My story began in October 2000. My insurance company sent me a referral to get my 1st mammogram because my 40th birthday was fast approaching. I made the appointment and went in for the mammogram. A few days later, I received a letter in the mail requesting that I return for additional views. When I went back, my left breast was flatten to a pancake size. They had to be sure to get good pictures of the area in question. Still not liking what they were seeing, which looked like dust specks in a cluster on the mammogram film, they sent me to have a biopsy. In November, I went to the hospital and they laid me on my stomach and put my left breast in a mammogram and did the biopsy. After taking the core samples, they put a marker inside, at the spot where the core samples were taken. Another mammogram picture was taken to be sure the marker was in place. Days later, the results were in. I had breast cancer! Not the words I expected to hear. No one in my family ever had breast cancer. It was called DCIS. Which stands for Ductal Carcinoma In Situ. That means the cancer started in the duct. In November, I had a lumpectomy. Praying for clear margins, which is how they determine whether they have taken all the cancer out or not, I received the call. They didn't get clear margins. My head was spinning, my heart was pounding. Decisions, decisions, decisions. I had a very strong supportive family & friends, which made all the difference in the world. So in January 2001, I had the mastectomy with reconstruction. I stayed 23 hours in the hospital before being sent home with 2 drains and strict instructions. The expander was put in at the time of my mastectomy to start the reconstruction process immediately. Every 2 weeks, I would go back to have saline injected into the expander to help expand the skin to make room for the implant that would be put in at a later date. Because lymph nodes were taken from under my arm, I had trouble moving that arm. I had to walk the wall with my fingers and do other strengthening exercises to regain the use of my left arm. It was hard work, but well worth it. I remember thinking that I couldn't do this anymore....but like all things, this too does pass. Life goes on. My surgeon called me the Friday before Super bowl and told me they didn't find anymore DCIS in the breast and that was good. He said if the Ravens do as well as I did, they will win the Super bowl. And they did win the Super bowl that year! I met with my Oncologist and was told this was a early diagnoses and it was not in the lymph nodes, therefore I didn't need to have chemo or radiation. I had to take Tamoxifin for 5 years. In October 2001, I finally went back into the hospital to have the expander taken out and the saline implant put in. Life was good and back to normal!

Every year, I went back to have my mammogram on the right breast and held my breath until they told me it was clear. I celebrated being cancer free for 5 years in December 2005. Then on January 10, 2006, I went to have my mammogram and heard those dreaded words again. I had a lump in the right breast and needed to have a biopsy done. Because I was a repeat offender, I got sent right to the front of the class. I had the biopsy the following week. This time, because it was a lump, they laid me on my back and did a sonogram to see where the mass was located and marked the skin. Then they took core samples inside the marked area. A few days later, my surgeon called to say it was another breast cancer. There was no other decisions to be made as far as I was concern. I chose to have another mastectomy with reconstruction. I didn't want to deal with it anymore. I wanted to get the cancer as far away from me as possible. So on February 20th, I had the surgery. This time, there was a new procedure available. It was called the senital node. The radiologist injected 2 needles with dye in them at the location of the mass. The dye travels to the main lymph node and will show whether it is cancerous or not. My surgeon and I spoke before I went in to have the surgery and he told me he would take other lymph nodes as well. Boy am I glad he did! Again, I stayed in the hospital for 23 hours and was sent home with 2 drains and strict instructions. Again I had the saline injected into the expander every two weeks. I knew what to expect there, because been there done that before. However, this time when I met with my oncologist, the news wasn't all that good. The cancer was not in the senital node, main lymph node, but it was in 2 other lymph nodes. Had my doctor not taken other lymph nodes, we would not have known that the cancer spread. I would not have been treated aggressively without that information. I had to do 6 treatments with 3rd generation TAC chemo drugs. One treatment every three weeks. It knocked me on my butt, and I lost all my hair and my ability to taste food. But I didn't lose my will or faith! I slept a good bit, not because I wanted to, but because that was all I could do. When I finished chemo in July, I had to wait for my blood work to improve before I could have the expander taken out and the saline implant put in. Again I remember thinking that I will not get thru this. Chemo was the hardest obstacle I ever had to overcome, but I did! I met a lot of wonderful, caring people along the journey. I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason... I am not sure why I got breast cancer twice, maybe to help other people, who knows. But I do know with strong faith, strong will and the great support of family and friends, life's journeys are easier to deal with. My surgeon told me to have faith, you are stronger than you think you are!

After I finished chemo, I was approached by Lisa Taylor of Survivor Diver. She introduced me to Michael Biamonte, D.N. of the Biamonte Center in New York. He is a clinical nutritionist who works wonders. He tested my hair and salivia and could tell me about the candida and metals that were in my system. He gave me a strict diet to follow and a regimen of supplements to take to help my body rid itself of the overgrowth of candida. Overgrowth of candida affects your body of absorbing nutrients and vitamins from the food we eat. I never felt better. I felt more energic and alive! It was a great program and a wonderful addition to surviving cancer.