My life has never been easy..So it's no surprise that being diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer would change this..Actually a year ago I was diagnosed with stage 2b invasive ductal carcinoma..And was told I would need a mastectomy with reconstruction..chemo,,rads..tamoxifen.,herceptin..

Well, did I say I was stubborn and not a very good patient..? In my case this was a good thing..It started with my boyfriend questioning a port..and from there on..I studied..spoke with survivors..nurses..I ate raw vegan for a couple months..swallowed a ton of supplements..

I went back to the breast surgeon 6 months later..I was almost going to do surgery..but the PET scan showed it has progressed..my oncologist said I had stage 4..At first felt like I was being diagnosed all over again.,but felt a strange sense of relief..I asked the oncologist if I needed surgery, chemo, or rads.,He said no.. I said I was just stage 2b..am I going to die any time soon,,? No...hmm..

So I asked,,"if I did surgery?"..He said.."most likely it would have spread"..

Blessing in disguise? He told me it could be maintained for a very long time..

So I gave up the raw vegan diet..I try to eat a balanced diet..but if I want a cookie ..I will have a cookie ..the natural people will say sugar causes cancer..well, I was miserable eatting only raw vegan food..Also, I don't let people bother me as much.,and I also do those things that bring me joy on a daily basis..

I am more appreciative of the people in my life..less worried about the ones that are of no use..and I value each and every day more than ever..because none of us know when our last day will be..so instead of living like I am dying..I am learning to live while I am living with cancer..

Susan Seymour
Hopewell, NJ