Surviving Means So Much More Than Not Dying
Hi, I'm Corean Foley.
Diagnosed at 41
Stage III
Double mastectomy
19 lymph nodes removed (5 were positive)
12 weeks of chemotherapy
6 weeks of radiation
10 years of hormonal therapy
And this is my story.
Before March 3rd 2017, I thought a “breast cancer survivor" was simply a woman who had breast cancer and did not die from it. Boy was I wrong! "Survivor" doesn't give justice to what it is we really overcome. It's more than just "not dying"- it's about surviving the mental abuse that cancer will put you through.
It will have you questioning and second guessing every decision you once were so sure of.
A breast cancer diagnosis is about surviving the emotional abuse that to often leaves you feeling crippled, but with no crutches, it’s about surviving while everything you once knew about yourself is being taken by an unseen imposter that confusingly... is you!
It's about surviving through every life changing surgery- some so painful that at times you forget how to breathe. Praying for it to at least lessen just enough to catch your breath, for just a moment. But overtime, the pain does lessen while little by little strengthening the way that we will view ourselves. We become proud to wear our permanent badge of honor and are finally able to see the beauty in the "new us," while becoming so much more than just our scars.
But that won’t happen until we overcome everything we once never thought we could, like having my breast removed, possibly having my ovaries removed and put on hormone therapy to stop the estrogen in which fuels my cancer, leaving me to ask “If you take all of that from me, than how will I ever feel like I am a woman again?"
Being a survivor is the moment we are handed the pen in which our oncologist gives us and we are told to place our signature on a form (before we are given chemotherapy) stating that we understand that chemo will kill some of us. You see, I'm unsure whether I will win or lose my battle to stage 3 breast cancer, but that's ok because our fight is way bigger than just fighting for ourselves.
We fight for the possibility that maybe, just maybe because of the fight in which we are fighting today, it will give my children and your children a greater possibility to never have to wonder whether they will win or lose their battle to breast cancer because we already fought that fight for them.
Thank you for sharing your story, Corean. We love you.
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