I have survived breast cancer twice. I was 47 years old in 2001 when I had a lumpectomy and 33 radiation treatments, and 50 years old in 2003 when I had a double mastectomy. When my doctor finished the mastectomy, the plastic surgeon stepped in and put extendors in for the reconstructive surgery. My skin would not stretch because of the radiation, so months later, I had the extendors taken out and told my doctor to sew me up. I would love to have had breasts, but now I am really glad that I can go home, take them off, and lay them down! Some mornings, I have to actually look for them because I take them off just wherever!! I had never known anyone who had been through this, so I went in blind. We all have a purpose in life, and I think my purpose for going through cancer twice is so that I can help others know what to expect and what is going to be happening to them. I thank God every day for letting it be me instead of my mom, my sisters, or any other woman that I have ever met or known. It has made me a much stronger person, and I am so thankful for that. Just stay strong, have faith, and fight with all you have inside you.

Janet Roberts
Winston-Salem, NC