Jennifer Smith

Survivor

9 year old finds her tumor 2 weeks after well women’s exam

I have always been good about staying on top of my regular health exams however, I rarely ever performed a self exam. Just two weeks after a good well women’s exam I decided to do a self exam in the shower and felt a suspicious hard lump in my right breast. A couple weeks later I went back to have it checked and I had a mammogram and ultrasound at a local women’s health center. My biopsy came soon after and I was diagnosed with Invasive Ductal Carcinoma. I opted for a bilateral mastectomy due to my age (39) and I am glad I did because when I had my surgery they found a lymph node positive. After I recovered from surgery I started chemo, targeted radiation and I had hormone receptor positive cancer so I had my ovaries and tubes removed. I was then given hormone blockers which I will be on for 5 years. It has been a whirlwind the past three years. My outlook on life has dramatically changed. I now live in the moment so much more, I try and prioritize the things that matter most to me in life such as my children and husband and things that make me feel joyful. I see people differently, I know all humans are experiencing some kind of pain and I empathize with them deeply. And lastly I’m still angry, I was a cure! No one should have to feel this pain and suffering which does linger with survivors for the rest of our lives in one way or another. We will get there if we come together.