Long Term BC Survivors

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Jellydonut
Jellydonut Member Posts: 1,043
edited February 2019 in Who or What Inspires You?
Long Term BC Survivors
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  • Jellydonut
    Jellydonut Member Posts: 1,043
    edited April 2008

    Long-Term BC Survivors:  Hooray for them and may all of us live long enough to be in this great groupl

    Betty Ford - 34 years! (diagnosed in 1974)

    Nancy Reagan - 21 years!

    Shirley Temple-Black 36 years! (diagnosed in 1972)

    Ruby Dee - over 30 years!

    Sandra Day O'Connor - 26 years! (diagnosed in 1982)

    Jill Eikenberry - 22 years!

    Kate Jackson - 21 years!

    Ann Jillian - 23 years! (diagnosed in 1985 at 35 years old; had a child in 1992)

    Richard Roundtree - 15 years!

    Marcia Wallace - 23 years!

    Diahann Carroll - 10 years!

    Rue McClanehan - 11 years!

    Olivia Newton John - 15 years!

    Linda Ellerbee - 17 years!

    If there are other famous long-term survivors' that I've missed, please add to the list.

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  • sherry2007
    sherry2007 Member Posts: 19
    edited May 2008

    How long before you're concerned a survivor?

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  • Jellydonut
    Jellydonut Member Posts: 1,043
    edited June 2008

    Sherry,

    You're a survivor at the moment of diagnosis as cancer has been in the body for quite a long time.  At least that's my take on "survivorship."

    Good luck to you.

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  • lagunamil
    lagunamil Member Posts: 1
    edited July 2008

    jellydonut  --  how about being a survivor for almost 50 years and then being diagnosed with a recurrence in the old radical mastectomy area?  Has this happened to anyone else?

    lagunamil

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  • pinoideae
    pinoideae Member Posts: 1,271
    edited September 2008

    bump for success stories

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  • LisaH
    LisaH Member Posts: 25
    edited October 2008

    I'm coming up on 6 years next month!  Diagnosed at age 33.

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  • msphil
    msphil Member Posts: 1,536
    edited September 2010

    Hi, All I,m a 16yr survivor this december(Praise the Lord) L mast, with reconstruction(my body rejected it) taken out, chemo, radiation, Tamoxifen for 5yrs, hot flashes, vaginal dryness, all during making wedding plans to my wonderful husband, I believe you are a survivor each day that U make another day, it should start there.  idc,stage2,0/3 nodes, adriamycin,cytoxin,rads.  msphil

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  • dreaming
    dreaming Member Posts: 473
    edited January 2010

    In  April I will be ,God willing  17 years from diagnosis, during this time I had 2 biopsies, I know that a recurrence can happen no matter how many years I have been in remission, for this reason I see my surgeon in April, and 6 months later my oncologist.

    It is important to have follow ups, not be paranoid about it,but cautious. 

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  • Makratz
    Makratz Member Posts: 12,678
    edited January 2010

    bump

    Inspiring stories!

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  • LisaH
    LisaH Member Posts: 25
    edited April 2010

    Bump...

    Haven't been here in a while!  Just wanted to stop in and say hi....and say life is good.

    November will be my 8 year anniversary.  Wink

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  • carly1972
    carly1972 Member Posts: 3
    edited April 2010

    I am 56 years old and a survivor of 9 years. I had a mastectomy with reconstruction, and then had an implant in the "good" breast to match up the recon on the other. For the first time in my adult life I am without health ins. and have been turned down by numerous ins. companies until I hit my 10 year. Now, the implant in my good breast has gone "flat". Does anyone know what happens if you don't have it removed? I am terrified about leaving it in, but without health ins. I don't know how to get it done.

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  • badbabe56
    badbabe56 Member Posts: 46
    edited September 2014

    Carly, hugs g/friend. I am currently going through a sep/divorce and that is one of my greatest fears, to lose health insurance. I am not sure what I can offer right at the moment, however I do know a couple of ladies that went through similar so I will leave my e_mail for you and if you would like to respond to it I will put you in touch with some ladies who might be able to help. One thing I am sure about is you need that recon out and cleaned up especially if it was silicone, which was used pretty widely back then. My name's kathy. Hugs xoxoxox

    Edited by Mods to remove personal email address. Please do not provide personal contact information on the public threads. If you wish to share contact information, please do so via Private Message.

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  • Margarida-HB
    Margarida-HB Member Posts: 2
    edited July 2010

    I was 26 when diagnosed with BC. 16 years ago no such thing as a girl in her 20's with BC and furthermore, not one who would survive very long.  Now, unfortunately, its more common for a 20 something to have bc.   That was 16 years ago and am considered one of the longest surviving bc survivors in Canada, according to some doctors at PMH.

     I still get rejected for life insurance and to be honest, haven't bothered to fight it as have no time to argue with the ignorant.  Maybe I should?

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  • dreaming
    dreaming Member Posts: 473
    edited August 2010

    Do you know of anybody that was diagnosed with ovarian cancer after breast? I am really worried, I had the signs and had to force my family doctor to order a CT, well I have ascites in the pelvis, "some"according to her, I am going to see an OB,and have the marker for ovarian done, I know there is a higher risk for breast cancer and vice versa. I am terrified, I was not with breast cancer , ignorance was a blessing.but now I know too much.

