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My name is Janet. I have been working at Kroger for 29 years. And I was diagnosed with breast cancer in November 2005.
I am a Kentucky native, born and raised in Ashland. I've been married to my husband for 36 years and have two wonderful sons. Before my routine mammogram came back positive, there had not been any history of cancer in my family. I was shocked. You just never think it will happen to you.
I always say Early Detection gives us many more tomorrows!
Our younger son was studying in France at the time of the diagnosis, so I waited to tell him when he returned home. His question was “What do we do now?” I discovered that it was really hard for my husband and sons to talk about the cancer. I don’t think they could get comfortable discussing something so sensitive and be open with raw emotions in the same way women can.
My journey with breast cancer has allowed me to make many new and treasured friends along the way. I teamed up with four other women and we started a walking group called the "Walking Warriors" (www.wewalkfor.com). We walk and laugh and cry together. There are two other survivors in the group and we share our experiences and feelings with one another—things no one else can really understand. They’re such amazing women and they’ve been an incredible support group along the way.
Last year, we participated in the Avon 2-Day Walk in Charlotte, raising over $50,000 for the cause. Our next stop is the Avon Walk in the Big Apple. New York, here we come!
This experience with breast cancer has enlightened me in a lot of ways. Now that I’m three years into my treatment (with a year-and-a-half to go), one thing I’ve learned is that I’m much stronger than I thought I was. I am a survivor. And other women can make it through this, too. Just try to keep a positive outlook, surround yourself with good friends and a whole lot of laughter.
- Janet
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