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I was 36 and a busy working mother when I began "weaning" my infant son off breastfeeding. I figured the lump I found was a remnant of mastitis.... overactive glands from milk production... but called my obstetrician anyway. Fast forward and instead of blowing out birthday candles for my son's one year old birthday, I was being rolled into the operating room for a mastectomy. No, I don't have any family history, as that is always every one's first question! As is so frequently the case for young women, I found my overriding thoughts to be related to, "How do I maintain a sense of normalcy for my children?" (aged 1 and 4 at that point). My kids were immensely adaptable to the circumstances, as my daughter quickly found joy in locating various ticklish spots on my bald head. Needless to say, I also found joy in our new bizarre ritual. Even though I had been surrounded by life and death at my job in the medical profession, it was not until my own diagnosis that I truly grasped my own blessings... I shunned support groups at that time for several reasons. I didn't feel I had much in common with women in their 50's and 60's; and as a physician of internal medicine, I suspected I was going to slide in to attempts to heal everyone else. I didn't want to be surrounded by negativity! I attended a national Young Survival Coalition conference, where I met the Amazon Heart ladies, and returned home a
new person. My mother says that it wasn't until that conference It is with great excitement that I find myself joining this excursion through Canyon de Chelly. Each step will be a celebration of my journey through breast cancer, and will hopefully inspire the thousands of other women diagnosed each year. My personal fundraising goal is to raise $5000 for supporting other women affected by this all too common disease. To my friends and family reading this, words cannot express the depth of gratitude I feel for having YOU in my life. Thank you for joining my journey.
Click Here to Donate Now!
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