Well, you have stumbled across my page for breast cancer.
I had never really thought too much about the subject. I had my first mammogram in 1997 and everything was fine. I did my monthly exams religiously, right up until May of 2000. That was when my son was murdered. Then, it was the furthest thing from my mind. We finished the remainder of that year in a daze, to say the least. We anxiously awaited the start of the trial the following February.
On the 17th of January of 2001, I was getting out of the shower, and my right arm bumped up against my left breast. There was a huge lump. I always use a washcloth or net scrubby in the shower, so had never noticed it before. Neither had my husband. As I said before, we were still in a daze and things were not normal. I went to the doctor that day, and they set me up an appointment for a mammogram on the 19th, an ultra sound on the 22nd, and then an appointment to see a breast surgeon on the 5th of February.
The mammogram showed a large growth and the ultra sound proved that the mass was solid. The surgeon I saw, decided that the tumor was so large, that it should be removed.
I went in for the surgery on February 8.
The trial for my son's murderer started on the 12th of February. I had an appointment with the doctor on the 14th, to find out the results of the biopsy.
We left court early and drove to her office. When she showed us to her office, she said, "Sit down, I have some bad news."
It was cancer. The tumor was 4 centimeters. The width of my four fingers all together! She wanted to schedule for a radical modified mastectomy for the 23rd, but she knew about the trial and said she could put it off until March 2.
Happy Valentine's Day!
How did we feel about all of this? To tell you the truth, it took second stage to everything else we were going through. It just seemed an annoyance.
The case went to jury on February 23, and verdict came in on the 26th. Guilty on all 3 counts. You see, Jesse was killed along with his friend Jason, by a young man who had a juvenille felony conviction. 2 counts of murder in the first degree and 1 count of a felon in possession of a firearm. An SKS Assault rifle to be exact!
On March 2, off to surgery again. This time for the mastectomy. I joked about having a going away party and my left breast being the guest of honor. My husband didn't find the humor in it though.
I saw the doctor again on the 7th, and she said the breast tissue and lymph nodes were negative for any cancer. It was a rapidly growing, aggressive cancer, and we got all of it!
I had a port placed in my arm and started chemo on April 2. I only had to have 4 treatments and no radiation. The drugs I was given were Adriamycin and Cytoxan. The sentencing for my son's murderer was on the fifth of April. I was so drugged from the anti-nausea medication, that I only remember parts of that day. I do know that he got 60 years! He won't be up for parole for 50 years.
I had a hard time focusing on anything with the meds, so I quit taking them. I never got sick. I flew through the whole ordeal unscathed, with the exception of losing a breast and all of my hair. We buzzed it on Easter.
I feel like I have cheated this cancer thing. I read horror stories of people who have gone through hell with it, and I somehow managed to come through barely scraped. I thank God, my son, and the people who prayed for me. I know that Jesse was watching over me. I had alot of support from family and friends. My husband was so understanding and very supportive. I am so lucky to have him in my life.
So far, no setbacks.
I have said this before in my other pages. The worst thing that Ken and I will ever have to face in life, we faced on May 30, 2000. The rest is just trivial. |
