Big News

I was diagnosed with breast cancer on June 23, 2010. I felt a lump, went to my dr. (Dr. Yvonne Duffe), she ordered a diagnostic mammogram and ultrasound. She called me within hours of the completion of those and told me I needed to have a biopsy. She made sure to ask if I was OK, which I so appreciated. She then referred me to a surgeon at either Florida Hospital or ORMC (some of you may know I will not go to Health Central). I then quickly made an appt. for Monday June 21, 2010 at 9:00am thinking it would be a consultation. Arthur went with me. Dr. Posada felt the boob and suggested we he biopsy it right then. I'm a baby when it comes to needles (I guess now that will quickly change!!), it all just took a few minutes and Arthur got to be with me the whole time. He said he would rush the results, thankfully.

On June 23 I was on my way to Kentucky to pick up our precious girls from 2weeks at their grandparents' houses. Dr. Posada called me around 1:30 and told me the news - I have cancer. He didn't have much other information except that I needed to make an appointment to get this ball rolling. I feel like I knew. Maybe that is Monday morning QBing, but I just wasn't shocked. I asked him if I should turn around and come home, he said no.

I then proceeded to spend the next 5 days in a suspended reality where I embraced my girls, had fun, and let this crazy news sink in! I stayed away from the internet, tried to call as many of you as I could bear and kept having fun!

The girls and I are home now. Reality is knocking.

Tomorrow Arthur and I have our 1st of God only knows how many appointments! We meet with Dr. Posada at 3:45, and I have no idea what to expect!!?? Then, tomorrow night we will tell the girls. I am hoping to have a little more information to share with them, but who knows? The 1st book I bought was a book for kids about having a parent with cancer. For those of you that don't know my own mother died of thyroid cancer when I was 12. And the damnedest of coincidences is that she and my father told my sister and me when we were 11 and 10, just the exact ages of Skylar and Emma! I'm a little freaked about that.

I bought my 2nd book - Living Through Breast Cancer - and have started reading tonight in hopes of not seeming like a complete dumbass during our appt. tomorrow.

I started this blog to try and keep as many of you as update as I can. You all know how much I love to talk and how open I am, but I'm just not sure what to expect so I thought this would be a good way to share information. Please feel free to call or email or FB me anytime, I just can't promise I will get back to you in a timely manner. But please know I will appreciate every call, email, thought and kind wish.

As for the title of the blog, it comes from a wonderful email I got from a dear friend, who has herself fought and defeated this craziness, who wrote "Take a deep breath, hug your girls, and get ready for the fight of your life." That struck a cord with me - it inspired me and motivated me, so here I am....about to embark on the fight of my life!