I Am Saved Now - My Breast Cancer Story

by Kelly
(Naples, FL ,USA)

I was just told I am CANCER FREE this past Monday. I will start from the beginning. (You better sit back and relax lol)

I am 33 years old, been married for 12 years, and have 3 children. 4 years ago I went in to get a lump checked out. I was 29 years old. The Dr. told me it was a "caffeine" cyst YEAH RIGHT.

Well October 24th 2008 I went to see my family doctor because it did get considerably larger and it was starting to hurt that was at 9 am by 2 pm I had gone thru a exam, a mammogram, a contrast MRI, and a biopsy.

When they did the biopsy the tumor was so hard that they had to put a little slice in my skin to get the core needle thru to do the biopsy. I was told that morning that it was a 90% chance of cancer.

After those life changing words-- I sobbed and sobbed and kept saying over and over again OMG I WAITED TO LONG. I kept seeing this picture in my mind of my 3 children (11, 9, and 7) walking hand in hand with their father down our driveway and me standing there looking on.

It was the scariest vision I have ever had. On Nov. 7th I went into surgery for a port a catheter placement (which they put in on my left side up near my collarbone to make chemo easier to give) they did a lymph node biopsy and took 3 nodes.

One came back positive for cancer they told me then that they thought it was stage 2 but when I went in to see the oncologist they upped me to stage 3B because my little tumor (which we called TIMMY THE TUMOR) grew himself little tentacles out the top and bottom and attached himself to my chest wall.

Well I had 4 treatments of chemo an AC regimen. They call it the Red Devil--It can damage your heart. Then I had to do 4 treatments of Taxol (which is from a tree) it is all natural.

This went on for 16 weeks with a treatment every two weeks. We shaved my hair the day after my first treatment we had a shaving party. I even had a blue mohawk for 1/2 day lol. I was the coolest mom that day.

My little spikey hair started falling out the day after my 2nd treatment. I really wasn't to sick from the chemo because of the nausea medicine that they gave me (Zofran, Compazine, Phenergan.

I really didn't want to continue after the first treatment I was laid up for 2 or 3 days just plain tired. The day after every treatment I had to get a shot called NEULASTA is was basically a huge vacuum on my bones to get them to produce more white cells.

I was in so much bone pain for a week that it even hurt in my knees. I MADE IT THRU WOO HOO. Then on March 25th I went in for my lumpectomy and lymph node removal. They took the tumor out which already shrunk down to 1.7 cm and took 1 inch of surrounding tissue down to my chest wall.

They took about 18 nodes I believe and all came back negative and the cancer spread to 1 cm beyond my tumor but they took 1 inch of tissue so I was safe. They did another MRI and the Dr. came in on Monday and told me to sit down--I was thinking the worse like it spread-- HE SAID I WAS CANCER FREE

I looked at him dumbfounded like it has only been 5 months how is that possible. He told me that I had a non-aggressive cancer and that helped a lot plus my age factored into it. And of course my attitude was awesome I was always singing and laughing and smiling but of course I am a bit goofy by nature anyway.

I can't explain to you the feelings that went thru me when he told me I was cancer free I asked him to repeat himself. I am a very lucky woman to have beaten cancer especially Stage 3B in only 5 months. I take nothing for granted, and I do more with my family.

I am a new person! This might sound weird to you but I would not change a thing about being diagnosed with cancer. It has made me a better person and a better mom I have done so much more in the past 5 months I went on a hot air balloon ride and even got my motorcycle license stuff that I would not have done LOL.

Our children knew everything from the beginning and of course they cried because to their ears they thought CANCER=DEATH. We made a promise to them that we would all fight this all together, and we did AS A FAMILY!!!!

I could not have done it without my awesome husband and wonderful kids and all the prayers that my family and friends were doing. I hope people read my story because everyone thinks that just because they are young 27 or even 33 that it cannot be cancer.

I got cancer--it does not run in my family!!! I have a long road ahead of me but not like what is left behind me I have 33 treatments of radiation Everyday Monday thru Friday for 6 1/2 weeks then I have to take a pill twice a day for the next 5 years. I thank cancer for opening my eyes to the person that I used to be and I thank cancer for the person that it has made me today.