Support Frankie fight against Triple Negative Breast Cancer

It’s hard to believe I’m sharing my story here, but I guess it’s true you never know where life is going to lead you. About 8 months ago I got a pain on the right side of my breast that would not subside. Like any woman, the first thing that comes to mind is breast cancer. I said a silent prayer to myself, and I called my doctor’s office to schedule a mammogram.

Little did I know it would take me 7 months and more intense pain that now included both breasts before I got the appointment. Why did it take so long, in my mind I can’t fathom why but what I was told is that I couldn’t have this done because I was having pain in the breast. I don’t understand what changed but I finally got the mammogram and the results. When I heard malignant, I felt the wind leave my body as if I’d been punched in the stomach and back simultaneously, I couldn’t breathe. My heart was beating so fast that the blood rushing drowned out the voice on the other end of the phone. My head was spinning, what does this mean, I immediately thought about my sons and my grandkids. How would I tell them, what this means for our family?

I now understand what it means to see your life flash before your eyes, I always pictured flashes of what once was, never had I imagined it would be flashes of what may never be. My husband of 28 years and I had separated about 6 months before my diagnosis, it was amicable. He too had some medical issues right after our separation that forced him into early retirement. I’ve been there for him just as he has locked arms with me on this new journey.

There was a 3-week wait between diagnosis and when I would get in to see my surgeon, again with the waiting. The surgeon’s words to me were, that surgery may not be an option because although we found it early and the tumor is small you have a very rare breast cancer. The one time I truly hated to hear “RARE” not only is it rare but aggressive. The diagnosis is Triple-Negative Aggressive Invasive Ductal Carcinoma Breast Cancer. When those words left her lips my mind shifted and my faith was activated. All I could think was that my God has me and with him, I’m ready to fight.

I decided to do this GoFundMe for two reasons, of course, the cost is overwhelming and at the urging of my doctor to not work during my chemo treatment my income stopped. Reason number two, until my diagnosis I had never heard of triple-negative breast cancer, which means in lay terms it lacks the estrogen, progesterone, and HER2 receptors and is more likely to spread in other areas of the body.

I have two aunts on my mother's and father's side who have fought and beat breast cancer, neither was aware of this rare type. I believe there are more women in my shoes, I’m now getting genetic testing for the BRACA gene, so that my granddaughters may be prepared. It is now my fight to bring awareness to other women. Will you help me?

I know what life is like for people across our country, I pray if you find in your heart to give one dollar, please know my family and I thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Thank you for taking the time to read my dissertation ;)