It’ll be one year next week -July 31st to be exact, that my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. In May my mother was down to see me in Florida for my graduation from nursing school. She was very proud of me. On her return to Ohio she decided to go to the doctor’s for her yearly checkup. Well, it turned out that all of tests came back not so good. The doctor was concerned most about the lump in her left breast.
So, he sent her to a specialist. She had a mammogram and the doctor told her it was probably nothing, but we insisted on a biopsy. Well, the biopsy came back positive. That had to be the most devastating news to hear; both for my mother and myself. My mother and I are very close and share everything. I am the oldest and the only daughter and my parents have been divorced for 25+ yrs.
Well, the surgery was set for August 13th. They would have to do a mastectomy and reconstruction at the same time. She was fearful of waking up to nothing on her chest, so she opted for the reconstruction at the same time. Of course, I was there with her for 3 weeks. I slept in the same room with her for 3 weeks because I had to help her out of bed to go to the bathroom and I wanted to be able to hear her. It was hard for her to get up and down because they used the muscle from her abdomen to make the breast, so it was like having two surgeries at once. I helped her shower and do her hair, but she insisted on doing some things for herself since I would be leaving soon.
The surgery turned out great, they didn’t have to take any lymph nodes and she would not have to undergo chemotherapy. She had a hard time at first coping, but she is a fighter and a survivor. She is back to work full-time now and feels more comfortable with herself.
She has since had a mammogram and is still free from cancer. My mother and I are closer than ever before and we will continue to fight the battle!!!
Thank you for letting me tell my story and I pray for everyone else out there dealing with breast cancer!
Keep a positive outlook and keep fighting!!