Survivor Stories

Brande Papa

     "Last year the Friday before Labor Day, I went to my doctor to have a lump that I found checked. I found it about a week before. I felt a discomfort feeling. I had had previous lumps before they were ones that were just liquid. There is no cancer or any type of breast cancer in my family at all. They told me it was a mass lump versus the liquid lump. The technician told me that she was very concerned about the lump that I had, she was 90% positive it was breast cancer.

     "I wanted to have the biopsy right then, it was the holiday weekend and the longer I waited, the more time I would be worrying about it. They did my biopsy, everyone stayed it was about 7PM. I was very scared, I felt like my legs had come out from underneath me. I tried to stay calm.

     "I found out is was definitely cancer. I was given the option to do a lumpectomy or a mastectomy. It was 3.2 cm. It was a fast cancer, a very aggressive cancer.

     "I said lets try the lumpectomy first, but they didn�t get enough, the cancer was to far out, I had the surgery done towards the end of Sept and I had the mastectomy on Oct. 20th. The people at the hospital were wonderful; I couldn�t have asked for a better care! My surgeon was wonderful.

     "The people that I work with at my office, (I work at a dental office,) they were just so supportive! Eeverybody just bent over backwards to help me They were preparing me meals, coming to my home, even people I didn�t even know! I had a caregiver through my insurance company that kept in touch with me; they actually bought my kids Christmas gifts. Because I had a lot of support I think I got through it very well. I am very open talking about it to people

     "I thought that losing my hair would be the hardest part, but my  girlfriend next store came down and shaved my head, I thought I looked like someone in a concentration camp! My sister who was a hair dresser in SC, her customer who I didn�t even know donated wigs to me. The loosing my hair part wasn�t as bad as I thought it was going to be.

     "The hardest part was afterward on Sept 9^th. I went and had my mammogram done and that was the scariest, but everything was ok. I felt so relieved after that.

     "I am a single mother. I have 2 children: an 18 year old and an 8 year old. It�s made my daughter, more acceptable of people who have things happen to them. For the longest time, I didn�t want her to look at my mastectomy because I didn�t have my reconstructive surgery done. I have to wait 1 more yr. for that. My son he was just great, very responsible and helped me.

     "It amazing how many people help you and reach out to you, people you don�t even know. It�s a hard thing to go through but I�m a strong person and you have to reach deep. The more support you have the better you are. You need to tell people so they can help you get through it.

     "I would say definitely have a mammogram every year like they ask you to. There are all different ways out there free to get them for free, so there�s no excuse to. They always say cancer hurts but mine did, so if you feel something is wrong definitely go to your doctor and see what is wrong."

Shirley Miller

     "I have to go way back on my story. When I was 12 years old I was diagnosed with TB and I had TB for 11yrs. They said I would never get well because that was the #1 killer in those days, and they had no cure. I could never marry and I could never have children, no future. They came up with a radical operation for me. They went in and squished the bad lung together and put balls in there and did both sides 6 weeks apart. Then I had to be on my back for months. I got well, went to Business College, got married, had 3 children and have been well for 50 years.

     "I was getting in the shower and as I turned around in front of the mirror I saw this big lump in my breast and I thought, "Dear Lord, what is this?" So I immediately called the doctor and he said come right out. It was cancer. We did a mastectomy because I immediately said "lets get rid of it."  They didn�t want to give me chemo, because they didn�t know what else it would do since I had this strange background.

     "I found out that this operation had stirred up this old TB and I had TB on the chest wall. Well, I thought they had made a mistake. I kept saying, "You are out of you minds, this can�t be right!"  Finally, they convinced me. Then they had to give me the new TB drugs that they have now. They did help me. This was about 6 years ago.

     "I got well and was fine for 5 years and then I had a mammogram. They found a tiny lump in my other breast which was about the size of the eraser on a pencil. And at that time they decided to do a lumpectomy, but gave me the TB medicine ahead of time before the surgery to try to back off anything and that worked. I didn�t have chemo again but I did have radiation and that was a piece of cake after what I had been through.  I went out and drove myself everyday. I had 33 treatments, 5 days a week. I would lie on the table and say to the Lord, "Thank you for making this treatment available." The treatments, you don�t feel anything. The machine doesn�t touch you, you feel no pain.

     "I felt so comfortable, the people out there where beautifully professional. They are very much on the ball so I was in and out quickly. I had my treatments in the morning so that they didn�t interfere with my lunch with friends and appointments. My family has been very supportive, my husband extremely supportive. He said, "Don�t you want me to drive you out to your appointments?" And I said, "No way! I am too independent."

