Cheri Breast Cancer Survival Story
By Cheri
BREAST CANCER RECOVERY AND SURVIVAL
I was asked to write a testimony on my ordeal concerning Breast Cancer; I guess you can say this goes back to about three years ago to 2003. I was working my regular job and also running my own Company you could say I needed 48 hours in one day instead of 24 hours in a day. I was taking care of everyone else in my family except myself I was taking care of 5 grandchildren, my oldest daughter and her boyfriend along with my youngest daughter and helping family members out when ever they called.
There were times when I was working non-stop 7 days a week and at times even on holidays. I did this for 3 years without a break or vacation.
My daughters grandmother and I were very close, she passed away about 11 years ago from ovarian cancer, and I made a call to my daughter one day and asked had she smelled her grandmothers perfume and her response to me was yes, at that particular time I just thought it was her grandmother watching over us. Over the past couple of years by working the hours that I did I would occasionally brush my breast against my desk or sometimes as you’re walking around a bend in the office without looking also brush up against the wall. I’ve always done monthly breast exams so I thought the lump I felt was just from to be honest not looking where I was going..
I have always had a strong belief in God, the Holy Spirit, Guardian Angels and Faith. My fiancé kept telling me to slow things down and take time for myself and even have an exam done, we were laying in bed one night he said that it felt as though my body was on fire, I would sleep with the windows open during the winter time and would even go outside and the cold weather wouldn’t bother me..
I was watching TV one day and I saw a commercial regarding a free breast exam through a program Mammogram on Wheels. I contacted Mammogram on Wheel and for three weeks I had been turned away because I was told my income over qualified me for the program and procedure. I explained to my fiancé what was going on and we both agreed to keep trying even with other sources, I was also told by other sources that my income was too much and I didn’t qualify. I then went back to Mammogram on Wheels and discussed how I could get a Mammogram done through them. I showed up and had my Mammogram done, before I could get home there was a call for me to go to there Main Center first thing in the morning. I had a biopsy done the results took about a week the test came back positive for Breast Cancer.
When I was told I had Breast Cancer I cried for about 20 minutes and informed the doctor who would be my surgeon that I probably had breast cancer due to the fact my oldest daughter was almost 30 and that I still produced breast milk, over the years I had discussed the reason with my doctors on why after almost 30 years I was still producing breast milk and the response was that, that was normal. I finally realized what my daughters, grandmother was trying to say when she was coming around, she was trying to tell me I had a problem and that it was now time to take care of the problem before it was too late.
In speaking with my doctor she said we could do a number of things to save the breast if the cancer was local I told the doctor that I wanted her to take the entire breast no matter what they were going to find. I also explained to her that I was sent by GOD at this particular moment and time that I needed to take care of this issue now once and for all so that I can move forward with my life, I also realized that GOD had done an internal healing of my body, that was the reason for my body feeling as though it was on fire and he said you need to go to the doctors for the rest and that when the doctors finished the with surgery you will need nothing else meaning no chemo and no radiation treatment.
My health insurance had not begun yet see I had just started a new job; I had to wait until my health insurance started in order for me to be treated and I had about 3 weeks to go before my health insurance would begin. My physician that I was seeing at the clinic would you believe was on the board of one of the programs which were to sponsor patients who didn’t have health insurance or medical coverage. I was told to wait for my health insurance to become active before I could start the process of being treated for cancer, so I waited the three weeks for my insurance to begin but in the meantime I did my homework on the stages of cancer and the treatment for all stages. The day after my health insurance was active I had previously made the doctor appointments for biopsies and all other exams I needed to have done. The biopsy took about 5 days to come back and while waiting for that to be returned I was told that there was a machine that had never been used in detecting breast cancer so I was asked if I could be the first patient they wanted me to schedule an appointment but I told the doctors I was already there and to just go ahead and to do the test. See I tried to explain to everyone I had been involved with during my cancer ordeal that I have a smile on my face because I was sent now at this particular time and moment to be treated by GOD and that everything would be okay that I would also come away with a bill of health that no one would believe I told them that I would be that one in a million patient that would walk away cancer free needing no chemo or radiation treatment, everyone looked at me as if there was something wrong with me and my only response to them was that I have a source that gave me a 100% percent guarantee that I would be cancer free and all would ask what doctor gave you that and I would tell them it wasn’t the doctors it was GOD.
