On November 15, 2023, I was diagnosed with Triple Negative DCIS.  Up to that time I knew absolutely nothing about breast cancer.  It had never shown up in my family.  I had been diligent about getting my annual exams and thank goodness for that.  After my October exam I received a phone call telling me that I needed to come back in for a re-check.  This was nothing new for me as my breasts were very fibrous and sometimes the mammograms were a little hard to read.

So, on Halloween day I went back for a second exam.  It was at this time that I was told that they had seen some crystals that they wanted to take a closer look at.  After they took the second mammogram, they told me that a doctor would look at the films before I left and let me know the results then and there.  They also told me not to worry, “a lot of women get called back, only a small percentage go on to anything else.”

While that was the first time I would hear that phrase, it wouldn’t be the last.

After the doctor looked at the films, she told me that the crystals were of a type she was not familiar with, and she wanted to do a biopsy and have them looked at.  I was not to worry though, most biopsies turned out to be nothing and only a small percentage went on to surgery.  My biopsy was scheduled for Nov. 13th with a follow up with Oncology on the 15th.  On the 15th is when I was told that I had breast cancer and needed to be seen by an Oncologist to discuss my options.

During my meeting with the Oncologist is when I was told that I had Triple Negative DCIS.  For those of you who don’t know most breast cancer is hormone driven.  A small percentage is not.  Triple Negative DCIS is not.  During my visit with the Oncologist, it was suggested that I take the blood test that would reveal if I had the gene for cancer and considering that my mom lost half of her colon to cancer approx. 10 years ago I agreed.  To our mutual surprise, I do not carry the gene (here came that phrase a small percentage again).  I was told that I would need to meet with a surgeon for a lumpectomy.

During the meeting with the surgeon, I found out that I had a tumor the size of a walnut and that the type of cancer I was diagnosed with was fast growing and aggressive.  My lumpectomy was scheduled for Dec. 22, 2023.  A week later I returned for the results.  She was not able to get large enough clear margins and needed to go back in to take a larger margin.  My second lumpectomy was scheduled for Jan. 6, 2024. 

At the end of that visit, in an effort to cheer me up she said “don’t worry, I’ve only had a small percentage of patients that I’ve had to take back for a third surgery.”  At that point, I was done with that phrase.  I semi-jokingly told her to stop telling me the percentages because every time someone told me the percentages, I kept winding up in the bottom half.

When I went back for the results of the second lumpectomy, I fell into the bottom half of the percentages again.  She was unable to get clear margins.  At this point we decided to go ahead with a mastectomy.  While we were talking things over, we came to the conclusion to go ahead and do a double.  This was scheduled for Feb. 29th.

The results from this showed we had made the correct decision to take both breasts.  Even though the cancer was found in the right breast, the pathology showed that there were cells in the left that could have turned cancerous over time.

So this is my story and why I am asking you to donate or walk on my behalf.