I was told for more than a year that it was nothing..you're healthy don't worry.Went to see a different doctor who immediately sent me for a biopsy and it was stage 2 breast cancer.. God put me in the right hands from there on .If something doesn't feel right it isn't..Trust your instincts and dont take any doctors word for it without proof.Wish I knew then what I know now.Diagnosis was made September 2009.I give praises to God everyday.I am blessed...

This site has been encouraging to me but I want to warn others that a mammogram is not enough. Without an MRI, I could possibly still be living with cancer. I had mammograms and biopsies and still had no answers until the results fom my MRI December 23rd of 2010, four months after I lost my mom to breast cancer. Despite warnings, I still enjoyed Christmas in Aruba only to return to a bilateral in February. Be proactive and insist on an MRI. Mammograms often are not enough.

I am a new breast cancer survivor. I urge everyone to get their mammograms as soon as possible and to do their self-exams.

My breast cancer was caught early and the only reason it was caught is because I got my mammogram! I did not feel it, but thanks to the technology of mammograms, it was caught when it was still quite small.

I can't stress enough how important is is to get yours today!!

.One Friday night I thought I heard something, so I leaned out my bedroom door to get a good listen. Just then I felt a 7c.m. lump.

I was in my doctor's office Monday and the next day I was having a biopsy. Everything just moved so fast, it was a blurr for me after that. I had no time to think very long on any one thing after all I have Invasive Ductal Carcinoma. I have grade 3 breast cancer, even now I choke on those words.

I have 4 very beautiful kids and 2 of those have married. I have a Grand daughter. My wonderful husband of 28 years has a son who is married and has 2 children. I have only began to be a grandma.

My grandma and Aunt had breast cancer and every woman with a loved one with breast cancer says at sometime, that they would have a mastectomy if it were her. Well, no one thinks that it will be them.The good thing for me, the cancer was not in the lymph nodes.

I had a double mastectomy and reconstructive surgery, I am on chemo now and just lost my hair but I am a lucky sole. After all I am here!

From here on I will never look at life the same again, or take anything for granted. I want to prove to life that I am happy to be here.

Ten years ago I had a mammogram. It was in August. By December my dog, Brandy kept shoving her nose in my right breast. By January she was dragging her paw down my right breast.

I called my doctor and told him how I just had a mammogram 6 months ago. That I had seen a show on Animal Planet how some dogs can detect even the smallest amount of cancer. How Brandy had been reacting to my right breast for over a month.

I was scheduled for another mammogram the next day. I got a call that night from my doctor. He was at home. He said, I have bad news. You have 15 masses in your right breast. You need to go and have a stereo-tactic biopsy.

He had told me to love that dog of mine as she had just saved my life and give her extra treats.

I had the surgery and then radiation 3 months to the day of finding out about the cancer.

I am cancer free now for 10 years. Brandy who is now going on 14 years is still with me. She is and always will be my forever hero! There is nothing I would not do for her!

She not only saved my life. She changed it forever with her loyalty and love. She taught me the truest bond between a human and a pet.

She is going blind now. I guide her. She had surgery herself. I nursed her back. She has a hard time walking I carry her.

Believe in the miracle of your pet. They truly can save your life!

In my mother's moccasins, I find myself walking the footsteps of her journey. Although she was a 28 year breast cancer survivor, we lost her to congestive heart failure in 2006. I was diagnosed with Stage 4 Metastatic Breast Cancer in 2008. Having had good mammograms, I was bad and felt I could skip two. Bad idea ladies, NEVER skip!! I had cancer in my left breast & lymphnodes and had a modified radical w/lymphnode dissection of left & opted for a prophylactic of the right breast due to history. Chemo & reconstruction followed next, and more chemo. It's a long & tedious journey but you learn to adapt. Currently I am on my 3rd round of chemo (in pill form) but I continue to maintain a healthy, positive attitude. No sense mulling over that which we have no control over, it will only delay your healing process. I am enjoy life and I continue to live it to the fullest & with strength and zest...

My advice to my sister warriors is to always remain positive, stay strong, keep your faith alive, never lose hope, and never ever give up! We have far too much to live for so keep fighting and moving forward.

