Breast Cancer Article in the Minden Minute

My sister and I were invited to write an article in a small newpaper in Minden, Louisiana. Below is my article. When I get her's then I will post it.

Prayer, Laughter and Positive Attitude


On January 2, 2002, I was diagnosed with Inflammatory Breast Cancer (IBC) at the age of 37. I was a single mom with a 9 year old daughter, Mallory. The first thing I did was call my parents and my sister. We were all devastated. Immediately we began researching this type of cancer. We learned that only about 4% of all breast cancer cases are IBC, a very aggressive and rare type of breast cancer, that affects about 6000 people nationally. Then we were told that only 40% of these cases survive more than 5 years. It was right then that I decided that I was going to be in that 40%.

With a family history of cancer, (i.e., my grandmother and two aunts either had ovarian cancer or breast cancer, all at an early age, and two of them died before they were 41 years old), my doctors suggested that I have genetic testing. The results proved unmistakably that I have a breast cancer gene – BRCA2. My mom and sister were tested and confirmed also. Even with this news, I continued to tell myself, I was too young to die!!!

So I decided to get a plan. I remembered the words of a teacher I once had, she always told me, “make a plan, then work the plan”. So that is exactly what I did. Because my doctors seemingly already had a plan, I knew I had to have one too. The medical plan was four rounds of chemo, surgery, 4 more rounds of chemo then 6 weeks of daily radiation. My plan was prayer, laughter and positive attitude. I began praying and asked for the prayers of everyone I knew; then in turn, they ask for prayers from all of their friends and family. I was on prayer lists in all types of churches throughout the nation. I did not believe that God wanted me to die. Again, I believed God had a plan too!

I also knew that I had to be positive and hopeful. Even on my worst days after chemo, I knew I had to fight and be hopeful for my family, friends and my daughter. People were so amazed at my attitude that it gave them a hopeful attitude as well.

Because humor and laughter has always been a big part of my personality, and because laughter had gotten me through other really tough times in my life, I came to rely on it through this as well. As a matter of fact, when my hair began to fall out by the hand full, and I made the decision to shave my head, I invited my daughter, Mallory and her friends to be there. We laughed and made ridiculous jokes about it, never once giving in to the horror of being bald.

Being single, as long as I felt good, I continued to go out with friends and live life as I knew it. Donning a bandana and an eyebrow pencil, I would draw my eyebrows on and be ready to go. At the end of an evening out with friends, I came to adopt the motto: “You know you had a good time when your bandana is not on straight and you come home with only one eyebrow”!

My parents, sister, daughter, God and friends were my driving forces. It was also everyone’s prayers, laughter, and positive attitude that helped me to survive.

Everyone, including God worked their plan and today, at age 41, I am still alive.

By: Amy Pitman