Success Stories!
Comments
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Bumping for the August 08 group
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Bumping again for the August 08 group!
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Bumping for all of those in need of a success story.
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Bumping
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Hi, all ~ Hope everyone has had a nice weekend without too many SE's. Personally, I am having a harder time dealing with hair loss than I'd imagined. I'm sure I'll get used to it, but today it was more of a downer than I'd expected.
It was disappointing to learn that this board isn't as private and safe as I think we'd all assumed it was. I guess we just have to be careful about what we choose to share here.
Stacy - You and I started our chemo on the same day, 8/6, as did Hood, I think, and maybe Tonya, who I think is dense dose, so no longer on our same schedule. (Forgive me if I'm overlooking anyone else who started on 8/6, but we need a chart or something.) Anyway, Stacy, I hope you won't really leave because, not only will I miss your wonderful sense of humor and warmth, but I will miss having you as a chemo sister who is on the same schedule; and if you're not here, because we're on the same schedule, I will continue to think about you and wonder how you're doing.
Jeannine - Good to know you're in Whittier. I never seem to get that way (I'm out near Palm Springs), but knowing you're there, we will have to try to get together one of these days.
Thinking of you all ~ Deanna
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Bumping for LaShon
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Hi, all, anybody have any new inspiring stories out there that may have resulted from latest treatment options> Thanks, Mary
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Bump
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Bump for those who in need!
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Nico: How is your chemo going?0
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Chemosabi ~ I will post on "Circle the Wagons", Thanks for asking!
Bumping for Chang
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This morning was my second time at a healing through art class for cancer patients and survivors. A lovely older woman I had not met before introduced herself to me by telling me that she had had bc 32 years ago, and is now 82! Yeah!!! Definitely a success story worth sharing!
Deanna
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OK, here is one. When I went to my hairdresser, a month ago, and I told her that I had bc. She came with that story of a client who had bc at 42 and then again, in the other breast at 45. I then asked, a bit stressed, what happened to her? She said '' oh, she is 85 now''. I smiled.
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Deanna and mgignger ~ Thanks so much for posting these suucess stories!
Nico
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Let's bring this back to the top in case we have some new people who haven't read it.
Barb
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My neighbor had Stage III bc 23 years ago. She was a great inspiration to me when I was in chemo.
When I was in surgery, a nun from Pastoral Care came to see me. She told me she was a 21 year survivor, and all she'd had for treatment was surgery.
And last but not least, I have a friend who was Stage III with 20 positive nodes at age 30. It's been 12 years, and she's fine after surgery and chemo.
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I'm cross posting this from the recurrence section:
I was grocery shopping today and the check out gal and I started yakking...she overbagged and asked if I can lift it; I lift weights and said it was fine...then I told her about my breast cancer and how my exercise/outlook has changed. I was stunned when she said she had BC THREE TIMES...the third time she opted for bilateral mx and is now 22 years out!!!!
Best to you all!!!
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Bump because this is just too good not to be shared!
Nico
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bump for success stories
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I thought that I'd share that my BS's nurse told me that she was diagnosed with BC when she was only 29 and is now a 15 year survivor!!!!
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Oh, I forgot to mention that my brother-in-law's mom had BC, lived for almost 30 years since being diagnosed and then passed on from old age NOT BC. She lived till she was almost 90 years old!!!
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I went to a bc survivor luncheon today - the woman sitting next to me was/is a 14 year Stage 3 survivor and doing great!
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Hi, I went to a party today and spoke with a lovely 85 year old woman. She told me her sister is a THIRTY-EIGHT year survivor of BC. She even did the Komen walk in Connecticut this past spring. She reminded me that they didn't have any of the treatments they have today. I thought it was awesome. Stay well, Maryiz
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My mother in law had breast cancer in her early 40s and died 2 years ago at age 95. I know her cancer was close to her nipple and she had a mastectomy but no one will say more. The point being that she was a 50+ year survivor! Amazing!
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What does bump mean? I see it all over this bulletin board. Thanks!
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Jo_Ann ~ Bump is when someone posts to keep the thread elevated in the search standings, which are arranged by lastest posts. In other words, they bump the thread so that it won't get lost when no one has posted to it for awhile. Deanna
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I am a newbie and I these stories make me feel better. We need to continue this thread.
I don't know if all these women long survivors are ER +? Do we have long survivior stories for triple negatives? I am triple negative and it scares me that I cannot take Tamoxi and only option is chemo. If any one has good story on that, pls share.
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Newalex, sure there are lots of long-term survivors for triple neg. As I said, the longer out TN's are from diagnosis their recurrence rate is MUCH lower. Maryiz
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newalex - I have a dear friend who was receptor negative. She was diagnosed at 52. I just recently attended her 80th birthday party. She goes on cruises, has great-grand babies, is active in our church, went to a spa day with me in the middle of chemo, etc. She is mighty inspiring to me!
