elizabeth braun

Survivor

Third time Survivor

I submitted my story a couple of years ago after a had a recurrence after 10 years breast cancer free. I recently had another recurrence, diagnosed in May, surgery in June and had Proton Therapy Treatment and started oral chemo in conjunction with an aromatase inhibitor. It was discovered on a pet Scan that there were trace amounts in my lymphatic drainage system. The cancer has not gone into my lymph nodes but it’s on a path to try to get there. The surgery in June was to remove the tumor and removal,of the chest wall. The Proton treatment was 28 treatments every day for 5 weeks, my skin was burned and peeled from the intensity of the laser. It was a battle to get the treatment approved by insurance, finally approved after three denials. This did cause a delay in the start date, which hopefully hasn’t jeopardized my health. Without the treatment, the cancer will keep coming back and will be on a destructive path to my lymph nodes. I have had an ongoing battle with this awful disease for 16 years. I am very open about sharing my story, if it helps one person then it’s worth every minute!