The picture as taken ten years ago, but he is a huge part of the story and he hated his picture taken.
I lost my father September 14, 2014 to small cell cancer. Obviously this hit hard. I was, and always will be Daddy's Little Girl. It is usually mid-September that I get my annual mammogram. I didn't; I decided I wasn't going this year, I'd never had a problem before and I just couldn't deal with more on my plate. I'm a professor and was starting at a new school right when Dad got sick. I didn't have time to get tests run. However, in November something was nagging me to go. It was Dad's voice in the back of my head telling me that I had too long of a history of chest x-rays not to have a simple test run, just to be sure. So, I went.
I got the call that the doctor wanted to do a biopsy on one area and watch another area. When I went in for the biopsy, I asked that they do both areas, the doctor doing the biopsy agreed. On the Saturday before Christmas, I got the call...cancer. I'm not sure who took it harder, me or my mom.
Follow-up appointments found it to be Stage 0 DCIS. The cysts were so small they probably wouldn't have been detectable in September. Once again Dad was watching over me.
Because I am a heart patient, many cardiac tests were required before they could start any treatments. Finally, in February, I was scheduled for the partial mastectomy. The first week of March my doctor inserted a port for the Mammosite, or targeted radiation, treatment. As I mentioned, I am a professor, it was the WORST Spring Break ever with 2 radiation treatments a day for 5 days. But we received word that the margins came back clear and I think I'm out of the woods. Because of my heart condition, I cannot take the medication even though I was a candidate. But, I know my guardian angel is still watching over me.
Baden, PA
