Ellen Kufner

In August 2014, at 41 years old, my oldest sister was diagnosed with inflammatory breast cancer. On October 1st, she lost her battle. Losing her was losing a piece of myself. It happened so fast, we were left with so many questions. On December 25th, 2014 I found a lump on my left breast. After a mammogram, ultrasound and two biopsies, I was diagnosed with DCIS stage 1 in my right breast, and invasive ductal carcinoma HER2+ stage 3. On February 23, 2015, I began an aggressive chemo treatment. After 4 cycles, the chemo was stopped due to complications and infection. I am scheduled for a bilateral mastectomy on July 10th, followed by radiation, and more chemo for a year. I recently received genetic results, and have been tested positive for Bloom Syndrome, a rare genetic disorder. I am still learning what this all means for my treatment now and in the future. It has been a struggle both personally and for my family. Financially, this has taken a toll on my fiance and I, forcing us to postpone planning our wedding. http://www.gofundme.com/mptkt0 Staying positive is difficult, especially when you don’t know what the future holds for you. Hold on to those you love, focus on the good, and don’t let your life become all about your disease and treatment. I will always be grateful to the amazing support we’ve received! The smallest gesture can make a huge impact <3