Beating breast cancer

Cathy Stiefel went for her annual mammogram in 2013 which revealed she had breast cancer. “I am lucky,” said Cathy. “Lucky because I survived and it made me a stronger person.

” Stiefel’s cancer journey took her to surgery for a double-mastectomy and reconstructive surgery. She never had to take radiation or chemotherapy for the treatment of her breast cancer. “Each person has to make their own decisions once they know all of their options,” said Stiefel.



“My advice to anyone who faces this illness is to choose your doctor wisely, be particular. Do research and ask around about the physician. Also, ask the physician about their record of good and bad outcomes and how they will handle specific problems that might happen.

” Stiefel did have to deal with a post-op infection, which she said was the worst part. She also had to wear an arm sleeve for lymphedema. Stiefel said she had always been the type of person that just played the cards she was dealt and that helped her to have a positive outlook on her situation.

“Everyone had encouraging words for me,” said Stiefel. “Whenever I hear of anyone who is dealing with breast cancer I offer to share my experience with them. I want them to know this disease can be beaten.

” Stiefel also encourages others to research their options once a doctor gives them their opinion. “Reconstructive surgery takes time. It is good to ask the physician to describe in detail everything that will be involved,” said Stiefel.

“Know how much time the entire process will take so you can make decisions based on your personal circumstances.” Deb Beasley found her tumor one day, in 2006, when she suddenly felt a hard lump in her breast. “I went to Dr.

Isbell and they did a skinny needle biopsy on me right away,” said Beasley. “I had no family history of breast cancer; I had my first chemotherapy on my 50th birthday.” As with most families Beasley’s family had some histories of other types of cancer, but she was shocked and admittedly initially scared.

“Your mind becomes full of questions,” said Beasley. “Will I be able to work during treatments? Why me? What is next? Your emotions are on a roller-coaster.” Staying away from anyone who wanted to share negative thoughts or ideas helped Beasley deal with her challenge .

“Surround yourself with positive people,” said Beasley. “I did not want to feel like a patient, so I went to chemo on Friday, my kid’s tournament on Saturday, church on Sunday, and work on Monday. My advice is do not stop, just keep going.

I told myself, ‘If I give in to this, I’ll be toast’ – so I did not give in.” Beasley was employed, at the time, as the secretary at the Fort Payne High School and worried about losing her job due to illness. “I had just gotten this job and did not have a lot of sick days to use,” said Beasley.

“I was able to take treatments and still work. I went to radiation during my lunch break from work, ate my lunch on the way back to work.” Beasley also offers the advice not to listen to statistics on the Internet and to not blame yourself.

About 17 months of treatment that included both chemotherapy and radiation were prescribed for Beasley. Side effects were part of her journey. She did have to shop for a wig after chemo and deal with the change in skin tone that occurs with radiation treatments, but these side effects do pass with time.

Beasley says, “Fight like a girl.” Beasley said she thanks God for his grace and mercy that she survived. Tricia Shankles is a 13-year survivor of breast cancer.

She says when faced with this disease to not be afraid to ask all the questions you need to, get a second opinion, and be sure you are seeing a breast cancer specialist. “Take someone with you to your doctor visits and take notes,” said Shankles. “Remember, this is not just a journey for you, it is a journey for your whole family.

” Shankles said her first visit with her surgeon was a good experience for her. “Doctor shook our hands, introduced himself and said, ‘You are going to do great. Your team, myself, your oncologist, and radiologist have met and prayed over your file and everything is going to be okay,’” said Shankles.

“Lyrica Pack (a breast cancer survivor) was a great help with my questions. Also, I knew my family and church family were praying for me. I knew God was going to take care of me.

” Sonya Bouldin was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2010. She went in to have lipoma removal and test results revealed breast cancer. Bouldin took 33 rounds of radiation treatments and was placed on Tamoxifen for seven years.

“What I want to say to others is that breast cancer is not an automatic death sentence,” said Bouldin. “Some people did say negative things to me and I just stayed positive and others should too.” Bouldin said she was able to “pay it forward” when her mother’s best friend was diagnosed with breast cancer last year.

“She was scared because her sister had died from the disease,” said Bouldin. “I told her everyone is different; it does not mean you will. She is doing good.

” The American Cancer Society (ACS) predicts that 13% of women in the United States will develop breast cancer in their lifetime. Breast cancer survival rates have been increasing. And the number of people dying of breast cancer is steadily going down.

Much of this is due to the widespread support for breast cancer awareness and funding for research. Factors such as age, race, and sex can all affect your breast cancer outlook. However, when this cancer is caught early on, 5-year survival rates are very high and the outlook is generally positive.

Breast cancer in men is rare, currently the average lifetime risk is about 1 in 726. However, men are more likely to receive a diagnosis of advanced stage breast cancer. This is likely due to a lack of awareness about the disease in men.

Because breast cancer in men is rare, more research is needed to get a better understanding of the outlook. When you receive a breast cancer diagnosis, your doctor will estimate the likely course and outcome of your condition. This varies from person to person, and several factors can affect your outlook, including your age and the type, grade, and size of the cancer.

It is important to use survival rates only as a reference point and not to rely on them as predictors of individual outcomes. Breast cancer is as unique as a fingerprint, no two cases are exactly alike. Breast cancer treatments continually improve each year, so the outlook is gradually getting better and better.

THE STAGES OF BREAST CANCER: Stage 0 (in situ)This is a precancerous stage with no invasive cancer cells. Stage 1 (localized)The tumor is small and localized to the breast. There may be a small amount of cancer in nearby lymph nodes.

Stage 2 (localized)The tumor is still localized to the breast but is larger and may have spread to several nearby lymph nodes. Stage 3 (regional)This stage includes cancers that have spread to the skin, the chest wall, or multiple lymph nodes in or near the breast. Stage 4 (distant)This is metastatic breast cancer, meaning it has spread to one or more distant parts of the body, most commonly the bones, lungs, or liver All statistical information taken from American Cancer Society and nationalbreastcancer.

org ..