Jana Jennings

Survivor

I found my lump in September of 2004. Normally, I have a yearly mammogram, but my doctor had moved and I just never got around to finding a new one. A friend referred me to a doctor who told me I needed to have a mammogram. 

That very day, I went in for the mammogram and I just had a feeling something was wrong. The mammogram showed a lump and the ultrasound confirmed it. When the radiologist said it looked like cancer to him, I became very calm and asked to be referred to a surgeon.

I had surgery to remove the lump and lymph nodes. Since three nodes were cancerous, I received adjuvant therapy consisting of chemotherapy and radiation. My first PET scan was clear, as was my first blood work—a real blessing!

God, family and friends have seen me through the rough times, and now I’m on a mission to make sure every woman gets her yearly mammogram. Just because you don’t have a history of breast cancer in your family doesn’t mean it can’t happen to you. Never ask “Why me?” Always remember, “Why not me?”