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My name is Paula. I have worked for Kroger for 9 years. And I am a breast cancer survivor.
I grew up in Indiana, but I've called Corunna, Michigan home the past 27 years. I'm married with two children and have two brothers and two sisters. My cancer was first noticed in a mammogram in 1998 and was less than 1 centimeter initially. Unfortunately, the spot began growing and I was scheduled for a biopsy. Not wanting to have any of my family members miss work just for a mere outpatient biopsy, I drove my 12-year old daughter, Jodi, and myself to the hospital for the procedure. I went into the exam room and left my daughter in the waiting room—still not really thinking that I had a malignancy. When they told me that I did indeed have breast cancer, I was completely stunned.
Living my miracle.
I really didn’t give my family a chance to react to my cancer or the treatment that I would be taking. I made it known that I was going to beat this thing and not let it get me down. They all agreed with me and just went along with whatever I said about the diagnosis and treatment. My older sister still says she doesn’t believe I even had cancer because of my attitude and the way that I recovered. I guess I’m just old-fashioned enough to still believe that life is what you make of it. You don’t sit around and feel sorry for yourself—If you can take it you can make it!
Today, I feel absolutely superb and go in routinely for my yearly mammogram. This past December was my first experience with the new digital mammography. The tech was kind enough to show me the screen—it really is amazing how far we've come with technology and cancer research. I'm very hopeful that I’ll live to finally see a cure.
Keep the faith, stay positive and know you’re going to beat it!
- Paula
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