Shelleys Story
"You are a little bit lumpy", my doctor said while performing my yearly breast exam. "I don't think it is anything to worry about, but I would like you to have a mammogram and ultra sound done, just to make sure." From this day in March 2011, my life has not been the same. I was a 44 year old divorced woman with two teenage daughters at home. I was working full time and I had been going to college part time. Life was finally starting to "look good" ... at least that is what I thought.
I was sent over to the hospital to have a mammogram and ultrasound the Monday following my doctor visit. The radiologist saw a shadow on the ultrasound that he wasn't sure of, so he then referred me to a surgeon for a biopsy. I waited and waited, for what seemed like the longest wait of my life. Different scenarios running through my mind, he came back only to confirm the worst one I had imagined. I was diagnosed with Stage 1 DCIS Breast Cancer.
The next few weeks were just crazy! Doctor visits, lab work, several other tests, and surgery. I had a lumpectomy in April. The doctor informed me everything went well and he was confident all cancer had been removed. In June, I began radiation treatments, the first of 35 all together. The dreaded next step... after thinking long and hard about this, I decided to proceed with Chemotherapy. My first Chemo treatment was on September 7th. I was beyond terrified; I had heard horror stories and was now, on top of all my other fears I had faced in the past few months, fearing losing my hair more than anything else. Well, about 15 days after my first treatment my fear had become a reality, I noticed clumps and clumps of hair in my comb. I then decided to have my boyfriend shave my head. He let me shave his head. We shaved each others heads. This seemed to improve my attitude, while making me feel more in control of things.
I went through four chemo treatments, one every 21 days, the final treatment ending November 9th, 2011. Throughout this whole cancer fighting process I continued to work, go to school, and managed to take care of my family. I would never have been able to do this if I didn't have the amazing support system I have. The people I work with were super supportive, and my family and friends, they were there for me through everything. I had someone at every doctors appointment with me. I would recommend to anyone facing something like this to take someone with them, you then have two sets of ears listening and processing the overwhelming amount of information given to you. At these appointments, I only heard about half of what was said, so I was very thankful to have my boyfriend by my side. I also found support through the Lainey Cole Memorial Fund, an organization specifically designated to help women in Park County that have been diagnosed with Breast Cancer.They give you monies to helpo you with whatever you need while going through treatment. I am forever grateful to them for the help I received. It helped make things a little less stressful during this trying time in my life.
Just remember, a positive attitude and some talking to God will help you through the rough spots in life. Staying positive got me through this bump in the road.
