Brenda
On channeling the energy of the fight…
“I have a family history.
It was always ‘out there,’ like I was waiting for the hammer to drop.
I had always been vigilant with mammograms. I had to fight the insurance company to start getting mammograms at age 35. So, with the history, you kind of expect that it’s going to pop up somewhere along the line.
But, nothing prepares you.”
“I continued to work to stay sane and not focus on the diagnosis or let it take over my life and define me.
I didn’t want the cancer to be a crutch or an excuse, and I ended up outperforming everyone in my department!”
I also got involved in the American Cancer Society Relay for Life. I became the Luminaria Chair and it was so uplifting. It was a chance to give back or pay forward and bond with others who have faced similar experiences.
It’s a moving experience.”
Brenda Hope | 50 | Arlington, TX | mother of Kimberly | Licensed Vocational Nurse
Diagnosis: DCIS Stage II February 2006 | Lumpectomy February 2006 | Chemotherapy February – May 2006 | Radiation June – August 2006 | survivor