Meredith's Story from Utah

I am 43 years old, married with five children and two grandchildren. My mother died six years ago from ovarian cancer so I have been aware of the importance of regular physicals and tried my best to do so.

At the age of 39 and after a 12 year gap of four other children I had one more daughter to add to the two sons and two daughters I had previously. As time slipped away at having a baby in the house again two years had gone by and I had not been back for a regular physical. I just turned 42 and realized I had never had a mammogram. I had heard that 40 was the age to start having them.

So I made an appointment. At that appointment they saw, as they said suspicious looking noguals that they wanted to watch and since this was my first mammogram wanted to get a better history on me, so at the time the scheduled me to have an ultrasound. They said everything was ok and would see me in six months. Which I went to, and they said everything was fine.

Too my surprise six months went by and I received another card in the mail for another six month follow up. At that time I thought I threw the card away dismissing it because I thought I didn't need to go until a year had passed. Two weeks later that card showed up again among some papers and this time decided I might as well go get it checked and know for sure that everything was okay.

So I did, and to my surprise one set of films turned in to two more, then an ultra sound, a biopsy and then to two days later I found out I had cancer. It was only 1.2 cm in size but it was against my chest cavity and without the mammogram I myself wouldn't found it until it was very large in size.

I had surgery and have clean margines, but all along they thought it was a grade 2 tumor slow growing and would only have to be treated with hormone therapy. Two days after the surgery I found out it was two tumors growing together one side just as they had suspected and the other cells being very aggressive grade 3 and trying to spread to at least one limpnode.

I am now being treated with eight rounds of chemotherapy, radiation and then the hormone therapy. Trying to stay positive has been hard with still trying to work to maintain health insurance while filling sick but its worth it all to me so that I can be around for my husband and kids and grandkids.

Thank you for programs like yours that continue to help people be more aware and the importance of taking care of ourselves. Since my diagnoses my six sisters have all had their mammograms, sister-in-laws, and friends that have always been afraid to. I am now teaching my two teenage daughters to do regular self exams and the importance of regular checkups. My almost four-year-old doesn't quite understand, except that mom doesn't feel good and has no hair, but we will make sure she is aware at the proper time.

Provo, Utah