Carol Farmer

Co-Survivor

My Mom has been breast cancer free for 20 years. When she got it we didn’t know what to think or do. Later, after her treatments, etc., she had a hysterectomy at the age of 83 and after having her ovaries removed, they sent them to the lab and we found out she had ovarian cancer. Turns out she carried the Chek 2 gene so my 4 brothers, sister, and I went to get tested. Mine came back positive, as did my sister Nancy and her daughters Dawn & Wendy. I fought from the end of 2015 to the beginning of 2018 and finally I found the right doctor that would write the correct letter to my insurance company. My mom and her mother had breast cancer, everybody on my mom’s and dad’s sides of the family died from one kind of cancer or another. Dr. Chris, however, wrote a letter to my insurance company so they would allow me to have a double mastectomy with implants. I was going to use my stomach but there’s only enough for one side. Now my insurance is coming back to me saying that I need to pay my last deductible before I can have my next surgery of my implants, but I’m a fighter and I will not stop until I get my way again, even if it puts me in debt once again. I fought for almost 4 years to get my double mastectomy and I will continue to fight, even though I have no support from anyone in my family or friends. I want to go out and tell the world that us women do have a choice no matter what others say. I have stacks of rejection letters from all the times I submitted a letter but, as you see, I never gave up. Everyone I talk to knows my passion for getting the word out there, but that doesn’t mean they have to make the same decisions as I did. My breasts were full of masses my left side was 60% mass and the right side was 49% mass, I’m happy I made the decision. I was told from my doctor that by the end of my next birthday, which was the past December, I would have gotten breast cancer. I enjoy speaking my mind telling woman that they should go out there and get checked and if they are afraid I’d be more than happy to go with them. I have never been so passionate about anything than I am with this. Everyone I talk to about this is in awe because I believe in myself 100% and it was the best decision for me to go through. If I could find a way to have my deductibles and outstanding bills paid for I’d be out there speaking my mind as I always do to get people to listen that they don’t have to be alone in the like I was.