How many of us know a mother, sister, daughter or friend who’s died from cancer? Everyone I know, knows someone, I can tell you that. Too many women are being told that they have cancer today, when they should have been told yesterday.
"On May 27th, I hit the 12 year survival of endometrial and ovarian cancer anniversary. Luckily, my doctor listened to me, as I had very few symptoms. When I had my hysterectomy, it was discovered that I was at stage 3, as I had metastasis to one ovary. After the surgery, I went on to have the radiation and through the years, have been plagued by scar tissue caused by the radiation. However, I am alive and kicking. On June 23 rd, I will have my 67th birthday and am happy to see each birthday roll around. As a retired nurse and a cancer survivor, I salute you and thank you."
"I, too, am a survivor of uterine cancer. I'm lucky and blessed that I have a wonderful doctor who had the presence of mind to do a biopsy when I told her some of my symptoms. I had stage one uterine cancer, and a complete hysterectomy was all the treatment I needed. Today, a little over a year later, I'm totally fine."
Read on for more remarkable survivor stories…
How many of us know a mother, sister, daughter or friend who’s died from cancer? Everyone I know, knows someone, I can tell you that. Too many women are being told that they have cancer today, when they should have been told yesterday. Write to us at Stories@cancerschmancer.org and share your story. After all, turning pain into prupose heals.
"On May 27th, I hit the 12 year survival of endometrial and ovarian cancer anniversary. Luckily, my doctor listened to me, as I had very few symptoms. When I had my hysterectomy, it was discovered that I was at stage 3, as I had metastasis to one ovary. After the surgery, I went on to have the radiation and through the years, have been plagued by scar tissue caused by the radiation. However, I am alive and kicking. On June 23 rd, I will have my 67th birthday and am happy to see each birthday roll around. As a retired nurse and a cancer survivor, I salute you and thank you."
"I, too, am a survivor of uterine cancer. I'm lucky and blessed that I have a wonderful doctor who had the presence of mind to do a biopsy when I told her some of my symptoms. I had stage one uterine cancer, and a complete hysterectomy was all the treatment I needed. Today, a little over a year later, I'm totally fine."
"In 1991, I lost my 21 year old daughter to breast cancer. We spent two years going from doctor to doctor, only to be told that because she was a cheerleader and worked part-time as a waitress, she was suffering from stress and was given a prescription for Valium. My daughter was in Stage 4 breast cancer, and despite the best efforts of the medical team, my daughter lost her fight - a fight that could have been won, had she been diagnosed correctly, EARLIER! Thousands of women die yearly because of incorrect diagnoses and treatment. It is time for this situation to stop!"
"July 24 will mark 29 years since I was diagnosed with Stage 1 ovarian cancer. People are astounded when they hear how long ago this journey started, and it wasn't until last year that I finally realized the significance of it all. 29 years ago, I was blessed with a wonderful doctor who had steady hands and a humble heart. He managed to get the affected ovary out without any spillage but, more imporantly, he had the humility to recognize that I should be followed up by a GYN oncologist."
"This November, I will be 24 years cancer free. I went through a pretty much the same thing you did. I was 19 and had just had a baby a few months before. I was diagnosed with everything from post partum depression to peritonitis. Finally, at age 26, I had a doctor that recommended a D&C. A week later I was in the hospital for a hysterectomy, diagnosed with type 1 and early 2."
"I was 25 when I was diagnosed with Endometrial Cancer in 1999. The only thing I knew about cancer up to that age was how it made my father suffer for over three years before he died in 1992 of colon cancer at age 46. Most people at 25 are just enjoying life and planning for their future, I at age 25 was filled with fear that I might not have a future. I was fortunate that my cancer was only Stage 1. I give kudos to my GYN for being proactive in doing the endometrial biopsy and D&C, which found my cancer. She then wasted no time in referring me to a GYN-Oncologist for treatment. On
"I was diagnosed with breast cancer last June at the age of 39. According to those breast-cancer-calculation charts, I had a less than one percent chance of developing breast cancer at this time in my life. But I did. In March, I noticed something different about my right breast. I wouldn't have called it a lump, exactly--more like a small mass about three inches below my clavicle. It was so small and unassuming, there were times I couldn't even quite find it when I went to look for it. I was already a month overdue for my yearly check-up, so at the urging of my mom, I made an appointment with my gynecologist. I didn't think my "mass" was anything to be alarmed about, but I figured it was better to be reassured sooner rather than later. Certainly, I wanted to put my mom at ease. My gynecologist couldn't even feel what I was talking about until I lifted my arm and arched my back in a certain way. When he finally did feel it, he said, "that feels cystic to me; I don't think it's anything to be alarmed about." But then, bless him, he added, "But you will be 40 next year, so let's sign you up for your first mammogram." The mammogram didn't detect anything unusual, but because I had felt a mass, the radiologist followed up with a sonogram (to the right breast only). And it was on the sonogram that what I was feeling showed up clear as day. The radiologist looked at it a long time before he said, "I have to be honest with you. I'm very worried about this." He could tell based on the shape and color that my small mass (nine millimeters) may very well be cancer. A biopsy later confirmed his suspicion, and two weeks ago, I met with my breast surgeon to plan a course of attack. When HE went to feel my mass, he was flabbergasted that I had found it. "It's so subtle," he said. Subtle cancer! The scariest kind! The surgeon removed the lump in June. He also removed some lymph nodes to see if the cancer had spread. I woke up to the nurses around me saying, "Good news, Jill. Your lymph nodes looked good!" It hadn't spread! It's nearly six months later, and I'm feeling fine. I finished up chemo in September and am a quarter way through radiation. I'll have herceptin treatments every three weeks until May, and will take Tamoxifin for five years. And after that, I'm hoping I'll be home free. Thanks for your good work and for getting such an important message out there. I'm sure you'll help save many lives."