Heidi’s Story

School was out for the summer and our family was very excited!! We had been separated for most of the last 9 months due to my husbands work. This summer we were looking forward to having as much family fun as possible. We were all together and the summer fun began, balloon festival, hiking, hot springs, and spending time with friends.
About one week into our summer vacation as I was getting ready for bed changing into my pj’s, my thumb barely brushed the side of my right breast where I felt a tiny lump. I could have ignored this as it was such a quick moment but thankfully I stopped and paid closer attention. The lump felt slightly different than the rest of my breast tissue, having always had cystic breasts it was impossible to know if this lump was really something to be concerned about.
The next morning I made an appointment to see my doctor, luckily I was able to get in quickly, while my doctor could also feel the lump she agreed that due to my breast tissue being very cystic we should schedule a diagnostic mammogram. I had to wait 10 days for the mammogram appointment, waiting had to be the hardest part. Finally the day arrived, I had never been so excited and scared to have a mammogram. I don’t know anyone who really wants to have their breasts smashed into pancakes but on that day I was fine with it!!
My mammogram showed no sign of the lump, an ultra sound was done allowing me to point to exactly where I felt the lump. I soon learned the difference between what a cyst looks like verses a tumor. The doctor was able to do a biopsy of the tumor immediately. Three days later on my way to the dentist I received the call from my doctor telling me I had breast cancer. I was alone sitting in my car on the side of the road in complete in shock with so many thoughts running through my head. This is not happening to me, I can’t have cancer. I have two little girls to raise and a life I am not finished living. I would have to tell my girls, my entire family, it would all be so emotional and honestly I was scared. Our family had summer plans that did not include hospitals, doctors and surgeries.
Over the summer and into the fall we did have family time and no it was not what I had planned but in the end we all learned to love each other with more care, to say the things we needed to say, to heal the wounds that had been waiting so long to be healed. Family and friends were there for support in ways I never expected. People we didn’t know showed our family compassion and love. We met new friends that would help to make our journey easier. Breast cancer has touched and changed so many lives, in our case breast cancer brought our family together and closer than ever.
My pathology: Invasive carcinoma, 3 cm, estrogen progesterone positive, 5 lymph nodes removed considered negative, no chemo, no radiation, Tamoxifen for 5 years, bilateral mastectomy with complete reconstruction. I chose to have a bilateral mastectomy due to my family history with breast cancer, my mother is a 15 year survivor, 15 years ago she did not have the choices that we have today. One week after my reconstruction surgery my mother had her final breast reconstruction.