I’ve Had Cancer for 45 Years

I’ve had cancer for 42 years. I remember cancer felt quiet, confusing, and chaotic—emotionally distancing my family from one another. I learned that when cancer invades a body, it invades your home, becomes an unwanted member of your family, and never leaves—it has visited me for 5 decades. I have lost count of all the ways doctors have announced, ‘‘it’s cancer.’’ Yet I remember how those words affected me. In my family, 14 women across 3 generations have had pieces and parts if not entire breasts removed. Only 2 of my 11 cousins have made it past 50 without having cancer surgery. Six of us were diagnosed before our 50th birthday. So as you can see, you don’t have to be diagnosed with cancer to have cancer! It’s been a journey of learning about the health care industry in which we place our hope, often only to be treated like a product. What we say as a patient may not be what a physician hears. As a patient, what we hear may not be what the physician intends. It’s all predicated upon our personal experiences and emotions . . . here are mine.