Sharing Your Story On Breast Cancer 101

April 23rd, 2010 | Author: Breast Cancer 101

After many requests, we are excited to officially launch the My Story category of Breast Cancer 101! My Story is exclusively dedicated to those who have been directly or indirectly affected by breast cancer and wish to share their stories with others. For many, writing emotions down, or sharing them with others, is the best way to start healing. To facilitate and enable this healing process, breast cancer patients, family members and/or friends may now apply as Contributors to Breast Cancer 101.

Once an account is approved, you will be able to post your information, pictures and videos directly to Breast Cancer 101 and share your posts with family and friends. Every authorized contributor also has a unique web address that can be used to share all of the posts ever created under your account.

Posted in Coping & Healing, My Story |

Tags: Contribute, Contributor, Coping, Healing, My Story, Sharing

http://twitter.com/jhennick28 Jennifer Hennick

Hello. My name is Jennifer Hennick and I am a breast cancer survivor. I was diagnosed about 4.5 years ago at the age of 28. I was a full time nursing student, a single mom of two children who were 5 and 3 years old, and UNINSURED…yikes! I found my lump while shaving my armpits in the shower. I had a friend whose mother is a nurse practitioner and she agreed to examine me..she immediately told me to seek another exam at my campus healthcenter. The physician at the student health center suggested a mammogram…I was distraught because I was broke! I rememer thinking…should I really go through with it? They would probably just tell me that it's a cyst. THANK GOD the receptionist could see my concern and she set me up with a local organization that ended up paying for my mammogram…my ultrasound…my core biopsy…and when I was given the official diagnosis this organization set me up through a treatment program and all of my treatment was paid for! Today I am practicing as an oncology nurse and this June 8th I will graduate from the Nurse Practitioner program! Raising breast cancer awareness within my community is my passion…I am the founding member of the Young Survival Coalition (YSC) Bakersfield. The YSC is a non-profit organization that focuses on the unique needs of young women diagnosed with breast cancer. I fully believe in the life saving power of self-breast exams and promote that everywhere I go and to everyone I speak with. Cancer provided a path to my calling…I am who I am today because of my breast cancer diagnosis! Check out the ysc website: youngsurvival.org and join my local ysc fanpage on facebook: YSC Bakersfield. I am so excited about the Pink Lotus Breast Center…what an amazing organization!
- http://postop-tions.com Susan
  
  Dear Jennifer, I too am a breast cancer survivor and although I thought I had good insurance, I discovered it only paid 3000.00 of my 54,000 hospital bill, no chemo, no radiation, no labs and did not even cover my biopsy to diagnose the cancer. I had stage 2 locally evasive cancer and needed a mastectomy, chemo and radiation. Although I was unemployed I did not qualify for aid, what a long a tenuous journey finding help for treatment! I found comfort in creating items to help other women just after surgery and introduced them at the Nurses Oncology Convention in San Diego last July. Still I am not getting much product out there just yet so I would like to reach out to your group. Nurse Navigators and oncology nurses are who we want to reach to get awareness. I also am wanting to share and speak about my journey, to give hope and encouragement to newly diagnosed. You can reach me through my site postop-tions.com and read my story under the my journey tab. Hope to hear from you.
- LEONORA STENTA
  
  HI JENNIFER, I TOO AM A 5 1/2 YEAR SURVIVOR. I WENT TO MY GYN FOR MY YEARLY EXAM,INCLUDING A BREAST EXAM, EVERYTHING WAS FINE. MY DOC. SENT ME FOR A MAMMOGRAM…I HAD BREAST CANCER,STAGE 2 THE DOC SAID I HAD A 50-50 CHANCE OF LIVING, THAT IT DID NOT MATTER IF I HAD A MASTECOMY OR NOT, SO I KEPT MY BREAST;DURING THE BIOPSY, THE NOVACAINE DID NOT WORK, SO WHEN THEY SLICED MY RIGHT BREAST I SCREAMED AND THEY HAD TO HOLD ME DOWN TO GIVE ME MORE NOVACAINE; IT WAS HORRIBLE. I HAD A LUMPECTOMY,THEN I FIND OUT THAT THE DOC. MISSED SOME OF THE CANCER, SO 6 WEEKS LATER THEY REOPENED MY WOUND, FOUND THAT CANCER HAD SPREAD,REMOVED 10 LYMPNODES,WENT ON TO MONTHS OF CHEMO AND THEN RADIATION, I WAS ALSO GOING THROUGH A DIVORSE AT THE SAME TIME,LIFE WAS HELL! MY EX HUSBAND HAD BEEN PUTTING ME THROUGH HELL FOR 4 YEARS AND I WAS DEPRESSED AND EXTREMELY STRESSED, AND TO THIS DAY, MYSELF AND FAMILY MEMBERS BELIEVE THE CANCER DEVELOPED BECAUSE OF ALL THE STRESS. DO YOU BELIEVE THIS IS POSSIBLE? I DO. DURING MY TREATMENT I DID THE BEST I COULD TO KEEP A SMILE ON MY FACE, TO CALM MY FRIENDS AND FAMILY, AND NOW I LIVE A VERY HAPPY LIFE(with the love of my life)! CANCER CHANGED MY LIFE! IT GAVE ME THE COURAGE TO DIVORCE MY HUSBAND AT THE TIME, IT GAVE ME STRENGHT,IT GAVE ME THE OUTLOOK I DID NOT HAVE BEFORE.I MET THE MOST AMAZING PEOPLE WHO REALLY CARED.I LIVED ALONE THROUGH MY ORDEAL, BUT MY DOG “PEPPER” GAVE ME COMFORT THROUGH THE WHOLE TIME. NOW I HAVE A TATTOO ON MY BACK THAT SAYS “LOVE EACH DAY”,NOW I LIVE MY LIFE THROUGH THOSE WORDS. I, TOO; AM WHO I AM TODAY BECAUSE OF MY BREAST CANCER DIAGNOSIS! MY NOW HUSBAND THROUGH ME A 50TH BIRTHDAY (BIG) PARTY, INSTEAD OF GIFTS, I ASKED EVERYONE THERE TO DONATE TO BREAST CANCER. MY HUSBAND AND I PERSONALLY BROUGHT THE CHECK TO SAINT CARIATS AT THE MERCY HOSPITAL IN SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTES.THIS WAS THE MOST POWERFUL TIME OF MY LIFE…GOD BLESS, SINCERELY LEONORA (LEE) STENTA