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  • starella
    starella Member Posts: 159
    edited May 2011

    bump

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  • LisaH
    LisaH Member Posts: 25
    edited October 2012

    10 years this month. I don't hang around the board often, but drop by once in a while to post. A lot has happened in 10 years, aside from the life we all know. My sister had babies (twins) born, a baby die, and then a fourth child (healthy), my Father was diagnosed with prostate cancer (now 4 years NED), lost my Mother, watched my children move from elementary school, to middle school, high school and now college. My daughter was in kindergarten when I was diagnosed. She's now in the 10th grade. My son was a third grader and now is a freshman (Knob) at The Citadel.

    Time marches on....I'm still marching to the beat. Keep marching girls!!!!!

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  • CherylinOhio
    CherylinOhio Member Posts: 623
    edited October 2012

    Lisa H, what a wonderful 10 years you have had!! I am so happy to hear that and hope I can come back in 5 and yes even 10 years to share my story with others.

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  • Colt45
    Colt45 Member Posts: 771
    edited July 2013

    We know they're out there. LisaH, bless her, keeps checking in... after 6 years, 8 years, then 10 years.



    I wish more LisaH's would post an encouraging message.



    I think it would help balance out some of the other stories. This is a wonderful place for support and understanding. And naturally, the lion's share of the discussions will be women in crisis. And the fact that everyone receives so much support is so beautiful. I am grateful for all of you.



    I just wish more of the successes were chronicled.



    My dad's cousin is a 27 year survivor. My sister's friend's mom is over 30 years now.

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  • ruthbru
    ruthbru Member Posts: 57,235
    edited July 2013

    My aunt was diagnosed with BC in the 1960's. She had a masectomy with no further treatment (standard of care at the time). She died a few years ago at the age of 88, never having a recurrence.

    My grandfather was diagnosed with stomach cancer in the 1950s. He had surgery, was sent home to die, and he did....30 years later, at the age of 93, of old age!

    A friend of mine is a 35 year BC survivor....not only has she survived, she had two healthy children following her treatments...kids who are now grown up with children of their own.

    I am 6 1/2 years out, and so far, so good!

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  • Colt45
    Colt45 Member Posts: 771
    edited July 2013

    @ruthbru: those are very nice stories to hear. Thank you.

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  • CherylinOhio
    CherylinOhio Member Posts: 623
    edited July 2013

    I have heard about many women who wre treated back in the day of no chemo just a radical mx and they live to ripe old ages. I am beginning to wonder if the chemo and rads and meds we take now a days is worse than just surgery???

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  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited July 2013

    Cherylinohio, no...i think they were just lucky.

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  • ahdjdbcjdjdbkf
    ahdjdbcjdjdbkf Member Posts: 645
    edited July 2013

    One very important note about long-term survivors who were diagnosed 20+ years ago - many of them were DCIS only and never knew the difference between DCIS and IDC. I love long-term survivor stories but honestly they give me more hope if the person actually knew she had IDC. Still, I'm very happy for all the DCIS only women with such a great prognosis!! That's why when people try to give me hope telling me about their 80 year old neighbor diagnosed 40 years ago I take it with a major grain of salt - sadly, it was usually a case of DCIS. That being said, my sister was diagnosed with DCIS at 36 and IDC at 46. She is 56 and NED 10 years.

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  • Colt45
    Colt45 Member Posts: 771
    edited July 2013
    *sigh*



    Now I wonder how many 20+ year survivors think they were invasive----but really were not.



    And I wonder what this does to survival rates in general.



    The more I think about it, the more my hopes are dashed.









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  • kaza
    kaza Member Posts: 284
    edited August 2013

    I work with the elderly, i see so many ladies who had mastectomy 20 ...30 ....years ago, it does give us hope, but did these ladies have invasive cancer???? we will never know, x

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  • shoppygirl
    shoppygirl Member Posts: 694
    edited August 2013

    My mother was diagnoised 20 years ago. She had a 1 cm tumor and no lymphnodes. ( although who knows, she may have had micromet but they did not check for such things back then). She had a lumpectomy and 30 rads. She was told to have chemo as her cancer was very aggressive. She choose not to do it. She is still alive and doing well.

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  • dogsandjogs
    dogsandjogs Member Posts: 1,907
    edited August 2013

    I had invasive cancer 31 years ago. Had a mastectomy and no further treatment other than annual blood tests.

    However, I did get a new primary in the other breast in 2011.

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  • Cpacino
    Cpacino Member Posts: 18
    edited August 2013

    My aunt had stage 3 6+cm 17 years ago... Not sure of the pathology but her journey gives me hope daily! She living the dream.

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  • BayouBabe
    BayouBabe Member Posts: 2,221
    edited August 2013

    Love hearing these stories! It takes fear away from us newbies! Thank you for sharing!

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  • hearmeroar
    hearmeroar Member Posts: 19
    edited August 2013

    Does anyone have a survival plan or do you just go day-by-day and hope for the best? Thanks!

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