     "I am now completely cured of everything and off of all medications, I feel wonderful!  You just have to face what you have to face and get with it and do it!  Do what has to be done. Consult with all the doctors. You just have to have the doctors give you all their reports and find out what they think, and talk to your family and find out what they think and just do it!"

Rebecca Collinson

     "At the end of Jan., I found a large swelling, under my arm and out through my breast. I actually thought it was an infection. I thought I was bit by a recluse spider! My doctor checked it and sent me right from her office to have a mammogram and a sonogram. She knew from examining it wasn�t that. They sent me to another doctor to immediately have a biopsy done. There was still a part of me saying it was an infection, it was an infection

     "It was a very fast moving cancer. I had been having mammograms every other year, because my mother had had breast cancer and had a breast removed. By Feb. I was in chemo and I was very fortunate, my tumor responded immediately to the chemo. They progressed me through many treatments of chemo and had  my surgery in Aug to have my breast removed. I�m still in treatment because next week I start radiation. I started a new treatment called verceptum to help reduce the possibility of recurrence. .

     "You are kind of like moving in non-reality. What got me through was faith and all the people who support you, your family, friends and very much the people I work with, all the people that are sharing their thoughts with you and prayers with you and you feel that.

     "I would say to people that are afraid to go and get a mammogram. Get someone to go with you. The local doctors at Robinwood and the people at the John R. Marsh cancer center just are wonderful. The nurses, the volunteers make something that can be a very unpleasant experience very pleasant if that�s possible to say. I think that relying on those people and not just keeping it to yourself is very important, just letting people hug you, and sometimes people just don�t know what to say so you just have to hug them. My doctor gave me good advice. He said try to keep things as normal as possible. Just keep going.

     "Self examination is really important, examine yourself and even if you think oh it�s nothing�Go to the doctor!"

Donna Follin

     "In June of 2004, I noticed a feeling of sand down the duct. I figured it was pre-cancerous. It was about time to go to my annual visit. It was already scheduled, so I went thinking "ok we can take care of this we can do whatever we need to." But the doctor had words for me: "it�s nothing but cancer, I have no doubt it�s cancer." I was numb. There was no history in my family at all. This was a great shock to me. That only lasted about 3 days and I thought "hey these are your own cells and you can use mind over matter."

     "We proceeded quickly, setting up tests and an apptointment with the surgeon. I had a lumpectomy. We proceed into radiation and chemo.Chemo was really tough, but not as tough as it use to be and it�s certainly something you can live through. Loosing hair was for me the hardest thing but also provided some of the greatest form of stress relief. I did not shave my head, I did wear a wig, but however it became a source of intense laughter. As I lost my hair I had these wisps. When I had a really bad day, I would take the wig off and I would laugh, it was a great stress relief! Radiation was, to me, a relative breeze.

     "I had great support at work...2 coworkers, 1 that was currently going through treatment and 1 that was a 5 year survivor. They provided great support as well as the medical team and everyone around me provided support, a shoulder to cry on. I did have the single focus to get to the end of the treatment.

     " Probably the scariest moment of all is when you go back for that first test. But everyone said I looked great and should live another lifetime. There are many people out there, the Breast Cancer Awareness, all the survivors; you have all the tools and resources to get you through. They truly treat the individual to get you through this.

     "It doesn�t have to be a lump, go to your doctor is anything feels abnormal! Don�t assume that because you had a mammogram last year that you don�t need to go this year. Go to your annual mammograms! It�s made me stronger, I definitely feel like I could get through anything today.

Nancy Bradfield

     "I was diagnosed with breast cancer 4 yrs ago. I went for a routine mammography. My doctor suggested I have a follow-up. I followed up with a consult with a surgeon. He felt we should watch it for a couple months.

     "In a couple months I went back and saw the surgeon, he felt we needed to do biopsy, instead of 2 or 3 nodes, I had about a dozen nodes that had developed in a couple months. I took my husband with me for my support. I was given the diagnosis of breast cancer. My options were partial mastectomy; if I took the partial mastectomy it would be with radiation to follow it. I made the decision along with my husband.

     "After that it was determined the cancer had gone beyond the breast into the lymph node. That changed my outlook from going to just radiation to chemo, so that was another hurdle I had to except.

