Haunted by the word cancer

Angelina Jolie's story came out on May 14, 2013 of her having double mastectomy. I can relate to Angelina Jolie. She is 37 years old and I am 32 years old. Angelina lost her mom at the age of 56. I had lost my dad at the age of 57 to colon cancer. She had lost her mom a few years ago. I had lost my dad to cancer 2 years ago. I was thinking what if cancer happens to me. I'm not claiming cancer at all. It's hard to think when you have a love one who had passed away from cancer. All the doctor visits you went with your love one. You had to watch all the chemo your love one went through. It is pain in our hearts.

You would say to yourself, “NO!” I don't want cancer to happen to me. I don't want to live in fear but it is hard to thinking about it. I had some issues in my body recently. I will not go in detail of my issue. This is a private matter for me. This issue wouldn't stop for about a month. I was worried about this issue in my body. Here I am reading Web MD and many online articles of what the cause of this issue in my body each night. One article stated to consult with your doctor since this issue can cause cancer. I was freaking out after reading the article online. I didn't want to tell my mom or my sister. We went through enough crap with my dad. So, I had decided to speak to my boyfriend about this issue in my body. My boyfriend said, “Go to the doctor's office tomorrow.” I did. My doctor had taken a few tests to see what the cause of this issue in my body is. She had looked at me and said, “I don't see anything wrong.” One thing she said to me, “You are healthy young person.” Her words brought life to me. The doctor told me if this issue does not stop please go to another doctor’s office. My doctor handed me business card. After I left her office, I was asking the Lord to heal. I was crying inside and outside. I didn't want to do extra blood work. I was scared for the outcome if I did extra blood work.
A week later, everything was normal in body. I said Amen to myself!!!


Fear of not living. We can say I'm ready to go to Heaven. This is what my dad said when he was normal. When he had cancer he didn't want to die. He didn't want to leave his family that he loved soooo much. My dad knew in his heart that he couldn't change the course of his life. I'm oldest daughter to be involved with cancer awareness. This week, I have decided to become involve in Be The Match at http://m.marrow.org/. I am going to give myself to be a match for patients with leukemia or other forms of cancer. I'm taking the step to help others.

Also, Angelina Jolie's story makes me wonder if I need to do blood work to see if I will get cancer. I'm considering it. Maybe, in my next doctor visit this coming August. I have to fight the rest of my life of this ugly word call cancer mentality.

Iamisleen


Angelina Jolie's Story

We often speak of “Mommy’s mommy,” and I find myself trying to explain the illness that took her away from us. They have asked if the same could happen to me. I have always told them not to worry, but the truth is I carry a “faulty” gene, BRCA1, which sharply increases my risk of developing breast cancer and ovarian cancer.

My doctors estimated that I had an 87 percent risk of breast cancer and a 50 percent risk of ovarian cancer, although the risk is different in the case of each woman.

Only a fraction of breast cancers result from an inherited gene mutation. Those with a defect in BRCA1 have a 65 percent risk of getting it, on average.

Once I knew that this was my reality, I decided to be proactive and to minimize the risk as much I could. I made a decision to have a preventive double mastectomy. I started with the breasts, as my risk of breast cancer is higher than my risk of ovarian cancer, and the surgery is more complex.

On April 27, I finished the three months of medical procedures that the mastectomies involved. During that time I have been able to keep this private and to carry on with my work.

But I am writing about it now because I hope that other women can benefit from my experience. Cancer is still a word that strikes fear into people’s hearts, producing a deep sense of powerlessness. But today it is possible to find out through a blood test whether you are highly susceptible to breast and ovarian cancer, and then take action.

My own process began on Feb. 2 with a procedure known as a “nipple delay,” which rules out disease in the breast ducts behind the nipple and draws extra blood flow to the area. This causes some pain and a lot of bruising, but it increases the chance of saving the nipple.

Two weeks later I had the major surgery, where the breast tissue is removed and temporary fillers are put in place. The operation can take eight hours. You wake up with drain tubes and expanders in your breasts. It does feel like a scene out of a science-fiction film. But days after surgery you can be back to a normal life.

Nine weeks later, the final surgery is completed with the reconstruction of the breasts with an implant. There have been many advances in this procedure in the last few years, and the results can be beautiful.

I wanted to write this to tell other women that the decision to have a mastectomy was not easy. But it is one I am very happy that I made. My chances of developing breast cancer have dropped from 87 percent to under 5 percent. I can tell my children that they don’t need to fear they will lose me to breast cancer.

It is reassuring that they see nothing that makes them uncomfortable. They can see my small scars and that’s it. Everything else is just Mommy, the same as she always was. And they know that I love them and will do anything to be with them as long as I can. On a personal note, I do not feel any less of a woman. I feel empowered that I made a strong choice that in no way diminishes my femininity.

I am fortunate to have a partner, Brad Pitt, who is so loving and supportive. So to anyone who has a wife or girlfriend going through this, know that you are a very important part of the transition. Brad was at the Pink Lotus Breast Center, where I was treated, for every minute of the surgeries. We managed to find moments to laugh together. We knew this was the right thing to do for our family and that it would bring us closer. And it has.

For any woman reading this, I hope it helps you to know you have options. I want to encourage every woman, especially if you have a family history of breast or ovarian cancer, to seek out the information and medical experts who can help you through this aspect of your life, and to make your own informed choices.

I acknowledge that there are many wonderful holistic doctors working on alternatives to surgery. My own regimen will be posted in due course on the Web site of the Pink Lotus Breast Center. I hope that this will be helpful to other women.

Breast cancer alone kills some 458,000 people each year, according to the World Health Organization, mainly in low- and middle-income countries. It has got to be a priority to ensure that more women can access gene testing and lifesaving preventive treatment, whatever their means and background, wherever they live. The cost of testing for BRCA1 and BRCA2, at more than $3,000 in the United States, remains an obstacle for many women.

I choose not to keep my story private because there are many women who do not know that they might be living under the shadow of cancer. It is my hope that they, too, will be able to get gene tested, and that if they have a high risk they, too, will know that they have strong options.

Life comes with many challenges. The ones that should not scare us are the ones we can take on and take control of.