It goes back to two years ago, just a yearly routine checkup with my doctor. I thought I was just going to go in and do the usual things and walk right out. I was about 21 years old. I would’ve never thought that I was going to be told that I had a lump in my breast. I was scared half to death. “Why god? Why me?. ” I could lose my breast if this is serious. “Oh no! ” I wish I was just having a nightmare. Due to the fact that I am the only girl of 4 kids made this situation even scarier to go through.
Not even my mother had history of any breast complications which usually is always genetic, so no one in my family had ever faced this situation. After the doctor said she found a lump on my breast, she wanted for me to go to a specialist and look into it some more, maybe do further tests because it wasn’t normal. When I left the doctor’s office I was hysterical; I was imagining the worst possible outcomes to my situation. I remember I was with my boyfriend that day. He was very comforting telling me that everything would be fine.
He told me that I had to be positive, not to think bad things. Soon after, I had to start looking for a specialist instead of me doing the usual things, like planning my weekends, going shopping, having a normal day. I had gone into a depressed state of mind. No one ever knows when they will be diagnosed with an illness. All I wanted was to know what it was. Finally I found a specialist to go to. I went in for my appointment and his nurse did an ultrasound. They could not do a mammogram because of my age and it would also do more harm since it is radiation.
The doctor then informed me that they did see a lump but did not know if it were malignant, so he wanted to perform a biopsy. I knew things could get worse from that point, but this procedure would give me the most accurate diagnose. Those upcoming days until I got the procedure done were eternal. The days at work were hard for me, each one seem longer. I tried to think positive; my family also did their best to support me. Finally the day of my biopsy arrived. I got the procedure which was so painful.
They had to give me a local anesthesia so that it wouldn’t be so painful and then stuck a thick needle inside to get the cells they needed to run test on. After that I just waited for the results. My mother would pray strong constantly, hoping for the best. A week later I got a call from the doctor’s office and received the best news. I didn’t have cancer. It was a benign lump! I was never so happy in my life. After this phase of my life, I have learned to appreciate life more. I also realized that anything can happen from one day to the other.
I looked at my life in a different way, that’s why I then started to tell my friends and family that is very important for them to go to the doctor and always get their checkups. They all understood because they saw everything I had gone through. After that I learned that I was actually brave in a way. Being surrounded by positive people made this experience a lot easier. Whatever the outcome would have been I knew that I will be okay because of them. That is why today I feel like I’ve learned something about myself, I am stronger and braver.
