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Month. Urge all the women in your life to do self exams, have mammograms, walk to raise money, etc. This is a disease that can be beaten if we all work together.
My mother was diagnosed with Stage 4 breast cancer in January of this year after months and months of doctors telling us that the lump wasn't anything and re-scheduling her biopsy and the lumpectomy and finally the mastectomy several times (five months between mammogram until they finally removed the breast). She always gets regular check-ups, never missed her mammograms, paps, etc. Yet they didn't find it until it has spread to her bones and we are now going for management of a disease that could have been cured with earlier detection.
On the up side, because of her age it was determined that chemotherapy would not be the course of treatment best for her. They have put her on a regime of hormone therapy - taking one pill a day and a monthly IV of calcium (forget the official name) to help strengthen her bones. The cancer levels have actually dropped since she started this medicine back in February. She hasn't lost her hair, has been sick a minute and actually feels very, very good. We will take what time we have and enjoy every darn minute.
I have three daughters, six granddaughters, one sister, two sisters-in-law, three aunts, seven cousins, four nieces, many female friends and a whole host of people in this world I have never met that I hope never, ever had to face this ugly disease. This is just another reason we need to take back the government - we can't depend on the repugs to give a damn about anyone but themselves.
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