5 year survivors, post your screen name here!

Nash54

Mary great way to kick off another new year! Congrats to you!!

LizA17

congrats Natsfan!!

MNLinda

I was diagnosed in August 2009.  I've had eight breast-cancer-related surgeries and lots of physical therapy for lymphedema and rotator cuff problems.  Also had a very small in situ melanoma, and I'm coming up on the one-year anniversary of that diagnosis.  As they say, any landing you can walk away from is a good one.  I'm encouraged by every milestone I reach.

Strong65

I have a recent dx of stage Iv, just want to thank everyone for sharing. It's disheartening to look at the list of angels, but after coming here I can see there are some living with stage iv for years....

Heidihill

Congrats, Natsfan and MNLinda! 7 years and counting here, too.

Moderators

You are all such an incredible inspiration!!! We love this thread!

Thanks for sharing all of your wonderful stories, and here's to many, many more years!

--Your Mods

funsizejen

Five years today!!

shelleym1

Congrats Jen!

songbird68

Congratulations Jen!

x x

Nash54

Yay Jen!!!!!!

Chevyboy

Congratulations Jen! There's no stopping us now!

Moderators

Fabulous, Jen! Congrats!

voraciousreader

I'm not good at remembering dates....I recall I was diagnosed sometime in January and had surgery the first week in February...so I guess I can say I'm 5 years since diagnosis...give or take!👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍💞💞💞💞💞💞💞💞💞💞

Nash54

congrats voracious!!!!!

lago

Congratulations Jen and Voracious. I will be posting later on this year too! OMG did you ever think 5 years would come?

Resting

Thanks for starting this thread, it's going to be encouraging to see a long list of survivors. I'm just a month over five years since my surgery but will be five years since finishing chemo and rads in October. I'm never sure which one should be my true start date. I will finish five years of Tamoxifen in November and for that I will be grateful. I have had terrible fatigue nearly the entire time I've been on it. Of course now the question becomes - do I take another five years? I don't know, I kinda want to see if I can have a more active life. But, I do appreciate this drug, it's part of why I have made it this far. And for that I am very happy.

cat60

cat60- 5 year Survivor ... My Masectomy was Jan 12th, 2010.  Can't believe 5 years have gone by and I am thankful for each day ! 

Nash54

congrats Cat60!! Thanks for sharing your good news!

songbird68

Hi Ladies! Massive congratulations to you Voraciousreader - looks like you are most definitely NOT on the Titanic:)

x x

songbird68

Sending the biggest celebratory hug to you Cat60 - thank you so much for Sharing - here's to another five(and many more!!) years:)

Have a beautiful day.

x x

songbird68

Congratulations Resting:) the survivor count keeps going up, love it!

I think you should count from when you had surgery, because that made you cancer-free:)

I wouldn't know whether to take tam or an AI for another five years either, I'm a few years off that decision . Wishing you the best of luck whatever treatment you do.

Big hugs

x x

Chevyboy

That's TRUE Songbird... Surgery date is the only day I can remember ANYway, Ha!

Resting, I think if you took Tamoxifen for 5 years, and no really bad SE's, and if your Doc thinks 5 more years is what you should do, and if all the studies go for the 10 year time, then think about it awhile longer, and THEN decide. So I don't know what I just said.....

voraciousreader

Yes...song! Lucky for me, I hadn't been booked passage on the Titanic! Although I had expected smooth sailing, the journey has had some choppy waters...having a compass has helped a great deal in navigating! I guess one can say that one can never be too sure of what a journey is going to be like, nor can know where or when our journey ends....but having a compass and some luck in life really, really helps the journey along...and lest I fail to mention hope and prayers, without them, I guess I would have sunk along the way! Make no mistake, in the last five years, I have starkly learned that for a precious many, this voyage has not been pleasant at all. I have known a few sisters who sadly boarded the Titanic and their passing has left an aching void in my heart when I think of them and their surviving loved ones. I think all of us wished we never were booked passage in the first place. Oh how I wish that my feet never left land....but they had and so I'm stuck on this ship hoping it sails softly into the future for a very long time!

lago

Survivor is when you were first diagnosed. People with mets are also survivors although they may not be NED.

FireKracker

VR...good for U

And Lago,,UR time is comin

I wish both of U 100 yrs.of NED.

Love,huggs and prayers

Xo fireKracker

voraciousreader

Fire...your journey will be coming up on 5 years soon as well! I wish you smooth sailing....may we all coast along for many, many years ahead....

Lucy55

VR.. What a wonderful post... Yes may your ship (all our ships) sail softly into the future for a long time !!

lago

FireKracker I can't believe I'm almost to 5 years. You'll get there too. BTW I don't want 100 years. That's way too much time. I can't afford it

Flautalee

I am a 15 year TNG survivor and also a nearly 4 year new primary TNG of the same breast that I'd had a mastectomy 15 years ago. Very rare 1/32,000 mastectomies as I learned on this site. What I know is that it is important to have breast surgeon not a general surgeon for breast surgery. The first surgeon (general surgeon) left a little bit of breast tissue behind in 2000. During 2010, when I was denied a breast MRI until June 2011 when I had a needle aspiration biopsy based on a breast MRI that the state of NJ required insurance companies to pay for TNG survivors, a new primary grew. I am grateful to my breast surgeon, Dr Elissa Santoro, my medical oncologist, Dr Daniel Moriarty, and my radiation physician for saving my life.

In the last 15 years, I have witnessed 6 high school graduations, 7 college graduations, and had so many happy experieces. My daughter is in her 8th year teaching General Music. My son is a Computer Software Engineer and is getting married this September to a wonderful young woman.

Chevyboy

Wow Flautalee! You went through the wringer! I had never heard of that before...! I just had a general surgeon, not a breast surgeon, and I was really happy with my team, that I had for my Lumpectomy... Maybe it all just depends on the grade, stage, how small, or how early they catch it...

But I always thought that once you had a mastectomy, you wouldn't need radiation, or chemo... not to mention getting cancer AGAIN on that side! I'm so sorry, but that that you seem to be doing alright now. And Congratulations on your Daughter & Son's achievements!