Breast Cancer… not me

I come from one of those lucky families with no breast cancer at all. I used to sit in a doctor’s office and casually check the box proclaiming a breast-cancer-free family. I would imagine my sister and eight female first cousins doing the same thing. But all that changed for my entire family in November of 2003. My doctor had ordered me to have my first mammogram in February but I, being certain there was no possibility of a problem, didn’t bother to go until late fall. I figured that sometime in the calendar year would be fine. I went in, got my breasts kneaded and smashed in the giant x-ray machine, went home and thought nothing of it. A week later they called to say I needed a biopsy and still, and I am being completely honest, I was totally calm. Biopsy Shmiopsy! I just kept thinking, “I have NO breast cancer in my family.” After the biopsy, the doctor from the Imaging Center called… not the technician…. telling me I needed to see a specialist. Luckily my OBGYN in New York City knew a breast specialist who was doing amazing things with reconstruction, but still, call it denial, I was perfectly calm.

It took me two weeks to get an appointment and my sister went with me. There was a long wait and finally Blake had to leave. Again without a care, I sat alone in that waiting room filled with very serious people holding hands. Call me the queen of denial, but I sailed into the exam room with my breast-cancer-free-family mantra running through my mind. All that changed when my doctor did a sonogram and found the telltale uneven borders on my tumor. She said that if I had any plans tomorrow I should cancel them because she needed to do a lumpectomy immediately! It had taken me 14 days to get in to see her, and suddenly she could operate on me the next day? For the first time I was completely and utterly scared.

There are moments in your life when you realize how lucky you are to have married just the right person. I had one that night. My husband told me that if I had to lose my left breast he would make certain they gave me two really big ones in exchange. We laughed so hard we fell down, and to this day it always makes me smile.

The surgery was fast and instead of cancer, I got a syndrome and a scar. The tumor had a marker giving me a 75% chance of getting cancer in either breast. I see my specialist every three months and get my yearly mammogram. Truthfully, I don’t think about it too often, but when Elizabeth Edwards announced that her cancer had returned, I felt lightheaded for a moment and also profoundly sad for her and her family. I thought about the thousands of women diagnosed with breast cancer each year and about all their sisters, cousins, and daughters who now have to check the breast cancer box like me and my family.

Comments

In my family, cancer is by no means a foreign word. You name it -- breast, stomach, carcinoma, melanoma -- we've laid claims to enough varieties of the disease to rival Baskin Robbins' 32 flavors. But just like with ice cream my family's resolve has been to "just lick it" -- which means staying proactive when it comes to our health.

So many women, whether there is a history of disease in their families or not, fail to take the simplest steps to keep their health in check. For example, doing a simple breast self-examination monthly can lead to early detection. Three women in my family discovered their lumps through self-exams, had lumpectomies, and have been declared breast cancer-free. I have begun annual full-body exams with a dermatologist since a family member was diagnosed with advanced melanoma. Lathering sunscreen on my body has become a compulsory part of my morning routine.

I'm glad your experience turned out ok. I hope all women take charge of their health so they can lead long, healthy lives.