“I’m sorry to tell you, but I’m 95% confident you have breast cancer.”
“I’m sorry to tell you, but I’m 95% confident you have breast cancer.” The radiologist delivered the news during a follow-up ultrasound after an abnormal mammogram this past April. A week later the pathology lab results would confirm his suspicions. “You have breast cancer.” They are words that every woman fears hearing. And they are words that 1 in 8 women will hear in their lifetime. I was shocked. I felt blindsided. I didn’t have any symptoms--lumps or otherwise. I’ve had a mammogram every year since turning 40. Last year’s mammogram was normal. The only family history I have is a cousin who is just a few years older than me and who was diagnosed almost exactly one year before me. In the days and weeks that followed my initial diagnosis, I didn’t want to talk about it. I even regretted telling the small group of people that I did. Friends and family members were texting and calling to check-in and get updates. I genuinely appreciated their care, concern and support. But I couldn’t ...