Lisa
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Success Story of sorts...
It was more than a decade ago that I heard the doctor saying to me "You have been diagnosed with breast cancer and you need to undergo surgery followed by other treatments. You have to be prepared with strong will power to fight and survive. You are young at the age of 29 and have small kids. You have life ahead of you. Initially you may find many things about you have changed but finally someday you will find that nothing much has changed". All I could think then was "My two kids, my two small kids!!!!!!
Losing a breast did not mean much to me when I thought of my two lovely kids. Specially my daughter. I spent an hour or so feeling sad (short time huh?) and then I got up with a smile (a forced one )and went into the doctors chamber again. I had finished with all the questions like "why me?" and decided no one is going to answer them and anyway answers were not so important. I told my doctor "Doctor. I am sure of what I am saying and I need you to listen to me carefully. I want to live. Yes. I am willing to compromise on quality of life I will have. I am not much bothered about it. Concentrate on quantity. Just get me as many years as possible to be with my kids. I need to get my son educated and want to see him grow beard, struggle with shaving, learn swimming, learn cycling and become a good human being etc. I want to make sure my daughter is safe and will be cared for even after me. She needs me to know love. I can't make my parents suffer losing two daughters within a short period (I knew my sister had just few months left as she was terminally ill with breast cancer). I have not yet seen life. I want to be myself someday after finishing my duties. So give me years. You can cut me, fill me up with medicines, prick me with needles and can be sure I am praying for you all through it".
He said we should discuss about the surgery the next day. I agreed. When I came back home and told everyone I was supposed to go the next day to fix up my surgery, everyone was shocked. All were of opinion I was making a hasty decision. They wanted me to take some more time and see if there was any other option.
I went the next day exactly 10 minutes earlier to my appointment and my doctor was a bit surprised. He said I looked like a kid going on a picnic. Eager and excited LOL. We set the surgery for 28th April. He explained to me with diagrams what to expect from mastectomy, radiation and chemotherapy. He told me to get myself mentally prepared for the coming days. I had nine days left for my surgery. That was quite a lot of time and I said I could prepare for a degree exam within that time. I wished him good luck for that was the first independent surgery the oncology surgeon was conducting. I remember what he said later because it really made me happy "It was nice talking to you. It was more like we are fixing up to have a dinner in some restaurant than fixing a date for surgery. I don't know how good I am but I will be doing more than my best and I know you will live long with your will power to survive. You will make me popular" I trusted him totally because he had concern for me. His wife was a pediatrician where my daughter was being cared for. They both had known me and my daughter for quite some time and knew what I was actually going through other than cancer. At that moment cancer was not the worst thing happening in my life.
I had to prepare my son for the coming days. I told him my breast has been behaving bad and because I have already finished feeding my both kids I am not going to keep her anymore. He said I was lucky that it was just the breast that I was sending away because it was of not much use. If it was my leg, hand, eye or ear then it would be worse. Especially if my tongue behaved bad and I sent it away than he would be at loss. KIDS!!!!!!!!!! It was hard and tough thing to do. He was at a stage of life where he could both understand and not understand what was being said around the house. He was in a state of panic when I started because he had heard my family discuss about me seriously. My efforts did not go in vain but I couldn't totally put him at ease. My 11 month old daughter was a bit cranky because I suddenly stopped breast feeding her and I had hard time managing her.
My husband came on 27th morning from a different where he was working and tried to stop me from going for the surgery. He argued there should be some other easier way. To my horror my family joined him. I was firm and very firm. They couldn't persuade me away from my surgery. I went into the hospital just a simple person and came out of it as a Breast Cancer Survivor and it has been 12 years of survival. All I can say about life is that it has been adventurous. Like a roller coaster ride. Ups, downs, fear, screams and fun.
I don't hate breast cancer all together. I know it is wrong to say that when it has snatched my mom and sister from me. But cancer was the magic mirror which showed true colors of people around me. The masks fell down so fast that I had trouble recognizing my own people. It showed me how precious everyday day is. I take in everyday as a present now. I know the value of the 24 hrs I get to spend on this earth. It was after cancer that I ventured out and met few people who are very good friends and great human beings. Most of the wonderful people I have met are somehow related to my going through breast cancer and so I can't even curse it..........I got so close to few of my bc survivor sisters that I went with my two kids to USA to meet them. What a sari party we had there! Wow!!
So here I cheer up for over a decade of survival (MY!!! What a survival it has been........) And look forward to sharing my feelings of another decade with everyone which I suppose will be success story
of sorts again LOL. 0
