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I began having annual mammograms at the age of forty. But my life was busy in April of 2003 when my appointment came and I was real close to canceling this mammogram; I thought about pushing it to the following year. Luckily, I went to that appointment.
 
The doctor saw something a little suspicious and called me back for another mammogram. That was also suspicious, but the doctor thought it was most likely nothing other than abnormal cells or something like that. No big deal. Then just to be on the safe side the doctor scheduled a biopsy, still thinking it was nothing. Well, low and behold, it was something. It was breast cancer, but thankfully it was stage one. Not the type of cancer you would detect on your own with your monthly self-examination since it was deep. Had I waited for the following year it would have been much, much worse. I had been on hormone therapy—hormones are to cancer like lighter fluid is to a flame.
 
I had my lumpectomy in July 2003 and no chemotherapy was needed, but I did undergo radiation treatment. Of course when they did the lumpectomy the margins were good since they got it all. After that I came back to work. I was only off for a week or so because I just thought it was a little thing and I’d be able to go back to work. About two-thirds of the way through my radiation treatments I decided that I was too tired to work and undergo treatments so I took off a week to rest up.
 
Since then I have had mammograms twice a year, and I’ve been cancer free for five years! I just got the results back from my most recent mammogram and everything’s good. There is a type of cancer that you can’t feel and you won’t be able to detect by touch or a sensation so do get your mammograms. It’s too easy to say you don’t feel like going to get a mammogram.
 
- Cindy