Each Friday we give away a free file here on Silhouette School and this one is near and dear to my heart... quite literally.
When I shared a single image of the wood ornament I made with this "Radiating Hope" file I designed, I did not expect the comments and response I got. Some of you welcomed me to your pink sister club. Some of you shared you had no idea I was going through this (more on that in a second), some of you told me you rang that bell decades ago and some of you shared you were on round two or three...
Not only did you share your stories of facing breast cancer head on, but you asked me over and over again to share the file. You can grab the file free below...but I hope you'll also share a minute with me as I share a moment in my life with you.
Why am I already tearing up as I write this...
On March 28, 2025 I was declared cancer free.
After 20 rounds of radiation - four weeks of daily radiation - I rung that bell, posed for a picture with two of my oncology angels, and skipped out of there never to return...until my two week follow up.
It was the first time I shared my diagnosis with this community and it was a decision 5 months in the making. How personal do you go really? But also when you have a platform it's a bit of a responsibility to use the voice and reach it has... so here goes..
In late October 2024 - while we were living in temporary housing as our entire first floor flooring was torn out and replaced over a 7 week period due to a water leak - and I was up to my eyeballs in a massive insurance claim - I had my annual screening mammogram scheduled.
I see you busy mama with no time for her annual screening mammogram because she has no lumps, no family history and no time...
I debated pushing it off because see all of the above.
But I drug myself to the mammogram and then never thought about it again for three days...when I got a notice that I needed to return for more imaging. Again I didn't think about it much because the prior year (for the other breast) I was also called back. Dense breasts blah blah..
A week or so later I was sitting in my community's brand new Breast Center's waiting room, alone, after getting a 3D mammogram when they called me back again in the same room I'd sat in the year before. That year they told me...you're good to go!
This year the radiologist looked at me deadpan and said, "Looks like cancer, but don't worry if it is, it's Stage 0 DCIS. You'll need a biopsy to confirm. Schedule out front." Wait what?
Bedside manner aside..I credit this radiologist for finding a literal needle in a haystack.
Biopsy, MRI, CT, a clip placing procedure, and 3 more mammograms later...at 43 years old I suddenly had a team of oncologists: medical, surgical, radiation, a genetic counselor and a whole slew of appointments.
The irony is that I was feeling healthier and stronger than ever!!
I had only told a handful of my closest friends and family about my ductal carcinoma in situ diagnosis. Every one of them told me about someone they knew who skipped mammograms or pushed them off only to be diagnosed at a much later stage.
When I met with my surgeon prior to my January lumpectomy, she looked me in the eye and said, "Melissa, this is more annoying than anything. You are the poster child for early detection." Then she pulled up my scans and showed me the small area of cancer (which I could barely see) and explained this is why up until just a few years ago DCIS was rarely diagnosed. At this early stage, it looks almost identical to dense breast tissue, but the technology is advancing and they're now diagnosing it and treating it before it's able to become a bigger problem.
Thank you, God, for the bedside-lacking radiologist who eagle-eyed a 6mm area of cancer cells still contained in a duct and disguising itself as dense breast tissue.
At this point is when I decided to share with at least my personal extended friends to simply encourage other busy moms and women to NOT skip their mammograms.
I wasn't quite ready to open up here yet. I really grew to hate the "Oh I'm so sorry" and the "I have a similar story but..." To be honest, I found it to be equally helpful, deflating and guilt-inducing at the same time - after all my cancer is just "annoying."
You have to make a lot of really tough, personal choices when you're faced with any stage of cancer...breast or otherwise. The decisions and treatment plans are NOT one size fits all - thankfully! You also get a lot of opinions from the medical community and your own community:
- Oh I would have done this.
- No way I'd do that...
- My so and so did this and then it came back...
- You can do this or this... but then you'll also have to do that or that...
I needed to focus, but I knew I also needed to share when the time was right. I do have a voice in this community and I needed to make sure others could have "just annoying" cancer too if only they heard my story and picked up the phone to schedule their annual.
Surgery and radiation behind me and stronger than ever, on the eve of my radiation graduation, I decided it was time to share with my Silhouette School community with one single goal:
To encourage YOU not to skip your mammograms. To remind you to make time for yourself especially when it comes to your health and wellness.
To know that screening mammograms, colonoscopies and skin checks are available and encouraged for a reason and recommended at certain ages and intervals for a reason.
Please remind your mothers, sisters, daughters, wives, friends, neighbors and co workers that a 5 minute test, could literally save your life.
And with that...here's the free breast cancer files because angels work in oncology radiating hope and they all deserve a special thanks! Grab the .studio cut file here & the full set at So Fontsy.
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THANK YOU Melissa, for sharing your story. By doing so, I guarantee you have saved someone’s life!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations of getting through the tunnel and into the sunshine….and ringing that bell!
You are amazing!more women need to hear reminders like this, while the cancer is just “annoying “ and treatable. Thanks for spreading the word!
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