Tagged: Breast Cancer Survivor

Cheryl’s Story

July 27, 2010 – 12:54 PM

 

My name is Cheryl Rodriguez, I am 43 years old. I became a cancer survivor on December 24, 2008. On December 8, 2008 I had my yearly exam and my doctor reminded me to schedule my mammogram, so I dutifully did so for December 10th. On the 11th I received a phone call from the hospital stating there were areas of concern on my left side and I needed to return for a second scan. By the 15th I was instructed that I needed a biopsy and one could be scheduled after the first of the year.

No way was I going to wait for the first of the year for a biopsy! Through a friend, I located Breast Care Specialist Dr. Linda Han in Columbus, Ohio and scheduled an appointment for the 18th. After her physical exam, she simply stated that my left side was most likely cancerous and there were also areas of concern on my right side. We left her office with an appoinment for a breast MRI that same day and an appointment to return the following day for a biopsy in her office.

After the biopsy, Christmas Break began and I had 2 weeks off from work. My husband was with me every step of the way with his good-natured humor, support and off-the-wall comments. We have 4 children, ages at the time were sons, 20 and 13 and daughters, 12 and 5. We explained to them what was happening; they said additonal prayers and we continued our family routine.

Every year, my family hosts Christmas Eve. Everyone offered to host that year, but I wanted to continue the tradition at our home and keep everything as “normal” as possible for the kids’ sake and my own. “The Call” came  at 3:00 that day and Dr. Han informed me that the left side came back positive and the right was negative. Many exclaimed that Dr. Han should have waited and not called until after the holiday, but my family and I needed to know ASAP and it was good timing as we had family coming over and we could tell them in person. God surely works in mysterious ways.

I had an MRI breast biopsy on December 31st (my 42nd birthday). Notice how all my dates are centered around holidays or special occasions.

The results for the right side were negative again. During my next visit with Dr. Han we began talking about treatment and the choices I was going to have to make. It came down to a lumpectomy or mastectomy…..either way “lumps were coming out.” We met with Dr. Houser, a plastic surgeon, and scheduled the surgery for January 20, 2009 (Inauguration Day!). In the car on the way home, I told my husband that I was going to look like a freak. He immediately came back, in a sing-song voice, with, “She’s a very freaky girl.” I was laughing and crying at the same time.

The day of my surgery, Dr. Han came in and announced, “Today is a day of hope, no matter if you voted for Obama or not, it is a day of hope and from this day forward I will be cancer-free.” It was right there and then I realized how serious of a situation I was in and Had CANCER! Weird as it may seem, I could only process that I had “breast cancer” and NOT cancer-cancer.

During my surgery and after, my husband kept family, friends and loved ones updated on my progress through my caring bridge site. We are so thankful for the love and support of family and friends and also for Caring Bridge as it was the best way to keep everyone informed.

During my treatment, I had to give up coaching 6th grade basketball, but was ready by softball season to coach my oldest daughter’s team. The support that I received from the Allen East community was humbling to say the least. My team wore pink visors and pink logos on our jerseys. Our team spirit wear included a pink ribbon. We placed 2nd in our league and 3rd in our tournament.

Shortly after my hair fell out, my dear friend and co-worker lost his battle with luekemia on March 21, 2009. Prior to the knowledge of his passing, my husband sent me a text, “Look at the sunset”. The timing of the text was the moment that Tony left this earth and entered into Heaven. (I have this text locked on my phone). Tony’s wife requested that I speak at his funeral, I gladly accepted and was honored to speak about the life that he led.

My last treatment was February 11, 2010 and my 3-month follow up was on May 13th (my brother’s 41st birthday).

My family and best friend participated in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure in Columbus on May 15th with FIFTY THOUSAND others! My dad had his Harley in Thunder Alley and revved his engine for us along with the rest of his HOG group.

I have no family history of breast cancer and I never did feel the lumps. The only reason we found out was because of my mammogram, which was only the second one I had had in my lifetime. We are true believers in “early detection is the best protection.” Now my hair is coming back thick and curly and more gray than I really ever realized. But I’m here and living strong.

Peace, Love and Sunsets.
Cheryl Rodriguez
Bluffton, Ohio

By The Pink Cart | Posted in Breast Cancer Awareness | Also tagged | Comments (1)

Jen’s Story – Meet NED

June 30, 2010 – 4:12 PM

I need to admit something. There’s someone else in my life besides Jeremy my husband. His name is NED. I met NED right around the time they removed my breasts. In fact, it was my surgeon who introduced me to NED. She was ecstatic, she thought we’d be a hit from the very start. And she was right, I liked him. He was handsome and clean. I like clean. At first I felt really relieved to meet NED. I had this image in my mind of what NED would be like, perfect actually…. absolutely perfect. I figured NED and I could go on living together and we’d be one big happy family. I figured Jeremy would get used to this other person in my life. I like NED and I figured he would too.

But after a while I realized that just like Jeremy, NED comes with his own issues. I mean….you know, he looks clean, he wasn’t fat or anything like that, he fit “within the margins” of what a good-looking person should look like, but then he got kind of high maintenance on us. For example, we’d just be going along alright, everyone getting along and he’d make a really big issue out of nothing. He’d insist it was a problem and we’d have to stop everything and focus on NED. Like he was the only one in our family. Jeremy would take it in stride, but I’d get worked up. Sure, I’d try to look cool and collected, but NED really was making me mad and sad all at the same time. He can be very selfish sometimes.

