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BCO members for 10 or more years - read their inspiring stories

moderators
moderators Posts: 8,739
edited June 2022 in Just Diagnosed

The Breastcancer.org Discussion Board Community has been actively growing for over 12 years, and there are a number of members who have been involved since the beginning. Not only have they provided support and comfort to others for all these years, but they have shared the ups and downs of their journeys and inspired and encouraged others along the way. We would like to acknowledge some women belonging to this special group who have been with us for 10 or more years. They have kindly agreed to share their photos and stories.

Members For 10 Years or More


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Comments

  • Shirlann
    Shirlann Member Posts: 60
    edited April 2014

    Hi, new sisters, I am a 16 year survivor, and doing very well.  Remember, breast cancer is 80% curable, and most of us will be just fine.  Come here for support and especially, a place to vent.  At home, you end up encouraging and comforting the family and your friends.  Here, you can yell, scream, tell all about what is going on in your mind/body.  Welcome to each of you.

    Gentle hugs, Shirlann

  • msphil
    msphil Member Posts: 185
    edited April 2014


    Hello, I am a 20 yr Survivor(Praise GOD) I come back here often to give back and to Inspire others going thru, I found my lump myself in the shower, and diagnosed within weeks I worked a at city clinic at the time and making wedding plans. I had my Faith nad support of family and friends But that I still needed to hear from others like me. Here I found the comfort and support I really needed. I crochet hats to take to oncology suites and for adults and children and I make up leaflets also to take along with them to INSPIRE others not to give up. I wrote a book, "The Healings Of Breast Cancer", A Physical And Spiritual Healing Of My Body And Soul. It is on amazon.com and barnes&noble with some proceeds going to American Cancer Society.  msphil(idc,stage2, 0/3nodes, L mast,chemo and rads and 5 yrs on tamoxifen) 

  • Kathy_R
    Kathy_R Member Posts: 2
    edited May 2014

    I was dx in 2002.  Within a few days I discovered this wonderful site.  It was the lifeline that got me through many sleepless nights.  There always were comforting word and encouragement.  Six months after my dx my daughter was dx at the age of 30, 2 months before her wedding..  That was my true low point, but again, these wonderful ladies were there, day and night, to prop me up.  Fast forward 12 years and we are both doing well.  Two years ago she had a perfect little baby boy.  God is good.

  • songbird68
    songbird68 Member Posts: 127
    edited June 2014

    Thank you Shirlann, Msphil and Kathy_R for taking the time to post here. I am ten months old (in BC years - dx age 44) and really need this kind of support and encouragement at times. It still feels like yesterday I got the news that turned my life upsidedown.

    Shirlann, you are so right about needing to comfort family and friends and that here we can vent and recieve the help and comforting we need. It is good to have this place. Thank you xx

  • Ruru99
    Ruru99 Member Posts: 4
    edited June 2014

    I discovered this site early on - I can't even remember when. Chemo brain and lack of estrogen - those are my excuses and I'm sticking to them! Diagnosed in '99 when there weren't many resources on the net. This place was THE place to learn, share and get hope. I had a scary diagnosis - lots of lymph node involvement, large, aggressive tumour and negative ER and PR. But here I am, healthy and happy 14 years later - yay! I still tell people about the site. 

  • yondahey
    yondahey Member Posts: 1
    edited June 2014

    Thank you so much for sharing your story.  It is inspiring and gives me hope!

    Glad to read you are doing well!

  • sally9876
    sally9876 Member Posts: 15
    edited July 2014

    Any long term Triple Negative Breast Cancer Survivors with lumpectomy???

  • sally9876
    sally9876 Member Posts: 15
    edited July 2014

    THANK YOU!! to all my long term survivor sisters.  Your stories have given me lots if hope and encouragement.  Wishing you continued good health and happiness  for many many years to come!!!

    Sally

  • sally9876
    sally9876 Member Posts: 15
    edited July 2014

    THANK YOU!! to all my long term survivor sisters.  Your stories have given me lots if hope and encouragement.  Wishing you continued good health and happiness  for many many years to come!!!

    Sally

  • sally9876
    sally9876 Member Posts: 15
    edited July 2014

    Hi Ruru99,

    Your story is so encouraging!!! So happy to hear how well you're doing.  Did you have a masectomy or lumpectomy? And did you have chemo before surgery?

  • bluepearl
    bluepearl Member Posts: 133
    edited July 2014

    Thank you! I just came out of the onco and am cancer free...3 years for one breast and one year for the other! Such a relief and I went and bought rose bushes to plant! Wishing and hoping we all stay NED forever!!!!!

  • moderators
    moderators Posts: 8,739
    edited July 2014

    Congrats bluepearl! Wishing you many more years to come NED!

    The Mods

  • taniae
    taniae Member Posts: 60
    edited July 2014


    Thank you all for your stories, I was diagnosed in October 2013 and I've just finished treatments. It's been a very long road and hearing these stories gives you such a lift.

  • taniae
    taniae Member Posts: 60
    edited July 2014

    Thank you all for sharing your stories. I was diagnosed in October and just finished treatments. It has been a long road, but hearing these stories gives you such a lift.

  • lgoldie
    lgoldie Member Posts: 18
    edited July 2014


    I have a friend/mentor who is 53 and had T
    N tumor the size of a small orange at age 35.  Doing fine

     

  • fire-n-ice
    fire-n-ice Member Posts: 6
    edited September 2014

    RuRu,

    Thank God for your post! I have been on this board for hours [love it!!] but couldn't find anyone w/ many node involvement...until you. Thank you so much for your post, doing happy dance here because of you! I am 3 weeks away from bi-lateral mastectomy, no right breast cancer just my choice and I finally meet my oncologist tomorrow.

