My Breast Cancer Journey
On Tuesday, June 14, 2016, at 1:20 pm my life changed forever. My surgeon called me to say what I had dreaded hearing my entire life. Dr. Jaberi said, “Sharron I’m sorry to have to tell you this but you have breast cancer.” I became the one woman in eight who had contracted breast cancer. Oh my God, now what?
This journey would not go unwritten. Let’s step back a few weeks. I have always been proactive when it comes to my health care. As They would say I’m usually on top of my appointments. For some reason, I got a late start in 2016 on making appointments to see my doctors.
I made an appointment to see my family physician, dentist, gynecologist, and I even saw an audiologist. Just to have my hearing checked since I was turning 65 in 2017. The word on the street was to have everything you need checked and seen by all the medical professionals and specialists before you turned 65 years old and went on Medicare. There are those who feel that medical services become worst after 65. My responsibility is to schedule appointments to make sure I stay healthy before and after I turned 65. I thought things would be routine as usual. That was not the case!
Somewhere deep down in my psyche I felt something about my health was off. I couldn’t really put my finger on it. On June 14 it all came to fruition.
That very next day on Wednesday, June 15 I met with Dr. Jaberi to discuss the prognosis and to determine the steps to take going forward. I took along one of my very dear friends Kimberley to act as a second pair of ears during the consultation. Kimberley and I have been friends for over twenty years. Needless to say, Kimberley has been there too. She has had her own fight with breast cancer. She has been a great support to me throughout my journey.
My Support
It’s always a good idea to have a family member or friend with you when you are meeting with a specialist. It’s a wise decision to bring a friend because there is a lot of information to comprehend. Quite frankly it’s like being a deer staring into the headlights of a car. I was in shock still trying to maneuver through life’s daily routines. Only life wasn’t routine anymore. You don’t hear or see like you once did. A year later I can see why it was important to have family and friends there it’s such a shock to the system it can be a daunting process. One thing I’m glad I did was to keep a journal it has played such a big part of my healing. You will find that you do what you need to do to get well.
Long story short I was diagnosed with stage two breast cancer. Because it was caught early the size and cancer location determines the type of treatment. My surgeon recommended surgery and radiation.
After numerous tests, an MRI procedure and consultations a date of Tuesday, July 12 was set for a three-hour out-patient surgery. The surgery was a success it only took 2-1/2 hours. I was in by 7:00 am and out by 6:00 pm.
Brandon (left), Wayne (center, my ex-husband)
Garret (right, living in Ohio) and Kimberley (my girl, my sister, my friend) bottom photo.
Many of the people I love came to support me on the day of my surgery. Kimberley was present. My ex-husband Wayne and my youngest son Brandon were also in attendance. Garret my oldest son who lives in Ohio joined us by face time. My circle is small but mighty.
When my family joined me in the recovery area I was sitting and when I saw them I began singing Happy from “Despicable Me 2” by Pharrell Williams. I was happy to be alive.
A Team of Support
It was a whirlwind summer of 2016. I was diagnosed with breast cancer on June 14 and finished my last treatment of twenty doses of radiation ending my treatment on Oct 3rd. I was so fortunate to have a team of doctors and medical staff working in unison on my recovery.
My oncologist was Dr. Tejaswi Sastry, a staff member at The University of Maryland Medical Center and my radiologist oncologist was Dr. Sally Cheston, a staff member with Johns Hopkins Medical Center, I have these two women to thank for the care and treatment in my recovery. What I found to be truly remarkable was the fact that these two hospitals worked in partnership to provide the very best treatment for their patients housed in the very same facility.
The team collaboration should be the standard in healthcare throughout the country. I appreciate the partnership of these two world renown hospitals working together to provide critical care for the many men and women suffering from this dreaded disease.
Breast cancer affects everyone in the family. You are not in it by yourself. How do you tell your family and friends? You just tell them and they are there for you. When I called my youngest son Brandon he was very supportive. This is what he shared with family and friends later when I had gone through my journey with breast cancer.
I must admit I told my sons I didn’t want to see my illness on social media as I was going through my journey. They respected my wishes. The day I received my last treatment of radiation the cat was out of the bag. This is what my son’s posted. Besides me being diagnosed with breast cancer another family member was in the fight of their life at the same time. 2016 had not been a good year for my family, to say the least.
Early Detection Saves Lives
Life is a gift, a blessing and I’m well aware that my health and strength comes from my heavenly father. I want to personally thank my family and friends for all of their support and love. God has shown me his grace and mercy throughout my life.
