BREAST CANCER OVERCOMER-ROSEMARY SANTIAGO

ROSEMARY SANTIAGO

BREAST CANCER OVERCOMER

My name is Rosemary Santiago and I a mother of 2 children with 2 grandchildren. My daughter is Jacklyn Vasquez and my son is Andres Rolon. They both have one child each. I currently live in Camden, NJ and I work as a bilingual probation officer and a court coordinator at the Camden County Hall of Justice, Family Division. I enjoy singing and praise dancing. I was diagnosed with Breast Cancer in July 2007. At the time I was 43 years old. It was my very first mammogram and ultrasound. I had absolutely no family history of cancer. Nothing was detected at the time. I was simply told that all women over 40 should have a mammogram. My doctor wrote a prescription and the rest followed. I was initially diagnosed with stage one from what was seen on the mammogram and ultrasound. They informed me that once the lump was removed, no additional treatment was needed such as chemotherapy and radiation. It wasn ’t until I had my surgery that they saw it was bigger than previously thought and the diagnosis went from Stage 1 to Stage 3. At the time I was grieving for my mother who had passed away less than 9 months before; but my faith was strong. When the doctor called me in to go see her, I was sitting at my desk at my .job I just couldn ’t wait for the appointment, so I was able to convince her to tell me

over the phone. There was disbelief but no fear. It is simply

hard to explain. I lifted my hand in the air and said … “I am

yours. ”

My focus was on my children and how I would tell them. I checked on my mother ’ s side of the family back to my great grandmother to see if any of her sisters had any type of cancer. There was nothing at all. This was also confirmed with genetic testing.

My family was very supportive. I had family members making sure my children had something to eat. Some would come to clean up the house, especially on the days of treatment. My daughter drove me to all my chemotherapy appointments. I truly cannot complain. I also did a commercial for the American Cancer Society. When I was tested for the chemotherapy that I was to receive, I had a very bad allergic reaction to it.

The reaction was severe. I kept saying to myself as I prayed “I am yours. ” That kept me going to the following week and decided to try it again. The other obstacle was college. Right before I was diagnosed, I started college. At first I thought I had to drop out but instead, I focused on my classes and left the rest in prayer. I didn’t focus on the pain, nausea, and dizziness. When my symptoms kicked in, I would take my medication as I prayed and got back on the computer to finish school. My strength came from HIM. I can sit back now and ask, “How did I do all that?” I did it with His grace and His mercy. I was baptized after finding my home church. I learned how to have a relationship with the Lord. Three months after my baptism, my mother passed away. Nine months after my mother passed, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall a]direct your paths. ” Once you trust… you will never fear… Keep your mind busy on living and loving life and let the Lord take care of the rest. Life can be a struggle, but it is a “Beautiful Struggle. ”