I began this breast cancer surgery project as a photographer. I just joined the club. The dues are high, but the members rock. I’m armed with information. I’m surrounded by love. Tomorrow I’ll have surgery, but I’ll continue the march and keep you posted.
Much Love,
Kathleen
Sharon Kiley Heck, 69, of Ft. Wright, KY is happy with her decision 23 years ago to have a double mastectomy with reconstruction after being diagnosed with lobular cancer in one of her breasts. Both her mother and sister had previously been diagnosed with breast cancer. “I just didn’t want the hammer hanging over me anymore,” she said.
Watch that burger intake, girls.
Michigan State University researcher Sandra Haslam, Ph.D., says girls who eat diets high in animal fats during puberty – whether they become overweight or not – may be at higher risk of getting breast cancer. Haslam spoke Monday at a community outreach program in East Lansing to explain three important breast cancer studies underway at MSU.
Research by Kathleen Gallo, Ph.D., is looking at better understanding what contributes to the spread of cancer, or metastasis, and developing new drug or drug cocktails for aggressive tumors likely to spread.
Eran Andrechek, Ph.D., is developing a new computer model that will help determine cancer patient’s best individual treatment, based on an analysis of a tumor’s characteristics and other factors.
Emmy credits prayers from the Kenyan children of her non-profit in the Ngong Hills for getting her through the worst days of chemo. She says, “helping others who can only repay you in love always comes full circle.” http://www.hopeforhuruma.org
Cheryl Perkins, a labor and delivery nurse at Hutzel Hospital was diagnosed with a 2b, triple-negative tumor in 2003 when her four children were still small. She made them a promise to fight it. You can see her Ford Warriors in Pink video here.
Kelly Rothe, 20, pictured here and in our banner photo, is working on her certification to teach special ed. She lost her mother to breast cancer at the age of 9 and tested positive for the BRCA1 gene mutation. On May 9th she had a preventative double mastectomy. “I may not be able to breast feed, but I’ll be alive to have kids,” she said. She holds the motto she lives by: She believed she could so she did.
Mastectomy now is more common than lumpectomy, a significant trend in the last decade, say Dr. Lisa Newman and Dr. Adeyiza Momoh, a top breast cancer surgery and construction team at the University of Michigan. It makes the decision about mastectomy versus lumpectomy particularly important these days, they say. These choices will be explored in our new book and on bcsurgerystories.com. Add your voice.
Had a great interview today with Dr. Michael Meininger, a Detroit-area plastic surgeon, for my upcoming breast cancer surgery book. There sure is a lot happening I am eager to tell women about. So many options but still so many questions. I am a life-long reporter on breast health. The book will focus on stories of women describing the choices and steps they made along the way. Please share your stories with us at bcsurgerystories@gmail.com. It’s important we build a national network where women can find and share reliable and insightful answers to their questions, as told by other women and their doctors.
Welcome to BCsurgerystories.com, a place for discussion and information about breast cancer surgery choices: mastectomy, lumpectomy, reconstruction or living without it.
We want to hear your stories. We also will follow the field and report on what’s new.
This site is maintained by Patricia Anstett, author of “Breast Cancer Surgery and Reconstruction: What’s Right for You,” with Emmy award-winning photographer Kathleen Galligan.
To contact us: bcsurgerystories@gmail.com
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