On December of 2014 I had my yearly gynecological exam with a new doctor. She found a lump in my left breast, but I wasn't alarmed because in the past I had experienced several benign cysts in both breasts. The doctor ordered a diagnostic mammogram for December 15. The day of the mammogram, the radiology doctor looked at the films and wanted an ultrasound on the spot. That was the first time I felt fear that this could be serious. After the ultrasound, a biopsy was ordered and on the last day of December 2014 I got the call no woman ever wants to receive. I was told by the surgeon that the tumor was cancer, but since it was small, he didn't think it had gone into my lymph nodes. I had a lumpectomy on January 12, 2015 and unfortunately they found cancer in my lymph nodes, and they removed 10 nodes. I truly felt like I was in the midst of someone else's bad dream, and I couldn't wake up.
My final diagnosis was Invasive Ductal Carcinoma Stage 2A, Hormone Receptor-positive, and HER2-negative. I had 4 rounds of chemo and 36 rounds of radiation, and I'm now on Femara for 10 years. I just had a bone scan and PET scan and got the results NED – no evidence of disease! I'm grateful beyond measure to God for his protection and faithfulness to me through all of this, to my oldest daughter who held my hand on the journey, to my youngest daughter who prayed daily for me, and to all my family and friends who encouraged me along the way. I'm so thankful for my life.
San Diego, CA
