October is Breast Cancer Awareness month.  I know you see the pink ribbons everywhere you turn and most often, you don’t give it a second thought.  Although I did small things to help raise awareness in my own way, it wasn’t personal.  Now, it is.  It also woke me up to the importance of doing a self-breast exam every month.  More often than not, it’s the individual who detects the lump, not the once a year mammogram.  So, if you get nothing else out of sharing my personal story with you, know this.  You can save your own life.

I’m not going to give you the stats and usual information you receive during the month of October.  Instead, I’m going to share a personal story with you.

This December will mark the second year of my mother’s breast cancer diagnosis.    In December of 2007, mom got the call from her doctor that the lump she found was cancerous.  It was a blow out of nowhere that neither one of us saw coming.  From the onset, mom held onto her faith and kept an upbeat and positive attitude.  She has gone through 2 years of diagnosis, surgeries, treatments and procedures.  Mom is now cancer free, but she still falls into that 5 year window until she’s given a complete clean bill of good health.

Of course, it has been a journey for her, but it has also been a journey for me as well.  Mom has been an example for me without knowing it.  She has shown me how to face what may seem like and insurmountable obstacle with grace and faith.  As long as she was ok, so was I.  I was at her side through all the doctor appointments, treatments and surgeries.  I wasn’t the one who was going through the physical part of this journey, but I was there mentally, emotionally & spiritually.  If you have ever taken care of someone close to you, I’m sure you can relate to this.  You’re not going through the pain and side affects, but in a lot of ways you are going through  the journey with them.  And, believe me, it can wear you down if you’re not careful.

It’s important to surround yourself with a loving support team.  For the person you are caring for and for you.  I had the best support team you could ask for and I would like to take this time to say thanks you.

To my Aunt Gloria Goodwin and my cousin Kam-Marie Goodwin.  They were at every treatment no matter the weather or fatigue.  They showed up with bright smiles, laughter and the yummiest lunches and snacks around (thank you Auntie!!).  It meant a lot having mom’s sister there to pray with her on those occasions when the nurses weren’t able to find her veins.  Their love and support throughout this journey can never be repaid.  Thank you for your love and time.

With all the yummy snacks being dished up, we were a big hit with the nurse by the time mom had her last treatment.

To the nursing staff at the Joan Karnell Cancer Center of Pennsylvania Hospital, you ladies are angels and so awesome!  Thanks for keeping us laughing, calm, in hot packs and full of hot chocolate (seemed to work on mom’s veins).

This past May we also took part in the Susan Komen Race for the Cure (mom is in the red jacket).  It was so much fun!  It was also so humbling to see the sea of pink that stood on the stairs of the Philadelphia Museum of Art.  So many women, and men, stood with confidence as survivors before being led in the survivor’s parade.  It was an awesome sight to see!  It was also awesome for those who gave unselfishly to support us in our walk, either through participation or donations.

I would like to say a big THANK YOU.

For being apart of Team Millie Mil:

• Gloria Goodwin
• Kam-Marie Goodwin
• Brenda Williams
• Vanita Williams
• Kenishia Cook
• Brian Chambers
• Mia Chambers
• Geoffrey Deans

For making a financial donation to our team:

• Leslie Benoliel
• Leslie Bowman
• Edelene Carroll
• Digshema James
• Joyce
• Gina Kaiser
• Shielah Lewis
• Jeanette McVeigh
• Harriet & Leonard Middleton
• The Trott Family
• Greg Virola
• Hilda Wilson
• C. Austin & W. Winchester
• The Yeagor Family

Mom is enjoying life as she always has, but she now has a new walk.  It seems she is using her journey to bring support and comfort to other women who are now faced with the same obstacle.  Her message is clear and always the same.  Hold tight to your faith, surround yourself with people who love you and always make sure your attitude matches your smile.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month.  I know you see the pink ribbons everywhere you turn and most often, you don’t give it a second thought.  Although I did small things to help raise awareness in my own way, it wasn’t personal.  Now, it is.  It also wakes me up to the importance of doing a self-breast exam every month.  More often than not, it’s the individual who detects the lump, not the once a year mammogram.  So, if you get nothing else out of sharing my personal story with you, know this.  You can save your own life.

I’m not going to give you the stats and usually information you receive during the month of October.  Instead, I’m going to share a personal story with you.

This December will mark the second year of my mother’s breast cancer diagnosis.    In December of 2007, mom got the call from her doctor that the lump she found was cancerous.  It was a blow out of nowhere that neither one of us saw coming.  From the onset, mom held onto her faith and kept an upbeat and positive attitude.  She has gone through 2 years of diagnosis, surgeries, treatments and procedures.  Mom is now cancer free, but she still falls into that 5 year window until she’s given a complete clean bill of good health.

Of course, it has been a journey for her, but it has also been a journey for me as well.  Mom has been an example for me without knowing it.  She has shown me how to face what may seem like and insurmountable obstacle with grace and faith.  As long as she was ok, so was I.  I was at her side through all the doctor appointments, treatments and surgeries.  I wasn’t the one who was going through the physical part of this journey, but I was there mentally, emotionally & spiritually.  If you have ever taken care of someone close to you, I’m sure you can relate to this.  You’re not going through the pain and side affects, but in a lot of ways you are going through  the journey with them.  And, believe me, it can wear you down if you’re not careful.