    Thank you!

    Fire

  • coralrose413
    coralrose413 Member Posts: 3
    edited September 2014


    So happy to find you ladies are all doing well.  What a wonderful and positive site this is for newly dx people like me.  Very inspiring. {{{{{ HUGS }}}}

  • Sarahlou50
    Sarahlou50 Member Posts: 12
    edited September 2014

    Hi

    I am a 15 year survivor..... not sure if I was ever triple neg, as there were no tests for that back in 1999, but think I may have been as I was ER/PR-, and my aunt and cousin both had the disease.  Naturally I am now  looking forward to surviving 20 years and a lot, lot longer!!

    Sarah

  • lgoldie
    lgoldie Member Posts: 18
    edited September 2014


    do you realize how important your "testimony" is to those of us going thru this????   HUGE.   Did you chemo?

  • taniae
    taniae Member Posts: 60
    edited September 2014

    Congratulations Sarahlou, thank you so much for sharing.

  • Sarahlou50
    Sarahlou50 Member Posts: 12
    edited September 2014

    Hi lgoldie

    I had 6 rounds of chemo back in 1999, Adriamycin (the red drug), Cytoxan, fluorouracil.  There was nothing else for me to have as I am er-/pr- so the new drug back then, Herceptin, was no good and neither was Tamoxifen.  A friend of mine who had been dx with testicular cancer a few years previously, gave me one piece of advice which I took: he said to take as much of the chemo drugs as I could.  So I did ask my onc to prescribe more Adriamycin which he did (after doing his calculations to reduce the flourouracil and cytoxan), because as I am sure you know, the drugs are extremely toxic and too much could be damaging and dangerous, but I was lucky and was not affected badly apart from the usual hair loss and fatigue.  However, I am not sure how orthadox this sort of treatment is.

    Sarah

  • Member_of_the_Club
    Member_of_the_Club Member Posts: 263
    edited September 2014

    I logged on today because its my ten year cancerversary and I wanted to give encouragement to the newly diagnosed. I was pleased to find this thread -- great idea.

    I was diagnosed ten years ago today with stage IIb IDC, er+ pr+. I was 42 years old. The primary tumor was 3cm and I had one positive node. I had a lumpectomy plus axillary dissection, eight rounds of dose-dense chemo, radiation, five years of tamoxifen, and I'm about to finish five years of arimidex (my onc said I could stop at 5 years tamoxifen, choice up to me, but I decided to tack on the 5 years arimidex). Two months ago I had my ovaries removed after going back and forth on that decision since my diagnosis. I finally decided to do it because I was sick of getting zoladex shots so I could take arimidex and I wanted some insurance when I stop the hormonals completely.

    Since my diagnosis I've run 2 marathons and 20 half marathons. Life is good.

  • Nash54
    Nash54 Member Posts: 699
    edited September 2014

    thanks so much for sharing your good news!  Just what I needed to read today. And congrats!!!!

  • sandie1973
    sandie1973 Member Posts: 39
    edited September 2014

    Hi member of t

    Thank you so much for sharing your story with us. I was diagnosed April this year with a similar diagnosis to you with the exception of the grade. Mine was a grade 3. My last chemo is tomorrow and then its further surgery to get clear margins and a node clearance. Then rads and 10 years of tamoxifen. 

    What's your secret to remaining NED? Congratulations running 2 marathons and 20 half marathons :) so is it exercise that does it? xx

  • Member_of_the_Club
    Member_of_the_Club Member Posts: 263
    edited September 2014

    My secret is the treatments.

    Exercise keeps me sane. And running is fun.

  • sandie1973
    sandie1973 Member Posts: 39
    edited September 2014

    Good to hear its the treatments you had :)

    I walk every day and it has saved my sanity going through this nightmare. Also helped me to bounce back quickly after chemo.

    Would try running but badly sprained my right ankle 5 months before diagnosis. The ankle still has a lot of stiffness in it.

    Thanks for posting and giving us newbies hope :)

  • Bippy625
    Bippy625 Member Posts: 602
    edited November 2014

    thank you brave and inspirational ladies for sharing with us just dx and in tx! I too have one chemo left, a Bmx, rads, recon and pills. This board has saved me from losing my mind. This is the hardest thing to go through....it gives me strength to go forward, knowing your stories. I hope to be here in 10 years posting

  • Sarahlou50
    Sarahlou50 Member Posts: 12
    edited November 2014

    Hi Sally,

    Can't say for sure if I was every triple neg, as I was never tested for HER 2 (not sure if that was available then) but I was PR and ER neg so the only other drug available to me in 1999 after chemo was Tamoxifen which was no good for me. But hey, I am still here!!

    Sarah

  • awb
    awb Member Posts: 213
    edited November 2014

    My mom had ILC many years ago, had lumpectomy, ALND, radiation, and tamoxifen; as of this month is a survivor of 28 years without any recurrences! I was diagnosed with LCIS over 11 years ago, had lumpectomy, took tamoxifen for 5 years and now continue with evista and high risk surviellance; so far, no further issues in all these years.

    Anne

  • Nash54
    Nash54 Member Posts: 699
    edited November 2014

    awb thanks for sharing....so happy for you and your mom!!! So good to hear success stories like yours!!

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