I turned 40 in the Summer and waited to get my annual physical the following Spring. After a routine exam, which included a breast exam, my doctor said I should schedule my first mammogram. I scheduled it for April 1st. I wasn't paying too much attention when they stated that I had to come back a week later for another mammogram. After the second one, I still wasn't worried when they suggested a biopsy just to rule things out. Even at the biopsy, I wasn't worried as it was a short procedure that I was awake for. I had absolutely no symptoms or physical lumps that I, or my doctor, felt.

I had no family history of cancer. I wasn't considered a high risk candidate for breast cancer. There was talk in the news of delaying mammograms for women until they were 50 because of the healthcare costs. I had no opinion... UNTIL the day after the biopsy when the doctor called me with a nurse on the line to tell me I had ductal carcinoma in situ. Luckily, I had a slow growing cancer. My surgeon told me she thought it had been growing for five years. My primary care doctor called me within a few hours of the first call. He was more in shock than I was. I am now his story to motivate women to go get their mammograms!

After a lumpectomy, radiation and chemotherapy and a few years of tamoxifen, I feel strong enough to write my story. I know that throughout the years I have relied heavily upon this site for words of encouragement and support and for that I am grateful!

June 22, 2012 I got the call and "it was cancer”.

This lump appeared out of nowhere....so it was definitely a cyst…right? I tried to tell myself and my immediate family this. I knew it was cancer. A mammogram, ultrasound and biopsy later, it WAS cancer. I had my port placed, my sentinel node biopsied, visited my oncologist twice and in 14 days after diagnosis, I was starting chemo. CHEMO! What would I look like bald? What would these drugs feel like? Would I get sick? Could people look at me and know I was “sick”? Could I really get through this?

After making calls to loved ones and friends, I knew I could get through this. Not only because I am a strong young woman, but because I had (have) so much support. Family, friends and friends of friends were praying for me. Strangers were praying for me. They didn’t even know me, yet I was important enough to warrant their prayer. I’m not a religious person, but I welcomed all of these prayers and positive vibes. The power of support and encouragement is amazing.

I charged toward the preparation for treatment, cut and donated my hair, and began to prepare my home for easier living. I was ready to kick cancer’s butt! And, I did! I tolerated chemo well and I am healing well from surgery. The pathology of my mastectomy yielded a “complete pathological response”! The best three words I have ever heard in my life. I’m cancer free=survivor! What a crazy year 2012 was, but what I learned was I am a strong woman with a strong mind and I can handle anything. The power of the mind is amazing. I believe it is the key to getting through and becoming a survivor.

My first cancer battle was with bowel cancer in 1963, Then uterine cancer in 1973 and finally a double mastectomy in 1977. I have been cancer free for 35 years. I thank God for my good health and for the many support groups available to those of you who battle cancer today. These were unheard of back in my day. Praise the Lord. He will see you through.

I lost my dad to kidney cancer in November, 2011. My husband was diagnosed with prostate cancer in June, 2011. So, my being diagnosed with breast cancer that was considered "small and early" in May, 2012, seemed like no big deal. My first post-chemo/radiation follow up today with my oncologist seemed anti-climatic after eight months of the "breast cancer extravaganza". In spite of four cycles of chemo and 33 radiation treatments, I continued to teach Kindergarten full time and never stopped running. I was lovingly supported by my family, friends and colleagues. Life did not stop, so I did not stop living it. However, I don't think of myself as the inspiration many folks say I am. I simply did what I needed to do to get through it intact, mentally and physically. I suppose I have raised awareness by openly sharing my journey with friends and family. But I am, unfortunately, not alone. There are, and have been, so many people who have had to fight this battle. Some people, like my dad, were unlucky. Their diagnoses came on the "big and late" side of the coin. That didn't stop my dad from fighting every step of the way, all the while continuing to fill our lives with love and joy (in spite of how hard I know it was for him). I was a lucky duck. I didn't have to endure a fraction of the pain or fear that I know my dad had to face. What I know is that if you or a loved one is battling cancer right now, you should surround yourselves with love, joy and positive energy. No matter what happens, and whether it helps or not (and I believe it does), you deserve to have those things in your life NOW.