My Journey

(Continued from home page) all while going through a divorce that included custody evaluations, court dates, bills that I had no way to pay, and a now ex-husband that abandoned the kids emotionally, physically and financially. In May of 2006, my divorce was final, I was awarded physical and legal custody of my children, and I was deemed cancer free.

In March of 2007, when I had just started to get my life back together and was moving forward, a tumor was detected in a routine mammogram, and I heard the words “you have breast cancer” again. That following year was spent again in treatment, including monthly trips to the Cancer Treatment Center of America in Zion, IL, oral chemo, bilateral mastectomy surgery with reconstruction, expander fillings, and implant surgery. In December of that year, during a routine CT scan, a large mass was detected on my ovary, and complete hysterectomy surgery was performed the week before Christmas. The ovarian mass was benign, and my healing journey ensued. Because my cancer was Estrogen receptor positive, I was instructed to take an estrogen blocking medication for five years to prevent recurrence. Despite the side effects of fatigue and joint pain, I took the medication as instructed. Once I reached the five years mark, the drug was tested and suggested for 10 year usage, so I continued to take it. At year eight, because of the ongoing side effects, after in-depth discussion with my oncologist, determining the medicine only saved me a few percentage points of prevention, I stopped taking it.

I am currently under annual oncologic care and am still cancer free. 19 and 17 years and counting…