     "I had an excellent support system, my husband and my family and a very dear friend that was with me at all times. The people at the cancer center where I�ve been for 36 years were my extra family. Knowing what we can do at the cancer center and how we treat patients, I felt it was best if I stayed right there with people I dearly cared for to take care of me.

     "With there help of my family and coworkers I got through the treatments and pretty much back to normal. I think my hardest experience through it all was when I lost my hair, I think that�s most devastating thing. I did have a comfortable wig that I was able to wear that was very helpful.

     "Everything has gone fine since then, I have mammography every year. Life has pretty much got back to normal with family. I would like to encourage everyone to do self exams and get a routine mammography every year.

Becky Lohr

     "I went for a routine mammogram and they had to tell me I had to have a compression mammogram & sonogram. While the radiologist was doing my sonogram, I was laying there with no clothes on in the dark and she looked at me and said "you have cancer."  I wanted to say "you�re a witch because this can�t be happening to me!" I did say, "Ok, I want my films, I want to see my doctor now." She said, "Oh, he�ll probably see you in a week or 2" and I said "I want my films and I am going to see him know." Forty-five minutes later I left with my films and went and saw my doctor and he worked me in.

     "Two weeks later I was in the operating room. Normally I�m the employee and not the patient. I had my best friends taking care of me. Being an employee in the O.R., I could handpick who was going to be in the surgery with me. I knew I would be among friends. I didn�t find out until several days later that when the doctor went out to talk to my husband and my mom he thought I would have to have reconstructive surgery. But that turned out not to be, and things were ok.

     "I stated down that unknown path of what�s comes next. I started through my radiation treatment, my intake at John Marsh cancer center, the  unknown. The whole time I�m doing this treatment, I worked in the operating room. My family and coworkers were really wonderful. Every Wednesday. when I went I got a gift from someone in my family and the day after when I went to work one of my coworkers would have a gift for me.

     "My family thought I had a death sentence because we lost our baby sitter to breast cancer just 2 years before my diagnosis. My real mom died of breast cancer. The first time I said I�m a survivor was really hard. The first mammogram that you have to fill out the papers and check yes when you normally check no, was really hard. It�s been a roller coaster ride and I think the coaster has finally stopped. I think life is back

     "People stop looking at you differently. In the beginning you kind of get that strange look from your friends and family. They say 1 and 3 women have breast cancer, it�s like "it�s her and not me."

     "Get your mammograms and check ups from your doctor in conjunction with your mammograms. The earlier the better. Early detection definitely helps, so you can get rid of the cancer and get on the recovery much sooner. I am going to keep on fighting and making sure everyone I know gets mammograms and exams.

     "Do it! Don�t put it off! Do it now!"

Janet Lung

         "I was in the shower doing a self exam and found a lump. I let it go for about a month or so because I didn�t know if it was period related or not. When it was still there a month later I called the doctor and my first mammogram was scheduled.

     "I went in for a mammogram and a week later to see a surgeon. Within 3 seconds of the surgeon entering the room he said he thought it was breast cancer. I was shocked; I never gave it any thought. Going immediately to another room for a sonogram and biopsy. A few days later, my husband and I met with the surgeon and it was confirmed that I had breast cancer. I was 37 years old.

     "He gave me my surgery options, lumpectomy or mastectomy. I chose lumpectomy. Things happened very quickly. I didn�t want to do chemo because I knew I would lose my hair, but I gave it some thought and I decided I�d do chemo. I had my 1^st chemo treatment on the 4^th of January 2001; with a total of 4 treatments over a 3 month period. After every treatment, I experienced many different side affects. I started radiation about a month after my last chemo treatment. I had 6 1/2 weeks of radiation and that went fairly well although I was tired. The entire experience; diagnosis, surgery and treatment went very quickly.

     "My life has changed a great deal because of this experience. I�m a believer of �everything happens for a reason."  I got a new job. I am now the community liaison for Breast Cancer Awareness - Cumberland Valley in Hagerstown.

     "It�s important to do your monthly self exam! You need to have your clinical exam yearly, and if you are of age, have your mammogram. If you have a family history and you want a baseline exam when you are 35 years old instead of waiting until you are 40, push your doctor to have your baseline. I have an aunt that had breast cancer and I really should�ve pushed at age 35 for my baseline. But remember; 75% of breast cancer cases, there is no family history. If you find a lump, don�t panic, because it may not be breast cancer. But you should see your doctor as soon as possible because it�s not normal."