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!