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9/18/15 12:03 PM
CELEBRATING SURVIVORS
SUFFOLKNEWSHERALD.COM WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2015
Your survival stories Every cancer survivor has a story to tell, and some of the participants in our breast cancer survivors’ special shared them with us. Here are the ones they shared.
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Donna Rountree I am a former resident of Suffolk with family still living there. I was diagnosed with breast cancer in March 2010 and took the last of six rounds of chemotherapy on Oct. 21, 2010, so I’m celebrating five years cancer-free. I’m proud to say both my daughters, Erin and Emily Rountree are strong supporters, participating in 5Ks, Relay for Life events and through sorority and high school activities. They both show their support to find a cure. — Donna Rountree
Mollie Moore After being diagnosed and having surgery, I have been cancer-free for two years and 10 months. I thank the Lord every day for being cancer free and for all of the good treatment I have received from all the staff at Duke Cancer Center in Durham, N.C.! — Mollie Moore
Gloria Colbert I am a survivor of 16 months. I am the fifth member of my family to have breast cancer and the only survivor. God has greater work for me! — Gloria Colbert
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Trisha Mulder My sister, Trisha Mulder, will be a two-year breast cancer survivor in December, and I admire her strength and courage. When the doctor told her she had cancer, her strength was admirable, because she never cried or showed any signs of weakness. She would say, “I have cancer, but cancer does not have me.” She stayed strong through all her treatments even went to work for eight hours after each one. I had never seen her fight so hard for anything or be so determined not to give up when things became so unbearable. She once told me, “I have too much to live for and to see. God will have to wait a little longer for me.” I asked her what she wanted people to know about her. She said, “That if they see how strong and brave she became while fighting this horrible irritation and overcame it, they can too.” That is what she calls cancer: an irritation. She once read a story about a woman who said cancer is like an oyster. When a piece of sand gets inside the oyster, it will irritate the oyster, so the oyster will keep putting mucus around it until it turns to something beautiful — a pearl. We have to see cancer as an irritation that we can turn into something beautiful. This way, others can see the pearl that we have become. I am so proud of my sister for fighting the way she did with this horrible irritation and staying here with me. I will always love my sister, my best friend and my special survivor! — Elizabeth Ann Carr
Did you know? Many abnormalities found on a mammogram are not necessarily cancer, but rather benign conditions like calcium deposits or dense areas in the breast. If the radiologist or a doctor notes areas of concern on a mammogram, The Mayo Clinic says further testing may be needed. This can include additional mammograms, known as compression or magnification views, as well as ultrasound imaging. If further imaging is not effective, a biopsy, wherein a sample of breast tissue is taken, will be sent to a laboratory for testing. In some instances an MRI may be taken when mammography or ultrasound results are negative and it is still not clear what’s causing a breast change or abnormality.