Hi my name is Lysa Gillette and I am celebrating being a two year breast cancer survivor today. I hope that in telling my story I can help someone else out there that is going through the same experience.
When I was first diagnosed on May 15, 2007 I was in a very bad, low place in my life. I had gone through a rough divorce 2 years prior, had a 13 year old son I was raising while also running a full time business and trying to keep up a house and all of this with no help. I never went out , didn’t eat right, drank too much late at night by myself and cried myself to sleep most every night. I remember praying as the tears would fall on my pillow to “please God let something happen to me that will change my life and get me off of this roller coaster I am on”…So, my lesson learned is if you are going to pray BE VERY SPECIFIC!!!
After cancelling about 5 mammograms I finally went in for my “yearly routine” mammo after two and a half years. I thought nothing about it, had no problems going in, I was not called back for more films, but they called my doctor within 15 minutes of me leaving there. It was not good and I knew the minute my general MD told me that “IT MIGHT BE CANCER “‘ that ” IT WAS”. I made the decision early on to have a bi lateral mastectomy with immediate reconstruction even though my surgeon said I could have a lumpectomy with 6 weeks of radiation. When I told her that I could be healing from the surgery over the 6 weeks, that I did not want radiation and that I did not want to worry about it coming back or starting in the other breast and that I wanted to be as aggressive as possible as I had a son to raise, she agreed and we set the date for June 14, 2007. .
I never questioned “why me?” and just wanted to get that nasty crap out of my body. A dear friend of mine that I had not seen in over 20 years had just been through the same thing and helped me tremendously even taking me to the hospital at 5;00 am and staying the 11 hours I was in surgery and spending the night with me. We walked into the hospital that morning laughing like little kids, her with her scarf on as she had lost her hair from chemo and me going in to get my big boobs chopped off and I said “hey, it’s time for me to put my big girl panties on and deal with it”.
Someone was watching over me, could have been God and my Nanny who also had breast cancer in her 60s because when the surgeon got in there the cancer had already started in my other breast as well. My oncologist said I was one of the luckiest patients she had seen in a long time as in 6 months we would have been looking at a whole different scenario. She also told me that STRESS had to have been a big factor as my estrogen levels were off the charts and I had no ovaries and no HRT at the time. The cancer had not gotten into my lymph nodes and although we were on the fence I decided to not have chemo. Instead I have drastically changed my lifestyle. I now eat right, exercise and take care of myself and although I thought I could never do it I have cut stress out of my life. Of course I still have problems, every day but if it’s something I can do something about I do, if not I don’t sweat it. I take tamoxifen every night and do have weight issues with it, but that’s a small price to pay to be healthy again.
I say over and over again HAVING HAD BREAST CANCER HAS GIVEN ME SO MUCH MORE THAN IT HAS TAKEN AWAY…. I have 2 new great breast and nipples and hey I got a “free” tummy tuck in the deal. I know how much my son loves and respects me, he would help me with my 4 “grenade drains” in the weeks after my surgery and I’ve never felt so special or loved in all of my life. I found out who my true friends were, I walked away from a few and also gained a couple. One in particular who called me almost every day and gave me more encouragement than anyone , I don’t think I could have done as well as I have without their concern ,friendship and love . Then I had friendships that grew, my best friend who took me into her home and took care of me and my two girlfriends from hundreds of miles away who called and gave me daily support and came for my birthday a month later.
So, if you or someone you know is facing this terrible disease please know that there is hope and comfort and LAUGHTER on the other side. And please, please REMEMBER TO GET YOUR MAMMMOGRAMS !!!
I JUST ORDERED MYSELF THIS NEW T-SHIRT, I’LL HAVE TO POST A PICTURE WHEN I RECEIVE IT! ta ta
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