Breast cancer in the family

Posted by maureen

November 15, 2006 |

I remember hearing the words “I have breast cancer” but not really believing it. It was my sister giving me the news and I was absolutely dumbstruck. Although we have lived on different sides of the Atlantic for over 30 years we have remained close: we were great friends growing up and we are great friends now. We have many things in common: we like to exercise and have a healthy diet and we very rarely get sick. We also don’t go to the Doctors often…not even for the annual Pap smear or mammogram. When my sister was diagnosed the cancer had spread to some of her lymph nodes and she had to have a mastectomy. She underwent chemotherapy and radiation and was a real trooper during the whole ordeal. She was positive and kept up with her exercise and, in general, got on with life and has made an excellent recovery. But it was a huge eye opener to me and made me rethink the whole question of mammogram. No matter how you live your life nothing can guarantee that you will not get sick and some things are so much easier to cope with and cure if they are caught early. There is no comparison to having a small lump or tumor removed and maybe following up with radiation to the traumatic experience of having a breast removed, followed by chemo and radiation and the subsequent toll they take on your body. I decided at that point that I would get a mammogram and pap test every year. The facts speak for themselves; a mammogram is currently the most effective way to detect early breast cancer and in a vast majority of cases a Pap test identifies minor cellular abnormalities before they have had a chance to become malignant and at a point when the condition is most easily treatable. Each year, 182,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer and 43,300 die. If detected early, the five-year survival rate exceeds 95%. Happily, my sister is fit and well and I keep reading of new innovative medicines and treatment…they will find a cure someday. But until then I’m going to keep my annual appointments The National Breast Cancer awareness site has information on pink ribbon and is a wealth of information. Good health!