Marion Duncan
Survivor
Walking in my victory
I’m 53 year old African American women who was diagnosed in 2011 with stage II Ductal Carcinoma Breast Cancer. I underwent a double mastectomy with immediate reconstruction, chemotherapy and 33 rounds of radiation. After being in remission for 5 years it returned in 2016 to infiltration Ductal Carcinoma stage III. I underwent the removal of the implant and a Latimmus Dorsi Flap that went wrong in the operating room and my back wouldn’t close. I had to be monitored in the hospital for 5 days and sent home for a visiting nurse 7 days a week for wound care. I had to have a skin graft to cover the hole in my back. I went through 4 rounds of Adianmicyn “Red Devil” 12 rounds of Taxoltere. In less than a year after a pet scan, I was then diagnosed with Metastatic Breast Cancer. (Stage IV) The disease advanced to the lungs, lymph nodes and one of my kidneys. I’ve been on different types of chemotherapy, and it works for so long and it stops. This has been a Rollercoaster ride. Currently I’m still in treatment. I’ve been fighting a long time and I have never given up. I trust God with my life, and I know without Faith I could have not made it this far. Yes, it’s frustrating, but my attitude about it is positive. No one knows the pain my body endures but I keep smiling because I believe in breakthroughs. Where they say there is no cure, I say, I serve a God that is bigger than any Cancer cell that has attacked my body. Every day I walk in my victory. I utilize my resources to seek help to keep my mental state intact. I speak healing over my body on a daily basis. I have never and will never give up hope for a better tomorrow. I lost my hair and I’ve embraced it with confidence that I may have the disease but it doesn’t have me. I’ve never said “Why Me ” I say “Why NOT Me” NO one is exempt from illness. It’s your attitude towards it that matters. I strive to keep my fellow Pink Sisters encouraged and that if they are just beginning the journey or have been in it for a long time. That their strength in you to continue to fight as long as you are breathing. I had to deal with losing a lot of my eyesight due to retinal detachment while on this journey. But I’ve never once complained because there is light at the end of the tunnel. I’ve turned my mess into a message of perseverance despite the challenges I’ve had to face and currently facing. There is so much more to what I’ve faced that would cause a person to just give up. But it’s simply not an option for me.
It is my hope that my story helps others who are in the fight and those who are in remission.