As we continue to being grateful and thankful this Thanksgiving for our family's and friends near and far. With the National Breast Cancer Awareness month passed and we are well into Movember (when men growing their moustaches to raise awareness to prostate cancer).
i am thankful for the powerful women in my life, my aunt amazing Zodwa Zungu who has been bettering a long journey with breast cancer for about 8 yrs. now, her resilience is nothing short of amazing. I know she would have love to share her long journey with all of us but she is still fighting the breast cancer battle.
The other woman is my beautiful neighbor for about 18 years in South Africa, Aunt Cathy Turner who also got diagnosed with breast cancer about a year ago. She was kind enough to share her journey in hopes to inspires and help someone to getting their very first mammogram. Here's her story...
Always good to know everyone's story. Here is mine. I was really good about checking to see if I had any lumps, but I had not got around to doing a mammogram until I was 53, I had found a painful lump so went to have my very first mamo. and there they did a through check and I was told that I had benign cysts but I must not miss out on mamo's from then on wards. So at the end of 2012 I went in to have my 2nd mamo, and they found what they call a sunset kind of light behind my cyst, this showed there was a problem, I had a biopsy there and only the following day I got the results that I had cancer. One does not ever think you will ever ear these words.....but there it was those words. Alll I can say is that I just wanted to be operated on and have it removed. My wonderful Doctor who has know me and treated me for years with colds and flu, found me a surgeon. By the 21st Dec 2012, just 4 days after finding out I had breast cancer I was operated on and by the 24th Dec I was home and having one of the nicest Christmas's ever. My tumour was only 1cm in size so it came out very nicely but I had to wait until 2nd Jan to get the full results, the tumour was 1cm in size, so I had in the operation a lumpectomy, which means only the lump was removed and there was not any real amount of cancer in the surrounding area, so I did not have to have my left breast removed, so I had caught it early. There also was no cancer in my lymph gland. The tumour did not show up and cancer that was hormonal. So it was sent for future testing. I was found to have an inherited gene cancer that is passed on through my mother's side of the family My breast cancer is called Her2 positive inherited gene cancer. I have completed 30 days of radiation, only 5 min each time. I have completed the big 4 chemo which takes all your hair, eyebrows, and eyelashes. But that is the least of your worries, I have also complete 12 weeks of Taxol chemo and now I wait to do the last of the chemo's and that is Herceptin which helps to stop the gene. It is a long process to end the gene, but I have been told I am in remission, and that is so wonderful to know. This is a learning journey that you go on and it is always good to learn new things, but it is not a journey for the feint hearted. You meet amazing people along the way, and some people you have known a long time just shine in a way you did not know they could shine, I could not have done this journey with out the love and support of my amazing husband, son family and friends. I keep very positive by doing all the things I have ever done, I know when to say no now, and I am not ever shy to say I feel too weak to go on. I still go to work and only take off if I am really unable to go to work. You have to have a good sense of humour and a sense of you you are while you are going on this journey. xxxx
-Cathy Turner
On that note I would like to say thank you so much for all you do for my family, we love you so much and so grateful for that contagious and generous smile that keeps shine on and giving us all hope.
Left: son Ross Turner Husband Peter Turner Right: Cathy Turner
Basic tips:
-Continue to educate ourselves and the next generation about the the stages,the many types breast cancer,treatment
- By creating your own Early Detection Plan to remind yourself when to perform breat self exam and when to schedule a clinic breast exam and mammograms.
- By donating to the breast cancer foundation you are helping someone with this diagnoses, your donations fund free mammograms and other early detection programs for those in need.
- You can also join the walk for those of you who like to keep active while supporting a great cause.
- Priventing breast cancer could be as simple as having a confiscation with breast cancer survivors like these women.
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