t gone through chemo, then I doubt that you’ve really ever paid much attention to your eyelashes. Breast cancer has given me the insight to appreciate the little things: the way my lungs feel as I am walking up a hill or the fact that my bones are strong enough to keep my body upright...I feel blessed every day that we caught the cancer before it metastasized to these other parts of my body.

I challenge all of you to find something to appreciate in your life today. Your health, your relationships, maybe even your eyelashes. As for me, I am heading in for radiation #3 of 28. I’m so very appreciative that I am healthy enough to drive myself and work on my herb garden. Life is short, but beautiful...I plan to appreciate every moment of it!

Beverly

The Breast Cancer Warrior

"If I dropped a tear in the ocean the day you find it is the day I will stop missing you"

I miss you so much lil sis!

In Loving Memory Of Katie Minchow Dennis

4/6/1974 - 6/19/2011

When I was diagnosed I was scared, who wouldn't be? I was only 31 years old. However, I was told by a great friend that as much as I needed to fight for myself to survive, I needed to fight for my daughter. I want to be able to see her walk across the stage on her graduation day, cry at her wedding, and hold her children....well she is only 8 , so, I have to fight. I am a fighter, and I will be a survivor! I found my reason, so can you!

I have been battling breast cancer for 25 years now. I was first diagnosed at 29, then again at 34, 36, and 52. For me, breast cancer is a chronic illness and a lifetime battle. Although I long suspected that there was a heriditary basis for my cancers, genetic testing when I was in my 30's came back inconclusive. It wasn't until 2011 with breast cancer number 4 that I was tested again as I was told that they had mapped more of the gene and could find more mutations. This time I learned that the last 4 sections of my BRCA1 gene were blank or missing. The genetic counsellor compared it to reading a book only to find that the last 4 chapters had been torn out. Armed with this information, I had my ovaries removed last May to greatly reduce my chances of contracting ovarian cancer. During the last 25 years, I have had 2 lumpectomies, 2 masectomies, all the lymph nodes in both armpits removed, 2 courses of radiation, and 2 series of chemotherapy. I have had one completed reconstruction and another that is still only partway done.

Having breast cancer in your 20's and 30's is much different than having it in your 50's. At 29, my biggest concerns dealt with body self image, wondering if I would ever even date again, let alone get married, whether I would be able to have children and whether anyone would hire a brand new lawyer with a history of cancer. By cancer 4, my main concerns were about dying and leaving my 2 preteen children without a mother.

I can tell you that I did indeed date again, got married, adopted 2 wonderful children and have worked as a lawyer for the past 24 years. I want to share my story with other young survivors, to let them know that they can still live a long and fulfilling life even if it seems that all the odds are stacked against them. I am grateful for every additional day of life I have been granted since my first diagnosis.