Success Stories!
Comments
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Congratulations Carmelle! When you started this thread almost 9 years ago, could you foresee that you would one day reach this point?
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Congratualations Carmelle! It is great news to hear.
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Greetings to Carmelle! it is a long time since i posted - glad to see you are still thriving.
Some cheer from me to some of you who are still at the early stage of trying to deal with things,
i was diagnosed 9 may 2009. Had major breast reduction (obviously including lumpectomy), chemo and rads. Didn't get on with Femara so am on Tamoxifen. Did cold cap treatment to retain hair (yes - it helps a lot) . Today I am getting lots better all the time, have managed to rescue my career, and looking out of my apartment in central London, onto the River Thames in the sunshine, I can truly say I am happy and life is good.
Fear does go at some point. All sorts of pain goes at some point. What remains can just be -
the utter joy of being alive.
if right now you are in the "terror" stage, I send you my love; we all of us know how this feels.
I hope this little post helps a little bit to make you feel that one day things can be good again for you.
Good luck girls -
xxxxxxxxxx
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Greetings to Carmelle! it is a long time since i posted - glad to see you are still thriving.
Some cheer from me to some of you who are still at the early stage of trying to deal with things,
i was diagnosed 9 may 2009. Had major breast reduction (obviously including lumpectomy), chemo and rads. Didn't get on with Femara so am on Tamoxifen. Did cold cap treatment to retain hair (yes - it helps a lot) . Today I am getting lots better all the time, have managed to rescue my career, and looking out of my apartment in central London, onto the River Thames in the sunshine, I can truly say I am happy and life is good.
Fear does go at some point. All sorts of pain goes at some point. What remains can just be -
the utter joy of being alive.
if right now you are in the "terror" stage, I send you my love; we all of us know how this feels.
I hope this little post helps a little bit to make you feel that one day things can be good again for you.
Good luck girls -
xxxxxxxxxx
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1 year post chemo and had my first bangs trim today. There is hope! I feel like a regular hair person now and the curls are growing on me.
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Hi ladies! Congrats to all of you ... I know I will be here 4 years from now so see you then. You are all an inspiration!
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My sweet little mom was dx'd with BC when she was 67 years old. She told the doctor she had absolutely no use for her breasts and told him to take 'em off! She had a radical mastectomy on her left breast, and a not very pretty one, at that.
They discovered that it hadn't spread to her liver or her lymph nodes, and discharged her with no treatment or followup. She had no reconstruction, and rarely used her prosthesis.
I took a leave of absence from an out-of-town job to take care of her. The day after I got there, I woke up to hear her out in the back yard hanging up laundry on the clothesline. She didn't need much taking care of. But I helped her empty her drains, and the sight of her scar became the new normal for me.
Throughout it all, she kept her dignity and her humor. Every year she would go in for a mammogram on her right breast, and every time, she would remind the techs, "Remember - you're only going to charge me half price for this!"
She died 20 years later, in 2009, at the age of 87, from end-stage Parkinsons, having been NED all those years.
She was a warrior, my hero, and my role model for when I was dx'd at the age of 61. I still hear her voice telling me I will be o.k.
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Bumping, because it so deserves to be bumped up!
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bump again!
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BUMP
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I just got back from having my teeth cleaned and my hygienist said her Mom was diagnosed with BC 16 years ago at the age of 39. She had early stage BC, BMX w/reconstruction and no chemo or radiation (she's not sure about tamoxifen but didn't think she took that). After 10 years she "graduated" and no longer has to see her oncologist. I thought for sure they would have had her do chemo at her age, especially before the oncotype test, but they didn't! She's still alive today!
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Great story txmomof2! Thank you for sharing!!0
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Any success stories with Brain Mets or Spinal Fluid?
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Yesterday I went to do my aqua exercises and the instructor (Nellie) was a 17 year survivor. Woohoo!!!
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Need to add two good stories that I think about whenever I start to feel badly. One, my parents neighbor, now 80. Had unimx 30 years ago. Had lunch with a friend who told me about her grandmother who was dx in her 40's, had a unimx and died at 93. Keep on trucking!