It’s important to surround yourself with a loving support team.  For the person you are caring for and for you.  I had the best support team you could ask for and I would like to take this time to say thanks you.

To my Aunt Gloria Goodwin and my cousin Kam-Marie Goodwin.  They were are every treatment no matter the weather or fatigue.  They showed up with bright smiles, laughter and the yummiest lunches and snacks around (thank you Auntie!!).  It meant a lot having mom’s sister there to pray with her on those occasions when the nurses weren’t able to find her veins.  There love and support throughout this journey can never be repaid.  Thank you for your love and time.

With all the yummy snacks being dished up, we were a big hit with the nurse by the time mom had her last treatment.

To the nursing staff at the Joan Karnell Cancer Center of Pennsylvania Hospital.  You ladies are angels and so awesome!  Thanks for keeping us laughing, calm, in hot packs and full of hot chocolate (seemed to work on mom’s veins).

This past May we also took part in the Susan Komen Race for the Cure (mom is in the red jacket).  It was so much fun!  It was also so humbling to see the sea of pink that stood on the stairs of the Philadelphia Museum of Art.  So many women, and men, stood with confidence as survivors before being led in the survivor’s parade.  It was an awesome sight to see!  It was also awesome for those who gave unselfishly to support us in our walk, either through participation or donations.

I would like to say a big THANK YOU.

For being apart of Team Millie Mil:

• Gloria Goodwin
• Kam-Marie Goodwin
• Brenda Williams
• Vanita Williams
• Kenishia Cook
• Brian Chambers
• Mia Chambers
• Geoffrey Deans

For making a financial donation to our team:

• Leslie Benoliel
• Leslie Bowman
• Edelene Carroll
• Digshema James
• Joyce
• Gina Kaiser
• Shielah Lewis
• Jeanette McVeigh
• Harriet & Leonard Middleton
• The Trott Family
• Greg Virola
• Hilda Wilson
• C. Austin & W. Winchester
• The Yeagor Family

Mom is enjoying life as she always has, but she now has a new walk.  It seems she is now using her journey to bring support and comfort to other women who are now faced with the same obstacle.  Her message is clear and always the same.  Hold tight to your faith, surround yourself with people who love you and always make sure your attitude matches your smile.

April 18, 2009 at 11:30 am, my mother finished her last Herceptin treatment.  This was the last treatment to help reduce the reoccurrence of the cancer.  It was a joyous morning and we were sad to see the ladies at The Joan Karnell Cancer Center at Pennsylvania Hospital for the last time.  It still amazes me that we have been travelling to the hospital every three weeks for the past year.  Wow!

She had a great group of people to help her navigate the treatment this past year and we are so thankful to them.

Dr. Mintzer was so great with each visit.  He listened to all concerned, told us some symptoms to be aware of so we wouldn’t panic when it happened.  He made sure we were at ease and knew everything about the treatments and the process.  He was great.

Millie was his right hand and also a great person to have on this journey.  She’s Dr. Mintzer’s nurse and we met with her for most of the earlier visits.  We got along great when we found out she and mom shared the same name.  Her beautiful personality is evident is the smile on her face.

The team over in the treatment center made the needle sticks and hours for treatments go by with a laugh.  They’re wonderful, bright personalities made coming every three weeks a fun trip.  A big Thank You to Jill, Michelle, Chrissie and the rest of the gang over at the treatment center.  You ladies are awesome!  Last but not least, thank you to the valet service.  Toure thanks for the conversations and great service.  We really appreciated it.

To all of you, from all of us, thank you, thank you, thank you!  May God continue to bless you and the work that you do.

December 31, 2008.  This day turned into a reflective day for mom and me.  It was a day of being thankful, relaxing and remembering how truly blessed we are.  It was on December 31, 2007 that mom got the phone call from her doctor with her test results.  She tested positive for breast cancer. We had a road ahead of us and we knew it could get a little shaky at times.  Nothing was guaranteed, but I had peace of mind knowing she would come out of this ok.  This peace was giving to me before we went to her first appointment.

Me and mom at Christmas Eve family dinner

It was also during this time that I found out the depth of my mother’s faith.  She faced the challege with a smile, and a wonderful positive attitude, standing on the word of God.  She decided to only tell those that would keep her lifted in pray, support her and give her their positive energy.

Mom with Aunt Glo holding a picture of grandmom & grandpop

She astounded her doctors during her recovery because she was doing so well so quickly.  When they asked her how she was doing, the answer was always the same.  “I’m doing great!”  She became their model patient and she would leave each doctor with a hug and the knowledge that she prayed for them and they were her gift from God.

Mom and Holy Temple Church of God and Christ family

Today she looks great and feels even better.  She’s looking forward to an even better 2009.  We both know that with the grace and blessings from God, it wiil be.

The month of November and early December brought a new round of followup testing and doctor appointments for mom. One after the other said the same thing. “You’re do great and you look wonderful”.

Throughout this whole experience mom has kept such a positive outlook and attitude.  If someone were to ask her how she does it, she would have one answer.  “It’s not me, it’s God.”  Her faith never wavered and I thank God everyday that the road to recovery was not a bumpy one.

For now, she will still need to get the Herceptin treatments until April and take a pill once a day for five years.  Not a bad payoff when you’re given back your life.

I humbly thank you God.