Personal Narrative: My Experience With Breast Cancer

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

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

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 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

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

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.

Im so shy to ask for help - but I’m writing to help fund my mom’s recovery of stage 4 breast cancer. She was diagnosed with inflammatory breast cancer and is now on a long road of battling.

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.

This experience transformed me. When the doctors found something weird in my breast, they told me I had breast cancer. From that moment forward, my life changed and I couldn’t grasp why this was happening to me. However, with the help of my family, friends, and my faith I was able to pull through.

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.

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

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

After months of treatments such as chemo, often patients start questioning what’s next. Will I lose my hair? How fatigue will I become? Will I be nauseated? Will I experience pain? Body changes from cancer treatment can range from hair loss to the loss of a limb. These kinds of changes can be hard to handle because others can see them. Many people who lose hair choose to wear scarves, wigs, or hats. Some people choose artificial limbs (prostheses) and reconstructive surgery after cancer surgery. Both short- and long-term solutions like these draw less attention to or help hide a person’s physical differences (Coping with). Fatigue is the most common side effect of cancer treatment. Fatigue due to cancer treatment is different from everyday tiredness. It can occur suddenly (Coping with). Fatigue makes the arm and legs feel heavy and with all the fatigue they often don’t have to urge to eat. Fighting this disease makes the body sick, making the nausea unbearable to handle. With the right medication, nausea can be limited unless waited until the pain was severe. Making sure to plan ahead and getting all the right information regarding being sick is extremely important. Some patients with cancer do not experience cancer-related pain. Some patients experience pain associated with their cancer and its treatment. If cancer does cause pain, at some

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.

My children having to get ready for school , eat dinner, prepare for bed, and several other things without mommy because I was too weak and sick to get out of bed. My husband having to take care of the children and me while working full time. It's takes a toll on everyone not just the cancer patient. I remember my children running into my room before bed with a bed time story, but I was too fatigued to even read the entire story to them. They were not quite old enough to fully understand what cancer was, but they knew I was sick and very weak. It was hard for them to have friends come over, not because they were ashamed , but they had to explain why their mother looked like a lifeless zombie.