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Bump
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Dear Carmelle; I needed to hear your GREAT news today. I just found out an old dear friend's sister passed away on Thursday from BC and her staging was similar to mine. Although I haven't posted frequently on this thread, I have often visited to read all of the positive posts.
It seems that recently the thought of recurrence has just creeped into my brain space too frequently and your news was so uplifting.
Thank you, Heather
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Dear Heather - Don't let negative thoughts get into your head, at least not frequently.... keep looking forward! Our bodies and chemistry are so different from one another. What may happen to one person may not happen to you at all. There are also miracles. Stay strong! Do the best you can to live healthy : exercise = sweat out the toxins, eat healthy=cancer fighting foods, and think positive=meditate, pray whatever works best for you.
I am reading this book: "Traditional Chinese Medicine: A Woman's Guide to Healing from Breast Cancer" by Dr Nan Lu. It is excellent! You can get a copy for practically nothing on Amazon. I think it helps me a lot.
http://www.amazon.com/Traditional-Chinese-Medicine-Womans-Healing/dp/0380809028
Wishing you the best. Keep looking forward!
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Hi Heather,
We always have hope in our hearts to be found at any stage but getting past fear of recurrence tough to master but doable. The time following treatment tough to squash worry and fear.
Living in the present moment is most helpful. Not because of fear for the future but because today is what living is all about. And we most definitely have today.
Our children were 1 and 3 at diagnosis. Our oldest goes to highschool next year. I can honestly say that we have not missed one minute of their childhood and growth. If something happens to me tomorrow I am no longer afraid because I am living my best and happiest life.
Hope that doesn't sound preachy because not intent. Just feel we spend more time trying to deal with the past trauma when the healing begins with today. Finding the joy in living again... Hugs to you. Michelle
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Beautifully said Heather.
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Hi Carmelle!
What a wonderful thread you started all those years ago. I thought I would add another story to your wonderful list, my mothers. My mother was diagnosed at just 36 years of age. At the time my sister was three years old and I was seven. Nine-and-a-half years later, just six months before being declared cancer free she found out it had metasticized to her lung. It has now been 26 years since her initial diagnosis and 16 years since it metasticized. She has started a blog to encourage other women in their own journey and to share what has helped her along the way. We are the new kids on the block in the blogging world, but please check out her story, comment, follow us, and/or send an email and let her know what kind of issues you'd like her to address in future blogs. Today she posted in CoQ10. Thanks!
www.faithhopeandlattes.blogspot.com0 -
Wow CaseyM, that IS another inspiring story! Thanks for sharing your mom's journey with us and for passing along the blog link
You and your mother are sure to bring hope to many, many members here!Your Mods
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Carmelle and CaseyM, Thx so very much for your positivity. I really needed to read this post today. I've been experiencing a gnawing pain in my right side and am seeing the doctor tomorrow. Hoping its just gallbladder and nothing more. I'm heading over to FaithHopeandLattes, right now. Heather
PS. Carmelle; Although I live in Pittsburgh, I am heading up to Sudbury Ontario to speak at their Luncheon Of Hope in September along with my sister who is a Ductal In-Situ Stage 0. This is the first time I have ever done anything like this. I felt it was just something I needed and wanted to do.
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Diagnoised Jan 2012 with BC recurrance after 15 years, mets to bones, 14 treatments Abraxane and on Aromacin-Went to onc yesterday, and markers are NORMAL! No more chemo, just on the little pill, and it seems too good to be true but I really needed to share!
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BUMP!
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Thanks Heather! That is the entire reason my mom is doing the post...although she believes strongly in not dwelling on things (i.e. cancer), she really wants to inspire and encourage other women. Will be praying that the pain turns out to be nothing. My mother has often said that one of the side effects of cancer is that every single ache and pain you get afterwards your mind immediately goes to worst case scenario. Hoping that you get good news from your doctor.
So glad you found encouragement from our little site
That's wonderful that you will be speaking at the Luncheon of Hope in Ontario! Way to go Heather!
Please stay in touch and go to our site if you have any questions for my mom.
Blessings,
Casey
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