Stories of Hope |
SEND US YOUR STORY
Let us know about YOUR experience with breast cancer. Whether as a survivor, co-survivor, family member or a friend; your story will help to inspire others! Your story should be sent to wvkomenoff@yahoo.com, along with your contact information. We will read over your story and if we need to clarify any points, we will then contact you. We want to add a story page to our website and will use it as a place to post stories to help inspire and support with the challenges of breast cancer! We look forward to hearing from you soon. If you don't email, call Jeri @ 812-917-5047. Hello my name is Sally J. Roetker. I am currently 48 and have been married for 24 years. My husband Jim and I have 2 daughters, Lindsay just turned 16 and Becca will soon be 13. I was diagnosed with Stage III Breast Cancer at the age of 38. I have always had fibrocystic breast tissue which causes a lumpy feeling in the breast so I had my first mammogram at the age of 24. That was also the same time my Doctor began telling me I was too young to have breast cancer. As time went by I would go on to have several more mammograms as well as always performing monthly self breast exams. When we noticed something different in my right breast I was once again told I was too young to have breast cancer, when in fact I did have breast cancer. I actually had a flat spot that stayed that way for over a year and then grew into a lump within a few months. It was estrogen positive and also in 5 of 7 lymph nodes which were taken out.
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Sally's Story - Continued
I had a mastectomy of the right breast followed by immediate reconstruction using a muscle from my back. This was followed by 6 months of aggressive chemotherapy and 6 weeks of radiation. Our girls were 3 and 6 at that time. Nothing prepares you for those words “You have cancer”. Actually when I heard those words I wasn’t nearly as worried about what was facing me as I was worried about what was facing my family. I blamed myself for a long time for believing those words you are too young to have cancer. Cancer turned our world upside down. Jim whom I now refer to as my “mountain” was my primary caregiver. He took care of everything, me, the girls, the house, the cooking and somehow managed to maintain a very stressful job with long hours and never once let me see him cry. There are many issues related to breast cancer that people don’t ever see. There are side effects from the treatments and the drugs that you have to continue taking for years after, there are financial stresses even if you have insurance, there is depression and strain on the family and no matter how much support you have there is loneliness. After the first year of treatment I wanted my husband to have something special for all that he had done for me so we purchased a Harley Davidson, (his dream bike). He had a special flame pattern painted on the bike and added a pink cancer bow ribbon on the right panel for the right breast I had lost. We started participating in Race for the Cure the first year I was diagnosed and have become advocates for Breast Cancer Awareness. Later we became volunteers with our local affiliate for Susan G. Komen for the Cure. Getting the message out about Breast Cancer is very important in our community. One of the greatest things about Race for the Cure is that 75% of the funds raised stay in our local affiliate to aid in treatments, awareness and education about breast cancer. The other 25% goes to the National Level where it aids in national research geared towards finding a cure. Unfortunately my cancer metastasized to my spine five years ago thus putting me at the Stage IV level. I have been receiving a targeted therapy since that time that is keeping me in remission, this drug called Herceptin was created with dollars raised for research. I’m always amazed at how many people I have met since my diagnosis that have had or have been touched by breast cancer in some way. We really do need to Race for a Cure for this terrible disease and with your help I’m confident and hopeful that we can accomplish our goal. Please join us on October 1, 2011 in downtown Terre Haute for the Susan G Komen Race for the Cure of the Wabash Valley.
Let’s put an end to Breast Cancer forever!!!