Personal Narrative: Breast Cancer

Which is being a shy small town girl who never wanted to speak in front of people because of fear of what they think or say. Years after her diagnosis she has become one of the most well know breast cancer activist in the United States. She believes that God brought her through the cancer the first time and used it for good. She also believes that the cancer has made her marriage and family stronger. Cancer can cause depression, body image issues, anxiety and fear, but your attitude about your diagnosis can make a big difference during your treatment. Always try to stay positive and when you you’re a survivor try to make a difference to help

Jean Vondrak is a fifty-six-year-old woman who was always a fighter. She had already lost her husband only a few years earlier to skin cancer and now she was being diagnosed with breast cancer. Jean was always a stubborn, strong-willed woman who seemed as though she could simply take on the world. “I was fifty-two when I was diagnosed with breast cancer.” “Before the cancer I would’ve described myself as a cheerful, strong, motivated mother, grandmother and teacher who cares deeply for my family.” “I loved to care for my family and I loved to always be up and around involved in my farm. But during the time I had cancer I felt troubled, discouraged, and anxious.”

“Sarah has cancer,” is a phrase that changed my life. I was barely ten years old when my dad picked me up from volleyball practice to explain why my little sister had been in the hospital so much. At the time, Sarah was eight and had been in and out of hospitals and various doctor’s appointments over the past two months to try and figure out what was going on. Learning she had cancer was both a relief and burden. The feeling of relief occurred because now we finally knew what was wrong, but it was a burden because you hear about cancer in the elderly, not in eight year-old girls that love sports.

I'm glad to hear that you're feeling slightly better!!!!! I had a similar issue with my grandma who had breast cancer, as well as other family members. I was so frustrated and found the doctors were equally responsible for a multitude of reasons. I packed up her bags and moved her North, where she could receive treatment at the Mayo clinic. Everything is coordinated for you (like it should be)!!! Results (labs/scans) are immediately sent to your smartphone when they become available, and you receive a list of all your specialist appointments and testing in advance. Labs/scans/, etc. are done (same day) onsite prior to your doctor's appointment all under one roof. You have a team of doctors working together on your treatment

When I spoke to the Doctor, she recommended that we have surgery, not knowing if they would diagnose the disease as advanced as my Mom. I was scared, not knowing what the outcome would be. I was just forty-nine years old, and I prepared myself for a fight and battle; I wasn’t going to let this disease win. Preparing for the treatments and keeping a positive attitude was my survivor tool. After surgery, my cancer was diagnosed as stage one and the tumor being very minuscule. The Doctor recommended for me to have 30 radiation treatments and no chemo ordered. Every day, I would wake up and say to myself “yes I am going to stay active and positive and beat this disease”. In Geneva where I live there is a facility called the Living Well Cancer Resource Center; I would drive past it daily not knowing that this facility would be part of my life for the next six months. I was recommended to check out the support cancer group meetings they held. I attended my first session by myself, and I also started my radiation treatments the same week. I never attended any type of support groups or addiction meetings, so I didn’t know what to expect. The meeting started off with a panel of ladies who are all cancer patients or cancer survivors. We each took our turn to introduce ourselves and talk about what cancer you been diagnosed with, and how long you been going for

There is nothing anyone could have done. My sister didn’t mean to get cancer, and she couldn’t have stopped it from growing. I just wish things had happened differently and that my entire family wouldn’t be turned away from me now.

Through all of the challenging things that took place while my father was fighting cancer, I learned many valuable lessons. My parents decided that my father would undergo chemotherapy and radiation at the Cancer Treatment Centers of America in Newnan, Georgia. Normally, they would be gone for about two weeks at a time, but there were a couple occasions that my parents were forced to stay there for months due to major surgeries. Home alone in Florida, my brother and I had very different schedules. So, I was alone most of the time. I was only a sophomore in high school, and I found myself having to do pretty much everything on my own. Even though it was onerous, this time in my life is very meaningful to me. It taught me that I will not always have someone to rely on. Even if it was a little earlier than normal, I am thankful that I was forced to become as independent as I am today. I value this chapter in my life, because I believe that being strong and independent is very critical to being able to survive in the world we live in

More than 50,000 people died in 2015 due to cancer, homicides, and drunk driving. Year of 2015 is the year that opened my eyes to what’s going on with the world’s current society. Cancer, homicides, and drunk driving are things I see as wrongful deaths. Others may see it as a misconception.

Im so shy to ask for help - but I’m writing to help fund my mom’s recovery of stage 4 breast cancer. She was diagnosed with inflammatory breast cancer and is now on a long road of battling.

My cancer diagnosis originally affected my physical appearance with the loss of my hair, pale exterior, and overall weakness. Today, I still feel ramifications in ways that some survivors do not. I suffer most often from fatigue, having a sensitive stomach and immune system. I’m frequently washing my hands and cleaning what is around me. I also have to stay away from certain foods, like dairy and most meat products. I also receive large amounts of aching pain in my hands and back. This is a side effect from some of the medications that I had to take during chemotherapy and my many spinal taps. The pain affects my day to day life. Schoolwork becomes more difficult because writing hurts badly on most days. At the end of the day I use things

This experience transformed me. When the doctors found something weird in my breast, they told me I had breast cancer. From that moment forward, my life changed and I couldn’t grasp why this was happening to me. However, with the help of my family, friends, and my faith I was able to pull through.

In February 2012, my junior year of high school, my mom succumbed to breast cancer. During her fight with breast cancer and after her passing, I made sacrifices on behalf on my family. I wasn’t involved in afterschool programs because I was cooking, cleaning, doing laundry and grocery shopping while helping my dad take care of my younger brother. Throughout my junior and senior years in high school, college was one of the last things on my mind. However my family and friends helped me realize that grades nor finances were holding me back from attending college but I was holding myself back.

The words shot out of her mouth while she cried. “I have breast cancer,” my mother announced while in the arms of my father. As evolutionary principles describe, we fear the unknown, and to my family, this diagnosis presented an unknown. Remembering that my best friend’s mother passed away from this disease, I felt my world turn upside down. My mom was in shock, my dad was scared. A couple of days later, the physician contacted her. To our surprise, he was not discussing treatment options. Instead, he apologized profusely, and told my mom that she had been misdiagnosed. Her results indicated a false positive. Until then, my perception of medicine had been strictly scientific, but my mother’s psychological state in that moment rattled my

One day, I was on facebook and had stumbled upon a shared video about a cancer patient, who is now in remission, talking about her story. But as the video progressed, I noticed that the point of the video wasn’t to share her cancer story; she was actually introducing the idea that there’s an existing cure for cancer.

Suddenly I realized that very few people understood what I personally was experiencing. Once defeating the illness, I became stronger and so did my willingness to help others that faced a similar fate. For instance, Merman’s Angels a cancer group from Chicago asked me to get involved. This was an assembly of cancer survivors who would counsel people struggling with their new reality. After talking to individuals about their experiences, the realization sunk in that some people did not want positive advice. Some people would rather deny circumstances at hand and live in denial.