Acerca de
Women share their stories
Some women were interviewed and others wrote to us to share their experience with breast cancer
Michelle was shocked but not surprised when she was diagnosed with breast cancer in September 2016. With a history of the disease running through her family, the 50 year old knew she was high risk, so she was diligent about checking her breasts regularly for lumps. So initially, when she found the lump in her breast she was hopeful that its small size meant it was discovered early and that it would be a Stage 1 cancer and therefore more easily removed and treated.
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Michelle was wrong. Her breast cancer was Stage 3.
“It was tough,” admits Michelle. “The reality of my diagnosis felt like the walls were closing in on me.” read more....
My first thought when I was first diagnosed was how am I going to tell my children. I’m a single mother. I wondered how far the cancer had spread and I was afraid I was going to die and leave my kids.
I found a lump in my breast when went in for a routine check. The Dr asked to do a complete breast examine and found a new lump on the left side and a lump in the same armpit. She sent me for an ultrasound and subsequently a biopsy. Both lumps were positive for cancer. read more....
We interviewed Lori. This is her story.
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Lori is a fighter and a survivor. She has been for years. Living with fibromyalgia, complete with a degenerative disc, has forced her to tap into these skills and practice them daily. They help Lori push past the debilitating pain and muscle cramps, the lack of energy and headaches and the cloudy mind fog that rules her every waking moment. She’s become proficient at it too, managing the chronic condition as best she can, so that she can live life on her own terms. But that was before Lori was diagnosed with breast cancer.
I felt a small lump in near my armpit and two weeks later I learned through a patient portal I had BRCA 1 +2 in 2018, which meant I had a high probably of getting breast and ovarian cancer in my lifetime. Knowing about my high-risk made me proactive in getting checked out immediately and ultimately gave me a chance to a good outcome.
I was diagnosed in 2019, and all the high-risk screenings failed to find the tumour. Fortunately, I felt a pinch under my axillary-tail and asked for a biopsy. It was a long and complicated initial diagnosis. I ended up doing bi-weekly, neo-adjuvant chemo therapy. For six months I wondered if it had spread and if the outcome would be terminal. read more ....