I am 61 years young, feel 25 and love meeting new people. I recently moved to Texas from NC and work in a bank. I have 2 grown chilren and 3 grandchildren which I don't get to see very often. My son lives in Texas and my daughter lives n Colorado. I have a motto that I have lived by for many years "Live and Let Live", My favorite poem is "Footprints" and I love the fantasy world.
I have felt the need to share a very personal health experience with others. Breast Cancer. If it can help even one person, I will know that it all had meaning. My story is not only about me but also about a lesson in awareness- In April of 1995, my place of employment had a Well Woman's Seminar. I give this seminar credit for saving my life, and I do not say this lightly. I will forever be grateful that I was employed by a company that cares so very much about its employees. In attendance at this seminar was a registered nurse who specialized in many of the areas that concern women- The atmosphere was very relaxed, and it wasn't long before we were all very comfortable with asking questions. Although the subject matter covered many different areas, it was surprising how many of us had the same questions. Breast cancer was a topic that was discussed at length. I found myself listening intently for some reason and even though I had been on estrogen for seven years I was very skeptical- "No, sir, this would never happen to me." And even though I had been told the estrogen could cause cancer I wasn't worried. We were shown how to do breast self exams and given a pamphlet along with a waterproof card to hang in the shower. Like many other women, I was very lax in breast self-examinations; because there has never been any type of cancer in my family. I rarely did a thorough self exam. That night I hung the card in the shower and thought I might as well try it. As I followed the instructions, I felt what seemed to be a lump about the size of a large pea. Shaking my head. I thought. "How silly, I am feeling this only because it's so fresh in my mind." I didn't think anything about it for a couple of days and then I decided to check again following the instructions on the card- It was still there.
I immediately contacted my doctor and made an appointment for a mammogram. What followed is a lesson I will never forget. Upon doing a mammogram, the technician could not find the lump, because of dense breast tissue, but knew it was there. They immediately scheduled an ultrasound exam and that is how they found it. Yes, it was malignant. I had breast cancer. However, I was told that I had saved my own life by finding this lump through self-examination. I cannot take all the credit for this. I credit this to working for a company that cared enough about their employees to bring them health education. No matter how young or old you are, you should become familiar with your body and do regular self exams. This is your responsibility to yourself. Don't shove it aside or put it off until later. Procrastinating is so easy for us to do but keep in mind that the earlier cancer is found, the better the chance of survival.
Today, 14 years later, I am a survivor. I know that I have a great deal to be thankful for, and I also know that if I can get my message across to others, then maybe it all happened for a reason. Please, make my experience your teacher.
I will never be able to repay the kindness shown to me during this time, but I can help spread the word to hopefully keep our loved ones safe.