During the exam using the new Mammogram machine they should were it showed about 5 cancerous cells, when I got home later that night I looked at the films again and I could see where there were other cancerous cells. The next morning I made a call back to the clinic and informed them what I had found myself in looking at the films so I was told to come back in I was asked when could I schedule an appointment I told them I would be in the following morning before anyone else so I could be seen again I was not waiting for an appointment (see I had already waiting 3 weeks to a month to be seen by any doctor and I didn’t want my cancer to spread to another stage by waiting for appointments). They did another biopsy and found I was correct in locating other cancerous cells. There were other test they wanted to perform and I them I am here now so lets get them done, my persistence in getting treatment was essential to me since I truly didn’t know how long I had been walking around with cancer and the only thing on my mind was having the problem resolved. They told me about another test and at that particular time the person that was to show up for that appointment didn’t show I explained to the doctor that the appointment didn’t show up because that was to be my appointment I asked could she fit me in then and the doctor said she had to check I was there and the test she wanted to run the dosage had to be used that day or else would have to be thrown out. She got an approval to do the test, I was then told by the doctor that they wanted to do surgery in another 3 weeks, I disagreed with waiting for three weeks I told the doctor I wanted to have my surgery done as soon as possible the following week if they could fit me into their schedule I asked to please make an exception for me by this time I knew I was on a mission from GOD.
My surgeon asked if I would allow my breast to be used in research and would I also sign papers to that affect, I told the doctor if my breast for research would help someone else from getting breast cancer from still have breast milk then by all means take the breast and everything around it for what ever cure you need. The breast has a total of 40 lymph nodes I was in surgery for 8-1/2 hours 38 out of 40 nodes were cancerous but when the surgery was finished all nodes, nerves and muscle had been extracted, the next day by 3:00 pm I told them I was ready to go come to recover, let me go. I thanked the doctor and nurses for their care for my overnight visit and that I knew there services had meant 100% recovery. During my recovery at home I was upset that I couldn’t have a pet-scan done before surgery but I guess once again GOD intervened again and wanted me to wait to have the last test done, so my pet-scan test was done 2-1/2 weeks after surgery which showed I was cancer free.
All the doctors kept telling me that I needed chemo and radiation treatment so that my cancer wouldn’t return. I informed the doctors that for me having chemo and radiation treatment would break down my immune system to what I had already had built my body up to fight all types of colds, flu and yes even cancer, I told them that chemo and radiation would tear my system apart and my body would no longer fight cancer, they also wanted me to stop taking vitamins to which I have taken faithfully for the past 5 years.
No one has ever questioned doctors on chemo, radiation the causes no one has questioned doctors on how long all of this for chemo and radiation remains in your body, during research all of this remains in your body for 5 to 10 years and your body takes years to return to normal stage if it ever does.
I also looked into alternative care instead of chemo and radiation (doctors don’t want to hear about that because that cuts into their pay and funds), so I asked for another consultation so that send me to another doctor, in discussing my situation with the other doctor I realize he didn’t understand or hear a word I said all he said was that I needed chemo and radiation treatment, then he says it time for an exam, when he realized (after what I said I had no breast) he said oh I see you don’t have your breast at that point I just got up and walked out of his office. That was a reassurance from the doctor he hadn’t heard a word I said for the past 15 to 20 minutes and that was my sign to leave his office and not look back, from that point on I knew the decision I had made for my treatment for alternative care was the right decision. I then spoke with my primary doctor and before she could get a call back to me I had the surgery and all the way to alternative care. I informed my primary care of the entire situation and also asked her question that I had put to my doctors and she said I was the first person to ask such questions that no doctor could answer and that I was on the right track to alternative care treatment instead of chemo and radiation treatment.
Alternative treatment is not for everyone but for me that was my choice for treatment, my cancer was at a stage it was treatable without chemo and radiation. Through it all my fiancé would ask everyday how was I and that I was taking what I was going through lightly, and I just answered, I’m fine, I love you for asking and caring and by me having GOD on my side I always had a reason to smile each and everyday and to thank him that I was alive. My family and friends were also my strength, I would get calls from them every other day to see how I was doing and if I needed anything, I told them I was fine (always with a smile and I love you).
Thanks, Denise for helping me to spread the word.
Cheri 
