Page 89 2024 PAINT THE PAPER PINK Lincoln Daily News Oct/Nov 2024 close eye on her cholesterol, blood sugar, diet and weight. Nothing was ever found in any of her mammograms, so when she brought up her concerns of occasional pain in her right breast, she was told not to worry about it. Many professionals shared that milk glands and hormones change as people get older; she should be fine because her mammograms looked great. Katie let her intuition fall under the radar for many years until she noticed her right nipple had collapsed. She did not rush to make a doctor’s appointment as she had her six month checkup approaching. Katie was unsure of why it might have collapsed, but she did not let it break her spirit. She remembers laughing about it with Ray, joking that her “nipple turned into a valley!” By the time she made it to her appointment, she almost didn't mention anything, remembering how many nurses and doctors told her that her mammograms were clear. She decided to speak up after some of her own research had revealed that a nipple collapse could be a sign of breast cancer. The doctor listened intently to her story and promptly completed a breast exam. He said he didn't feel a bump but scheduled her for an ultrasound within the coming week. To Katie and her family’s dismay, the biopsy revealed a small, one centimeter cancerous mass. In late 2022, Katie was diagnosed with stage two HR+ HER2- cancer. Luckily, this cancer is a slow grower and not commonly aggressive. “I wasn’t initially very scared; many of my friends are cancer survivors; it is what it is. The hardest part was making up my mind about breast removal or balancing them.” After several appointments, Katie was on her way to her partial mastectomy and left breast reduction. After an entire day in the hospital, Katie was taken home by her granddaughter, Devyn, to rest. Katie went back after she was healed up to get her left breast checked and her right rechecked, and unfortunately a larger mass of six centimeters was discovered. She spoke to a radiologist and the surgeon once more and was encouraged to get a full mastectomy. Katie was against removing her right breast, as she still had “one good sized breast.” “I was pissed when he told me I needed to go back into surgery to get my breast taken off because I already had gone through the recovery process. I had perky boobs like I was young again! I had to go in just to ruin what a great job they did.” At first she was certain radiation would finish the job. Yet, the more Katie thought about it, she knew it would be better to make sure and go through with the full mastectomy. Continued --
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