Mine is a story of vigilance. In 1979, I discovered a fairly large lump in my left breast. I went to the Doctor and had the appropriate testing and was told to just watch it and all would be o.k. And, all was o.k. for a while. In 1982, a similar lump appeared in the right breast. Back to the Doctor, more testing, but this time it was decided to do a breast biopsy. A quadrant of tissue was removed during the surgery. I continued to have mammograms on an annual basis for the next 18 years. I was continually told that I had fibrocystic breast disease, but not to worry.

In 2000, a small beady lump was discovered. A biopsy was done and it was benign. About 2 months later another lump, another biopsy. And, then another and another and another. Each resulting in a biopsy. All benign. It was discovered that calcifications were beginning to form. They looked like grains of salt scattered around. When the calcifications began to form in clusters, I was told I needed to have a Needle Localization. I had this procedure with a biopsy immediately following and a half dollar size of tissue was removed. All was well for a couple of months. Then another lump. This time they did a Needle Biopsy. Twelve tissue samples were taken and again benign. This was all such great news for me, but the stress was beginning to take its toll. How many more biopsy's could I endure not knowing if they would be benign? I spoke with my Gynecologist, who was wonderful and suggested that I might think of a bilateral subcutaneous mastectomy which would greatly remove the changes of breast cancer. This was a very difficult decision, and after much soul searching, my husband and I decided to explore the possibility. I was referred to a wonderful Doctor in Houston. The decision was made to move forward with the surgery which included TRAM reconstruction using tissue from my stomach to replace the tissue taken from my breasts. I had the surgery in Houston on New Years Eve and was told that my lab results showed tremendous amounts of pre-cancer cells and I had made the right decision. It was a long and hard recovery, but in my case gave me such peace of mind. It has been six years since my life was changed forever. I still have my annual mammogram, but with less trepidation. I encourage all women to listen to your body. Do your monthly breast exams. Listen to your Doctor, ask questions and get answers and never, ever give up.

- Jackie, Beaumont Survivor

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