Page 5 - October - December 2017 - 1st Issue - FINAL UPDATE

BEING from the beautiful Caribbean

Island of Jamaica, my culture has
always been a big part of my life, and
as I got older I began to understand
more and more my culture, and how it
transforms our lives through telling
stories of our past and present and how
it is intertwined with our future, and
life’s struggles to the joyful journeys
to come. On May 2000, my joyful
journey became a nightmare when I
was diagnosed with stage II Breast
Cancer in my left breast. Being
diagnosed with breast cancer was frightening, and over-whelming as I
struggled to absorb the news, because for many years I was told the
lump in my breast was fibrocystic. Now, I had to begin considering my
options of treatments, while family and well-intentioned friends
showered me with advice. "Get a second opinion," "think positive,"
"talk to someone who's going or been through it." It all sounded reason-
able but, was it the best advice for me? I made the choice to have a left
radical mastectomy and a lumpectomy to the right side, followed by
chemo and radiation therapy.

It was a struggle, but I endured with chemo/radiation therapy and breast
reconstructive surgery. A year later I had my first mammogram, which
lead to another chronic illness (lymphedema with cellulitis), I’ve been
battling this for the past 16 years, which caused ongoing infections in
my left arm, most times resulting in 3-4 day
hospital stays of intravenous antibiotics. Over
the years I’ve endured other health issues; RA,
hypothyroidism, insomnia, anemia, just to
name a few, but I continue to remain positive
and maintain my daily routine, with a healthier
approach. Sharing my story with friends
battling this disease is therapeutic, and I
embrace my survivorship of breast cancer;
while assisting them through education of the
disease and physical, mental and emotional coping skills.

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