My Story

Who among us doesn’t have an inherent fear of the unknown?

My formative years were before the internet, before smartphones, before we entered the time where information can be readily obtained, consumed and digested. I remember when adults would use the words “breast cancer” and “mastectomy”, they did so with an almost whisper-like reverence.  As the years passed, the landscape evolved and it included new vocabulary like routine mammograms, genetic testing and increased survival rate.

Advances in both science and medicine have given us a world with significant differences between women of my mother’s generation diagnosed with breast cancer and women today. So when I received my diagnosis, I pulled up my proverbial big-girl panties confident I could maintain my optimist’s outlook (or at the very least, keep up appearances). I knew this much going into the experience: I had an encouraging prognosis and I would choose the option to undergo a bilateral (double) mastectomy.

It was everything else, all of that unknown, that I had to somehow figure out. And I did figure it out. Thanks to the guidance of the health care professionals involved with my care, online resources provided by organizations such as The American Cancer Society and Breastcancer.org, and my own research, I had an incredibly positive, fairly pain-free and surprisingly manageable experience. One I felt was worth sharing.

The internet has no shortage of photos and videos and blogs from people who have shared their stories. This is mine, just like your story will be your own too. And if there are a couple suggestions or resources that you glean from these pages that are helpful to you, then I truly feel privileged to have contributed in some small way.

So take a deep breath, and know this is NOT your mother’s mastectomy.