Then sometimes NED would be so great we’d just forget about him. We’d forget even that he was a part of the family. We’d get going in the busyness of life and forget how great NED actually was and how much we liked having him around. Sometimes we would get irritated with each other or we’d just plain ignore NED and yell at each other. We really wanted NED to be a reminder of how much people matter, family matters, but sometimes he’d be so quiet we’d just plain forget.

NED was always great about accompanying me to all my doctor appointments. Even after my plastic surgery and my little nip/tucks, he would remind me he was still here. The doctor would come out of surgery and say something nice about NED like “so glad to see NED in surgery.” This always made me happy.

Sometimes I would get scared I lost NED, if he left for a little while I got nervous, but he never really actually left me. After my scans or procedures, or little cancer scares, handsome NED would pop his head up over the scan machine and say “boo! you thought I was gone, didn’t you!” And I’d laugh and give NED a hug. Sometimes I’d even cry when I’d see NED. It would make me so scared when I thought he was gone.

The kids are a little confused by NED, but they really don’t fully understand why he needs to be here. Cancer was confusing to them too. It’s better this way I think. I don’t really want them to fully understand just yet. Sometimes they ask me questions like “Why do you have to have cancer mommy?” I remind them I don’t have cancer because NED came to live with us instead. It usually resolves their curiosity until the next time they see me getting in the shower or changing my clothes and I have to remind them again why NED is here.

The truth is, Jeremy and I are best friends. We’re inseparable. When I want to share something cool that happened to me during the day, I think of Jeremy. When I want someone to comfort me when I’m sad, I want Jeremy. But I’m quite fond of NED. I think NED is an important part of my life. He’s not always easy to live with, but I’d prefer his moody nature, than to live without him.

So after two years with NED, we’ve decided he can stay, and we really hope and pray he decides to stick around too.

Meet NED; an abbreviation for No Evidence of Disease. This is the term they give my cancer status.  I hope NED sticks around, how about you?
By Jen Starr-Reivitt
http://clergygirl.com/wordpress/?p=1673

By The Pink Cart | Posted in Breast Cancer Awareness | Also tagged , | Comments (1)

Sandy’s Story – 24 year Breast Cancer Survivor and The Pink Cart

June 14, 2010 – 12:28 PM

Tell us your story about how breast cancer has impacted your life. Send it to info@pinkcart.com – we’ll select stories to post here and send each published contributor a free 35-gallon Pink Cart.

When Pink Carts first started rolling off the presses, there were a handful of people we knew had to have one right away. They were our friends and family, survivors and caregivers. They shared their excitement and their pictures with us, happy to be involved in raising awareness and funding to fight breast cancer. Among these many supporters was Sandy, a 24-year breast cancer survivor. When we delivered her Pink Cart to her home, she offered us a cup of tea and her story.

Diagnosed in 1986, Sandy had breast cancer at a time when pink ribbons weren’t as widely recognized, and the disease and its treatment weren’t as well understood as they are today. She was 43 and had so much going on at home that her annual breast health screening and mammogram were the last things on her mind. Knowing she was under a lot of stress, Sandy’s doctor called her and strongly encouraged her to come in for her annual appointment and to get a mammogram. Sandy listened and that day her doctor discovered a tumor in her right breast.

Sandy had an invasive case of breast cancer that had metastasized to her blood vessels. At the time, chemotherapy was only prescribed for women whose lymph nodes had been affected. So even though her cancer was invasive, Sandy did not undergo chemo or radiation treatments. Instead she had a modified radical mastectomy; a procedure where the tumor, lymph nodes and tissue are removed but the muscle remains intact. With the support of her family and her church community, she fought successfully and in 1987 her cancer was in remission.

Five years cancer-free is seen as a major milestone for survivors in remission. In 2010, Sandy celebrates her 24th anniversary of life after breast cancer and is forever grateful for her doctor’s phone call all those years ago – without it, Sandy’s cancer may not have been caught in time. She’s now active in breast cancer awareness activities in her community – volunteering for fundraising walks, participating in support groups, and most recently rolling a Pink Cart to her curb every week on trash day. Sandy feels passionately about doing her part to contribute to awareness building and support resources for women and their families dealing with breast cancer, resources she didn’t have when she was fighting the disease.

Today, nonprofit organizations such as the American Cancer Society (ACS) offer services such as Hope Lodge, where cancer patients and their families are offered a free, temporary place to stay while undergoing treatment. You can find ACS support services in your community at www.cancer.org.

Many women still are not fully aware of the importance of breast health and most will not receive reminder phone calls as Sandy did. We need to do more and you can help us! Join Sandy and Tell us your story about how breast cancer has impacted your life. Write us your story and send it to info@pinkcart.com – we’ll select stories to post on the Pink Cart blog and send each published contributor a free 35-gallon Pink Cart.

Use your voice to make a statement about the need to continue to build awareness, provide resources for fighters, and to find a cure so that our wives, mothers, sisters, and friends are not lost to this disease. Share your story to build awareness of breast cancer risk factors and the importance of regular breast health screenings. Write to us today and roll a Pink Cart to your curb to show your support for the fight against breast cancer.

By The Pink Cart | Posted in Breast Cancer Awareness | Also tagged , , | Comments (0)