Laujuana writes:
March 2010...the moment every woman fears happened to me…I found a lump. I realized it had been a while since I had performed a self exam. I wasn’t as diligent about this as I should have been. There it was. No mistaking it. A lump about the size of the end of my thumb. I tried to convince myself that it was nothing but I had a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach.
On St. Patrick’s Day I had a mammogram, which was overdue. This was only my second one. The first one had been a few years back. Not long into the exam I realized they were getting concerned over something they had seen. I sent my husband a text at work and asked him to get to the hospital quickly. After the mammogram they sent me for an ultrasound. The technician took lots of pictures then finally went to get the doctor to read them. The doctor came into the office and very bluntly and abruptly told me ‘This has to come out’. I asked him what he meant by that. ‘Are you saying this is cancer?’ I asked. He said that he would lean more toward it being cancer than not being cancer. My world just flipped upside down.
When you are diagnosed with cancer you suddenly get introduced to a whole lot of medical terminology you didn’t even know exists. ‘Your cancer is in situ…your cancer is hormone positive…you are HER2/neu negative.’ Were they even speaking in English to me?? Fortunately I had a wonderful team of doctors that explained everything and helped me make the many decisions for my treatment. We decided I would have a lumpectomy followed by chemotherapy then radiation.
I began chemotherapy in May 2010 which included four treatments of Adriamycin, Cytoxan, and Taxol, also known as ACT followed by four treatment of Taxatiere. My oncologist told me to expect that I would begin to lose my hair around eighteen to twenty days after my first treatment. It actually happened on day thirteen for me. As I was using my straightener on my bangs I looked down and realized my bangs had come out when I pulled the straightener down. I’m not one to sit around and wait for things to happen. I didn’t want to wait around as I lost a little hair each day. Out came the clippers and while I cried my eyes out I shaved my head. I decided I didn’t want to wear a wig. I wore do-rags the entire time. I wanted people to know what I was going through and ask me questions so I could share my story and hopefully remind other women to get their mammograms and perform those self breast exams.
After chemo was done I met with the radiation oncologist to schedule radiation treatments. They scheduled me for 35 treatments, one every weekday for 7 weeks. Around Thanksgiving I became extremely burned from the radiation and we had to take a break to allow my skin to heal.
December 15, 2010...the day I had been living for all year. My last treatment. My radiation oncologist has a tradition for the final treatment. He has a gong which each patient rings on their last treatment day. I was grinning from ear to ear when I rang that gong.
Going through breast cancer was one of the most difficult things I have ever faced in my life. But with God and the wonderful support of my family and friends, I did it. It’s been over two years now and I look forward to many years as a Survivor. As Psalms 118:17 says I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the Lord.
She never lost her faith. When SO many others in similar situations would be angry with the Lord, She knew he brought her to it, so he would bring her through it. Lajuana, i love you and admire you. Here are a few of the best from your iPicture Hope session.
Beautiful and strong woman!
ReplyDeleteLove these photos Candy!