My battle with breast cancer started at 38

Breast Cancer Awareness Acorns

At age 38, two weeks after my first mammogram, I found a lump under my arm in the shower.  I wasn't concerned, the mammogram report was all thumbs up.  But I sailed into my doctor's office 5 days later expecting an antibiotic... or something... and could you hurry?  I've got a few errands to do.  Next thing I knew, he was writing a prescription for a sedative and saying I shouldn't be alone.  I looked at him like he was nuts.  But I was shaking.

Many days, tests and doctors later confirmed it... Infiltrating Ductal Carcinoma, Stage 2B.  It had gone to my lymph nodes and I faced a very long stretch of chemo, radiation and surgery (7 to date, but who's counting?).  To make it more complicated, I had a less common type of cancer - triple negative.  I went through every bit of treatment including extra chemo to participate in a drug trial.  But just 7 months after I was done and my hair was coming back, the cancer came back.  I'm a single mom and telling my three children was one of the most difficult moments in my life.

As I write, I can tell you I don't think about the odds they gave me.  I guess because I just don't believe them.  But I wanted to do something to push the research along because, even though we hear they've made great strides in the battle against breast cancer - there's still a long way to go.  So I started creating my acorns in pink - with pink ribbon - and I'm donating a 10% of the sales to Susan G. Komen for the Cure.  I'm 2 years into the countdown of 5 years hoping to remain cancer free.  And I'm holding my breath.

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