LaDonna's Story from Oklahoma

I want everyone to know about my aunt, LaDonna. She was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2005. She is a beautiful lady, with whom I've always shared a special closeness. She had found a lump in her breast and went to her family physician a year prior to being diagnosed. Her doctor sent her for a mammogram and told her that everything was fine. But, it wasn't.

The lump continued to grow and she returned to the doctor a year later only to learn that the mammogram she'd had a year earlier showed that the lump should have been biopsied. precious year had passed. Her prognosis was not good. She refused to give up. She underwent a mastectomy with removal of lymph nodes and was told that her cancer was very invasive and that she would have to undergo chemotherapy and radiation.

Her positive attitude continued, through chemotherapy, the loss of her hair, fatigue and sickness. She was still trying to live her life as normally as possible, so that her family wouldn't worry about her. She's an inspiration to everyone she knows.

My Aunt LaDonna completed her treatment and was told that she was cancer free. However, that was short lived. She had been having trouble breathing and underwent a PET scan only to find that she had tumors in her lungs. Her doctor here in Oklahoma told her she had about 6 months to live. Again, my Aunt LaDonna would not accept defeat. She decided to go to the MD Anderson Cancer treatment center in Texas. She underwent more tests and giving up has never been an option.

She is not undergoing treatment, however, her tumors are shrinking and no more have been found. Through it all, she has been a comfort and strength to many other women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer. She visits them, encourages them, and gives them hope. She is truly a hero, in every sense of the word. I love her and want everyone to know what a truly remarkable woman she is.

McLoud, Oklahoma