If you have been diagnosed with breast cancer

If you have already been diagnosed with breast cancer – take a deep breath! It will definitely be a journey, but you will find a lot of support and as someone told me when I was first diagnosed, “You just joined an elite club you never planned on joining, but it is a great sisterhood.” There is a LOT to learn and a whole lot of decisions to make, but there is a great multitude of resources out there and best of all there are a ton of SURVIVORS! I know because praise God, I am one. Actually, I am still recovering from the second step of my own breast reconstruction. Let me say first of all that modern technology and reconstructive surgery are absolutely miraculous and magnificent. Anyone that does not know me would ever guess that I have had a mastectomy, even if I leaned over and they could accidentally see down my blouse. My breast cancer was stage 2 invasive ductal carcinoma and quite large at 3.7 cm. There is a separate blog with the emails that I sent out to my family and friends, all the way from learning that I had breast cancer through to the final reconstruction, so you can walk all the way through my journey if you like.

In my case, I was able to be reconstructed immediately following my mastectomy and never had to know what it is like to wake up without a breast. I chose an immediate tram flap reconstruction so that it would be more natural and so that I would have a blood supply to the breast (meaning if there was to be an infection - it would respond to antibiotics). However, I have met women who are extremely happy with their implants and very happy they made that decision. Unfortunately, not all women can be immediately reconstructed and may have to wait. My dear friend Pam recently had reconstruction after waiting nearly two years because she had to have a lot of radiation. Nevertheless, she looks and feels great now. So whatever your case, have courage and hope, that there will be a better tomorrow!