“Let’s get it checked out.”
Those are the first words I heard. The words that sent me on a journey I never expected to take.
It was just a tiny spot on the screen – a small abnormality discovered during a mammogram. My radiologist wanted to send a biopsy for testing, just in case. It took ten days to get the results back. During that time I didn’t even think about it. After all, I had no family history of breast cancer. I hadn’t come because I’d found a lump – this was just an optional mammogram. I wasn’t even 50 yet!
But then I heard the words that shocked me the most. “It’s cancer.”
Cancer? Really? How could this be? How was I going to tell my children? I had two daughters in university and two sons in high school. All of their lives I’d only cared for them. Now it was my turn to care for myself – and I would be fighting for my life. I didn’t get upset though, because all of the odds were in my favour. They’d caught it at the earliest stage possible. My surgeon, Dr. Jon Caulfield, was the very best. After two surgeries to remove the cancerous cells, and 6 weeks of radiation treatment, I heard the words that every cancer patient hopes for: “We got it. You’re all clear.”
I’m sharing my story for one important reason – the reason that saved my life. If it hadn’t been for the mammography equipment at Owen Sound Regional Hospital, we would have never found the cancer in time. My story might have had a much different ending.
The smaller the cancer, the better the chance of treating it successfully. Early detection means cancer is less likely to spread and there are more treatment options.
My story is short and sweet. I went from mammogram to cancer-free – all within a few months. But it might not have been. If it weren’t for early detection, my cancer would have likely progressed for at least a few years. Instead of a quick and painless experience – I could have endured months of suffering and even lost my life.
Finding my cancer early was the luckiest thing that ever happened to me – and now YOU can help give the gift of early detection to thousands of other women today.
Because every dollar counts as the Foundation works to bring digital mammography to our community, I hope you’ll send your gift right away. Please help as much as you can.
With my deepest thanks,
Mary Thomson, Cancer Survivor