We are the Breastcancer.org Community!

That's me above, Rhonda, aka: RonnieKay (the term of endearment given me by my Caribbean son-in-law who thinks Rhonda is a hard name to remember). I'm with my Prince Charming & our 4 beautiful grandkids! We just took a trip to Disneyland - 9/30-10/4/2015 - with our 3 kids' families and had the time of our lives! My first dx was stage 2 in 2009, at 55 yrs, after finding a lump 10 months after my annual mammogram. When diagnosed, I said, "I knew someday you'd tell me this (3 aunts lost to bc, 1 surviving). Tell me what I have to do to be healed." Whoa...I had no clue! Dx #2 & mx came two years later, 2011, and then, on 12/21/12, 6 months after diep flap, I joined the stage 4 club with liver mets. I feel incredibly blessed that I was stable after 12 months on chemo, herceptin and perjeta, able to drop chemo after 22 months, perjeta after 30 months, and am now on herceptin and femara. I am very lucky to be living a full life with this beastly disease and am thankful for my loving family & friends, my faith and an amazing medical team. But this place is also a lifeline to me. When I first logged on to bc.org with my Sisters of September 09, I remember seeing stage 4 threads and was so frightened by the words: Please respect the privacy of stage 4 patients, families and caregivers. I stayed as far away as possible, but on 12/21/12, the first thing I did when I came home from learning of my stage 4 dx was log on to the stage 4 boards! I come here for support, understanding, advice, acknowledgment, humor and love, from the only people who truly know what this disease is all about. I have learned to live well and yes, die well, from my beloved friends here. This is a community of beautiful, strong, determined people...who want to live!!

Marcy - that is wonderful news! Thanks for sharing!!

http://wtnh.com/2015/10/15/closing-the-breast-canc...

2011 diagnosed hormonal positive then in 2014 mutate to Triple negative..mother of three beautiful girls!

Hi All,

I am a 49 year old mother of 3 (23,21 and 16) from Ireland. I was first diagnosed with BC (HER2+) on the 17th of September 2010, I underwent surgery to remove a 1.8cm lump from LB along with auxiliary clearance 32 nodes removed of which 8 cancerous. Had 6 cycles of carboplatin, taxotere along with Herceptin (which I was on for a year) I also had 8 weeks of radiation Monday to Friday. Was put on Tamoxifen in April 2011 after finishing chemo. When last of the treatments were finished I genuinely never looked back and got on with living my life. I was busy looking after my family, working and enjoying my golf. At the start of 2015 I wasn't feeling too well but cancer was the last thing on my mind. My first symptom was on the 4th or 5th of January 2015 I felt a slight flutter (like an electrical current) over my LB which I thought strange but it only happened another three or four times so I thought no more about it. Come February I was feeling tired and I had a slight cough but my neck was acting up in that it felt as if I had a permanent crick which restricted my head movement. I attended my GP on Monday the 16th of February and was referred for a chest X ray. Two days later I was put on a course of penicillin and then had to wait a week before my next X ray. I was X rayed on Monday the 9th of March and the following day my GP contacted me to say that she had arranged for me to see my surgeon that afternoon. My X ray was considered unusual in that my phrenic nerve on my left side had collapsed and my diaphragm was elevated. My surgeon ordered a CT scan which I had the following morning. I was called back to his rooms later that day to be told that I had about 20 tumours each measuring approximately 9mm in both my lungs and that I had a small dot on my iliac bone. I was shocked and needless to say shed a lot of tears as did my sister who was with me when the news was delivered. A few days later a bone scan confirmed that I also had two dots on my L3 and L4 Spine.

Thank God that I am an eternally optimistic person as despite the initial shock to the system I thought, come on I can do this and I will do this. I remembered an inspirational radio interview given by a Tipperary man called Liam Ryan who was given a 5% survival chance after an aggressive cancer was diagnosed behind his face. He too was distraught with his prognosis until his friend said you have got to be one of those five who will survive this and he was!! On the 14th of April this year I started treatment. Perjeta, Herceptin and Taxotere, My first Scan occurred after 3 cycles of chemo, perjeta and herceptin and showed a reduction in my tumours from 9mm to 6mm and my most recent scan on the 29th of September showed that tumours are stable, i.e. treatment is working. On the 3rd of November I am scheduled to have my ovaries out and will automatically go into menopause. I will be put on a hormonal tablet (can't remember the name this minute) to take each day. So, my present situation is that 9 taxotere chemos have been completed so today I received just perjeta and herceptin and will continue to do so every three weeks until my next scan where hopefully things will remain stable and there will be no need for me to be put back on chemo. Stable is Good!!!!

My motto is kindly borrowed from an elderly friend who sent me the following message:" First we do what is necessary, then we do what is possible, remembering tomorrow is promised to no one". Live Day by Day that is the secret because the moment we attempt to visit the future is when our hearts break. One step at a time!! Me & family at my sister's wedding in Italy on Saturday the 26th of Sept 2015.

Lovely family Judo. You are an inspiration to all on the power of a positive attitude. God bless you!

Catherine

Judo - What a powerful story of courage and wisdom. I'm going to need to steal some of your quotes - they are so inspirational. Thank you. What a beautiful family you have - one can feel the love you share.

ElishebaJoy, you are beautiful.

Yes He does. Very nice.

Thank you, patoo!

Many here have donated . Thank you !........Wandering around and cheerleading again

Donate today, make a difference directly in all our lives. By supporting BCO, we support each other. Thanks and Hugs

https://community.breastcancer.org/forum/110/topic/834331?page=1

Link to the mainboard donation page

https://secure3.convio.net/bco/site/Donation2?df_i...

Welcome marion55

I'm Mags, I'm 64 now, was dxed on my 63rd birthday, it's stage IIIC, slash, poison, burn. I live just north of Oklahoma City. I found BCO just after dx, and hung out on the May 2014 surgery thread, and moderated the July 2014 chemo thread. BCO was my only support system until my church recently started a cancer support group for patients and caregivers. But since I'm a hermit by nature, BCO was all I needed, and I'm so grateful for the women who have become my other family. When I meet other BC patients anywhere, I always tell them about the site and especially the forum. Where would I be without you? Here I am recently.

It was the first time I had worn any prosthetics, I was gifted some knitted knockers. I've always just gone flat. No one notices if you don't have breasts, only if you do.

My rads were uneventful.........the Letrozole beat me up bad.....stopped after 4 years...........

I live in Texas and I was diagnosted at age 49 with stage IIB IDC. I have finished chemo, BMX , radiation and reconstruction. BCO has helped me in so many ways- real, useful information and a place to vent my feelings through the whole process. I still log on nearly everyday. This picture shows my re-grown hair!

Looking through this album I could cry. You have been my lifeline through the darkest days of my life. I read your posts and see your avatars but it all becomes real as I see your beautiful, wonderful, amazing faces. My name is Brina, I'm 54 from Frenchtown, NJ, USA. I chose these photos because they capture the good that many of us have derived from this trauma known as breast cancer. I was diagnosed 9/13 with IDC, DCIS, LCIS and NF1. I'm not sure where I would be without all of you. How many nights I spend here reading, reading, praying and reading. I've had 9 surgeries, chemo and hormonal treatment. I don't think cancer has changed me but rather it has made me recognize my own bravery and ability to live life on my own terms. And so, I'm presently working on my skydiving license. Before I let cancer take me down I'll be Flying Squirreling it out of here. Thank you to all the women and men here who have made such an incredible difference in my life and thank you BCO for this much needed forum.