Women for Women

Diane Birkholz

My story begins this past Valentine's Day when my son and his wife called to tell my husband and me that we were going to be grandparents. We had waited so long for this wonderful news. I was excited and wanted so much to be a part of this child's life. Shortly thereafter, however, my mammogram detected a suspicious lump, and I was told I may have cancer. I cried all the way home. How would I tell my husband who lost a brother and sister to cancer? How would I tell my family? Would I be alive to see or hold my grandchild?

My nights became very long as I was unable to sleep. Fortunately for me, I was scheduled to complete a gammagram. The test gave me an immediate diagnosis: my cancer was contained in one small tumor. This was good news. I flew home to tell my husband and children. For the first time since the diagnosis, I had hope.

The cancer was stage I with clean lymph nodes. However, it was a grade 3 type—fast growing and aggressive— which required chemotherapy and radiation. The news was better than we expected, but bittersweet; in the hospital that evening my husband told me my daughter-in-law had suffered a miscarriage.

I often think back to the day of the mammogram and remember the words "a very large suspicious mass." It was frightening. I'm so thankful that Medcenter One had the gammagram technology. It made a big difference in determining what I was facing and helped ease my mind. Let's make sure that every woman has the opportunity to take advantage of this new technology, even if she cannot afford to pay.

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Janis Cheney, President, ND AARP

I was diagnosed with breast cancer following my yearly check-up in the spring of 2006 which included a lumpectomy, chemotherapy and radiation in February 2006. In April 2006, I returned to my gynecologist for my yearly exam, including a mammogram, and learned shortly thereafter that there was a suspicous spot on the same breast. I don't know that I have ever felt quite so devastated as that moment. My first thought was, "If something survived all that, I surely have no chance now." I sobbed the news over the phone to my husband. After that initial panic, however, I recognized that all was clearly not lost, took several very deep breaths and returned to my usual routine.

Later that week, I underwent a spot compression mammogram. It was with some relief that I learned the spot was probably scar tissue from the previous surgery and treatment. When I saw my oncologist a few days later, I was enormously relieved to learn that the gamma imaging test could provide definitive information about my situation. That test was scheduled and completed a few days later, and the report was favorable. There was no evidence of disease in my breast.

The sense of relief and reassurance was overwhelming for me, for my husband and for our two teenage daughters. I am enormously thankful this technology is available for women like me who have experienced breast cancer. I suspect most cancer survivors live with some level of anxiety, and that is bad enough—those days spent not knowing one's diagnosis are a nightmare. Let's make sure additional peace of mind is available for everyone.

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