Personal Narrative: My Experience With Breast Cancer

14, 2015 I started my first chemotherapy I was anxious, afraid and shaking I didn’t know what to expect I went one

My mom instantly went through four intense chemotherapy treatments. I would miss class, school events, and visits with friends to sit with her through her three-hour chemotherapy sessions. When we came home from therapy, she would sleep a lot, and I was sure to be there by her side through it all.

From personal experience, I have witnessed several family members undergo chemotherapy. Often their side effects of the treatment were worse than the disease itself. Effects, varying form person-to-person, ranged from nausea and

Cancer is sometimes referred to as the big C, the C word. When people hear it, they freeze up in silence as though they have seen a ghost. In October, 2005 at the age of 3 I was diagnosed with a rare cancer that only affects 2 to 3 people out of million. After laying on the couch for several days, and complaining of a stomach I was taken to the doctor there we found out that I had Liver Sarcoma. At this time my mom was in the navy so I was admitted into Madigan Army Medical Center, but left soon later and went to Children's Hospital. I didn't really understand what was happening at that time because everything was happening, so fast that I couldn't keep up. From my Nana moving from Texas to Washington St to live with us, to being in the hospital

When I spoke to the Doctor, she recommended that we have surgery, not knowing if they would diagnose the disease as advanced as my Mom. I was scared, not knowing what the outcome would be. I was just forty-nine years old, and I prepared myself for a fight and battle; I wasn’t going to let this disease win. Preparing for the treatments and keeping a positive attitude was my survivor tool. After surgery, my cancer was diagnosed as stage one and the tumor being very minuscule. The Doctor recommended for me to have 30 radiation treatments and no chemo ordered. Every day, I would wake up and say to myself “yes I am going to stay active and positive and beat this disease”. In Geneva where I live there is a facility called the Living Well Cancer Resource Center; I would drive past it daily not knowing that this facility would be part of my life for the next six months. I was recommended to check out the support cancer group meetings they held. I attended my first session by myself, and I also started my radiation treatments the same week. I never attended any type of support groups or addiction meetings, so I didn’t know what to expect. The meeting started off with a panel of ladies who are all cancer patients or cancer survivors. We each took our turn to introduce ourselves and talk about what cancer you been diagnosed with, and how long you been going for

My parents told me that I was going to start chemotherapy and that I had to have surgery to put my port in. They said that I would have to stay in the hospital for a while and that I would feel really sick. On december 16,2007 I checked into Children’s hospital in Boston. I figured out what cancer was a couple of months later. I was not a big fan of shots but they gave several of them daily. The worst thing about being in a hospital is that there is nothing you can do to improve your situation. I got used to taking pills because they would give me multiple every day. The worst part about cancer was the fact that I lost my hair.During my beginning phases of Cancer I was told to miss school. I ended up missing 5 months of school while in the first grade. The principle wanted to hold me back a year but my teacher said that I was so advanced that I was able to move to the seond grade anyway.In November of 2008 the Make A Wish foundation granted me my wish of going to Disney World. I had never been outside of Massachusetts so going to Florida as a big deal for me. I had also never been on a plane and people say that your ears start to hurt so I was pretty

When I was in 6th grade my Aunt Dana was fighting cancer, and had been for 3 ½ years, I supported her all the way through it. So we held a rally in Thompsonville to support her and show her how much she meant to all of us, and that if she could fight cancer and get up every morning knowing it could be her last than we can get up and fight our battles. She was my light in a very dark tunnel.

One of the most difficult things I’ve ever experienced has been my battle with cancer. When I was 21 I was preparing to submit my mission papers. What was supposed to be a simple physical exam, turned into an unexpected battle. In October 31, 2013 my doctors diagnosed me with papillary cancer. I had surgery, and a couple weeks after had radiation treatment. Months later I was told I was cancer free, and I received my mission call. I was assigned to serve in the Colorado Denver South Mission. Unfortunately a week after I got my mission call, I was told that my cancer was back, and had actually spread to my lymph nodes; its next target would be my lungs, thus making my goal to serve a mission seem further from my reach. I went through the process

While visions of losing your hair and being sick all the time can be a shocking reality, this is very often not the reality of cancer patients. The field has evolved greatly over the years. Today many people in chemotherapy lead full and active lives.

