Happy Monday and Happy ELEVEN year Cancerversary to me! I am so blessed to be able to write this post, and I look forward to it every year that goes by! If you are new around here, I had an aggressive form of breast cancer called Triple Negative. I found out on June 14th, 2013, and on July 1st, I was in the hospital having an eight-hour surgery to remove the tumor and a double mastectomy. From there, I started chemo and later radiation. I celebrate on July 1st because that is the day the tumor was removed.
Triple Negative Breast Cancer is a nasty one, and honestly, you don’t get much choice in how you deal with it. I learned that the more aggressive in treatment the better. If you aren’t familiar with TNBC (like I was at diagnosis), here is an explanation. Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a type of breast cancer that does not have the same receptors as most other types of breast cancer. It’s an aggressive disease with a high rate of recurrence. When breast cancer is diagnosed, doctors are looking for estrogen and progesterone receptors and high levels of the human epidermal growth factor 2 (HER2) protein expressed in the breast cancer cells. These are what cause most breast cancers, except for TNBC, which lack these receptors.
One of the reasons that I look forward to writing this post is to inform all of you and remind you to get yearly checks and check yourself regularly. If caught early, most all cancers can have successful survivor rates. One of the craziest facts about TNBC is that it is most common in younger women and black women. I have heard of women as young as 20 who have been diagnosed with it. It makes me think that this form of breast cancer is environmental. I can’t prove that, but it sure sounds like it to me.
As a reminder, please let your daughter, daughter-in-law, nieces, granddaughter, or any younger woman you care about know that this type of breast cancer does NOT discriminate on age. Tell them that if they feel something different, get to a doctor to check it out. If the doctor says they are too young, get a second opinion. Our environment is changing, and I believe that we are exposed to so many toxins that can cause cancer. Ladies, please pay attention to your body. You have doctors for a reason, and ALWAYS check if something feels or looks different. My tumor was hiding and didn’t even show up in my mammogram. The (brilliant) radiologist who looked at my films saw a calcification that looked suspicious to him and sent me for a biopsy. Thank God for that man! As with any cancer, another critical piece of advice is to get the best oncologist in their field. I know several women who saw an oncologist rather than a breast cancer oncologist, and it didn’t turn out great.
As I enter my 11th year in remission, I am so grateful! One of the greatest privileges for me is to be able to help other women going through breast cancer. While going through it, I felt so alone and wished I had someone to talk to. If you know of someone who is going through breast cancer and they are receptive to it, I am always happy to talk.
Thank you so much for reading this post! I have said from the beginning that I wouldn’t trade the experience (but don’t recommend it!) for anything. I look at it as an opportunity!
Have a wonderful day! Stay well and Be safe! xx
My cute dress can be found here