About

“You are kidding?!” is all I could muster up when the radiologist said I needed a biopsy on a “suspicious gang of cells”.  When I looked at the mammogram, these tiny “micro calcifications” seemed like little bad guys beginning to gather around a camp fire to plan a nasty attack.   “It’s probably nothing…95% of these are usually benign” was the Drs.message to me.  With this news I promptly got down to business having the biopsy and then getting on to Kingsport, TN for the funeral of my step-father who died that morning.  All the family activities kept me distracted and I decided not give this any concern. 

 

Several days later the Dr. called and his words included “malignant” and “caught early”.  Fortunately I was there with my Mother (who has been dealing with breast cancer for the last 2 years) and my sister, Barb.  The three of us held each other and cried.  All of us have cried many tears since and are beginning to learn about life from this new perspective.  Three more biopsies were done and resulted in my right breast being clear and my left breast having 2 definite areas of cancer in 2 different quadrants.  This diagnosis means that I will need to have a unilateral mastectomy. 

 

Telling people the news has been emotionally exhausting.  The “C” word needed a quick reframe and a few weeks later it came to me:  TAJ standing for “This Amazing Journey”.  With this reframe I am on a “path of enlightenment” (yahoo!) rather than “dealing with disease”.  I like this much better.  And, the truth is, wisdom is coming out of the woodwork, lessons are presenting themselves daily, angelic beings are appearing regularly with words of hope and encouragement, food and support and as my friend, Annie (a cancer survivor for 6 years), says – “You are getting ready to see life with new eyes…everything becomes more beautiful..”   It already has.