The spirit of a fighter began to dwindle with each round of chemotherapy and radiation. I recall that some of the greatest challenges were those I did on a daily basis. Due to overwhelming fatigue, I would find it rather arduous to get out of bed as well as I had to take naps throughout the day just to perform basic tasks. This was frustrating me as throughout my life, I lived a very active lifestyle and now, due to this debilitating disease, I struggled to stand, worst yet, to walk.

On a chilly Saturday afternoon around the end February, I arrived home from my grandparents only to find that my great aunt, who lives in Washington State, had taken my great grandmother to the emergency room because she couldn't walk. My aunt was up here visiting at the time. My great grandmother was in the local hospital for a few days before they shipped her to Maine Medical Center in Portland, where they proceeded to diagnose her with breast cancer and lymphoma. The breast cancer had a tumor that was against her spine, so she couldn't walk. This was her third time being diagnosed with cancer. The round that did her in.

My dad got diagnosed with prostate cancer in early 2014. It was a hard year for my family, and I still remember it like it was yesterday. Not even in my worst dreams did I ever see my dad having cancer. The man that I looked up to, and loved to pieces had cancer. I was devastated, I remember crying and being afraid that I was going to lose him to an incurable disease that lurked the lives of many.

I was diagnosed with a rare, non-agressive type of skin cancer on my scalp in 2011. Soon after diagnosis, I underwent an MRI to see exactly how big the cancer was. Fortunately, it was only the size of a pencil eraser. After seeing countless doctors, we (my parents and I) finally decided to see a surgeon specializing in cancer at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in downtown Chicago. We met with the cancer surgeon (Dr. Wayne), and he agreed to remove the cancer. We also saw a plastic surgeon (Dr. Kim) the same day to discuss reconstruction options so that my scalp would look as normal as possible after the surgery.

According to “My cancer treatment in the US has given me even greater adoration for the NITS.” Many patients are struggling with their life. Such as, “ I have lost my hair, feeling in my fingertips, my house, in the sense of normal life, all from chemotherapy and proton therapy.” The results of chemotherapy affects your whole life and it changes your life not only physically but emotionally and financially too. According to livestrong.com many patients also deal with symptoms ongoing after treatment. Stating, “ During chemotherapy you may experience a variety of gastrointestinal, musculoskeletal, or constitutional symptoms”(Uddin n.pag). The symptoms from treatment really affect a person as a whole because their body is not functioning correctly or how it used to function. “ Live strong.com also states that, “ The most apparent in emotionally changing side effects associated with chemo treatment is Alopecia, The most apparent in emotionally changing side effects associated with chemo treatment is Alopecia, A medical condition which your hair falls out.” One cancer patients hair falls out it is the most devastating thing,especially for woman because it changes their looks which makes it very hard. Concluding, the results of treatment are very stressful for most patients and the more stress does not need to be added on because the patients are already battling

At first, doctors told us it had metastasized, and they weren't going to do surgery. There was a strong belief my father wasn't going to live for very long because this. Our family didn't give up though. We found a doctor willing to remove the cancer from is body. This gave me hope, but it wasn't one-hundred percent certain he would get better. During his surgery, I could only think about what it would be like for my younger brother to grow up without a father. I had spent seventeen years with my father, while my brother only got a measly eight. Because I didn't talk to anyone about all of this, the pressure of everything made me constantly annoyed and frustrated. When I went to Camp Kesem, I was able to vent about my whole situation to people who cared. I could share the way I felt and not feel ashamed for crying because everyone had been through similar situations and felt the same way at some point. It took away all the pressure I was feeling to constantly remain fine on the outside, while on the inside I was dying from the