“I grieved my diagnosis, the loss of my breasts. I cried when I shaved my head. I worried as I read the statistics. I thought I’d already had my share of adventure in life.”
‘When I figured I’d get cancer at some point, I meant after age 50. I worried the best years of my life had passed.’: Breast cancer warrior urges other survivors ‘life is still a beautiful adventure’
‘Will I be able to have a family?’ The rooms were filled with old ladies. I knew in my gut it wasn’t good.’: Breast cancer survivor inspires others, ‘I look forward to a beautiful future’
“I saw the hospital number on my cell. I grabbed my phone. ‘Monique, I’m so, so sorry.’ Questions flooded my mind.”
‘The news was a parent’s WORST nightmare. ‘We found a tumor.’ There was NO way we could do this alone. Being strong was our only option.’: Mom gives birth to twins, one with heart defect, while daughter battles cancer, ‘It’s been a long year’
“We were determined to give him a chance at life. They told us there was a 50% chance he would make it to 5. We accepted this as our new normal and felt TOTALLY mentally prepared. Or so we thought.”
‘I remember the bomb going off and the leg shrapnel. 17 years later, more doctors. ’PLEASE, I don’t want to worry anymore.’: Vet survives war injury, melanoma
“I was talking to a doctor once again. This time it was different. I worried about my kids and the orphans. ‘We want to send you a check.’ The joy those words brought was indescribable.”
‘BAM!’ There it was, not a soft let down, but a sucker punch. ‘That’s it, I’m taking you to the hospital.’: Woman beats Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, ‘I learned what was really important in life’
“I was the youngest at the doctor’s by 30 years. My pain got worse. I heard my husband cry for me in the hallway.”
‘Every time the needle pierced my skin, I stared at the ceiling, trying to stay breathing and conscious. My wait for results was unbearably long. Then, I announced, ‘We’re adopting a piano!’: Cancer patient says, ‘I didn’t have control, but I did have a piano’
“Someone in our neighborhood was getting rid of one. Nothing felt in my control. At 8:30 a.m. that morning, I announced to Brian that we were adopting a piano. Immediately.”
‘I texted my husband. ‘I’m really scared. I can’t sleep at all.’ I had NO symptoms. ‘I’m sorry, the biopsy tested positive.’: Breast cancer survivor advocates for early detection, ‘Cancer has taught me what is most important in life’
“That night, I could not sleep at all. So many things ran through my head. I was also grieving the sudden death of my father. ‘I’m sorry, the biopsy tested positive.'”
‘Doctors told me it was ‘a blocked milk duct.’ It felt like a lemon seed under my skin, close to my areola, and hadn’t hurt at all.’: Woman with breast cancer stays positive, ‘I’ve got this. Everything will be okay.’
“My diagnosis came when I was a 48-year-old, post-menopausal woman with no biological children. I told myself, ‘I have to get my sh*t together quick!’ Things were progressing well until a few days after we moved into a new home. I was experiencing severe shortness of breath, which I’d mistakenly attributed to chemo side effects. Long story short, 840 gallons of propane leaked into our home. By the time the leak was discovered, my treatment plan had been modified.”
‘We found a large tumor.’ No way I had TWO types of cancer. I saw the look on his face. I knew.’: Woman defeats odds of beating colon and thyroid cancer, ‘I have tears in my eyes. I survived.’
“They wheeled me back. With a smile on a face I yelled, ‘See you soon!’ The next thing I remember, I opened my eyes and was completely alone in a very dark room. With tears in his eyes he told me, ‘We found a large tumor.’ I was in a nightmare. Oh, no. It can’t be. Brave face Amanda, brave face. I had TWO types of cancer. Absolutely no way. ‘There is some bad news, however.’ There was more bad news? It was too much.”
‘I lifted her shirt. ‘Mommy, I’ve been scared to say this, but I have a big bump on my chest.’: 8-year-old girl diagnosed with breast cancer after both parents beat cancer, ‘we are a family of fighters’
“There it was. A hard lump directly under her right nipple. ‘Honey? Please come here a minute.’ My husband and I exchanged a look of fear. It was so dark you could see it through her skin. We just hugged and bawled. ‘Not our baby girl,’ we both kept saying. ‘Mommy, what’s wrong?’ Her sweet face changed.”
