I am not sure when I am correct in saying I am a survivor...was it after surgery? Was it after chemo? Was it after the radiation? Or when I am done (in December!!) with Herceptin?

I have asked several people and no one can tell me when my date is!

So, when is it? Was it?

I was diagnosed with breast cancer in October 1992, and had a partial mastectomy on the day of the presidential elections in 1992, followed by 8 weeks of daily radiation and 8 months of chemotherapy. I then made regular visits to my oncologist every few months that eventually grew to every six months and now are annual. It recently dawned on me that I am a cancer survivor. Although somewhere in the dark corners of my mind I realize that it could come back and bite me in the -- someday, for the most part I don't think too much about it, other than my self exams. By the way, it was during a breast self exam that I discovered the lump in the first place in '92.

Anyway, when I think of myself as a cancer survivor, I think back to the beginning, when I first found out I had cancer, followed by the subsequent treatment. Although the treatment ended within a year, I still felt as if I was being treated because I was still going to the oncologist more frequently than, say, a woman who didn't have cancer. It was when I started going annually, only a few years ago, that I started feeling more normal about myself.

However, when I consider myself a survivor, I consider my period of survivorhood to have begun when I began my treatment, or my "fight" as some people call it, against the disease, because I made the choice to live. I could have done nothing, but I wouldn't be here today. I made a choice to fight the disease, thus making a choice to survive. That choice was made prior to treatment, and that became the beginning of my survivorhood.

Some people probably would prefer to wait until they are done with treatment to call themselves survivors, I imagine. It is all relative. But, as I said, for me, the revelation that I was a survivor hit me rather late in the game, really, only recently, so it is in retrospect that I offer my insights.

I had my first diagnosis and mastectomy in Jan 2000. I started the tamoxifen part of my treatment at the beginning of November 2000. I did have a second mastectomy in December of 2003, but I since I started saying I am a survivor in November of 2000, I still use that as my breast cancer survivor date.

Hi everyone I too am a cancer survivor and now an advocate for a more nutritional approach to not only preventing cancer, but will cure my own if it ever raises its ugly head again. Unfortunately most doctors do not recognize nutrition as a means of optimal health or preventing disease or they say things like"eat a good diet", well what is a good diet? Sara Snow knows! and so do I now. Our body is no different than a car in the since that you would not pour a gallon of milk in your gas tank, the car would not run! Our bodies are being attacked daily through the air we breath, food we eat, when we take a swim at the local pool and when we take our daily shower to name only a few, no wonder America is the leader in death and disease. We need to become informed.
I laughed and told my husband I should be arrested for attempted murder for feeding him the food I have for 15 years, oh I thought I was a good cook and yes it tasted good, meat, potatoes and veggies, but it was "dead food" little to no nutritional value, because 1.) it was not organic, 2.)it had its life cooked out of it. We are live beings and need live food....so simple! I have never had a doctor tell me to detox my body to rid it from heavy metals that are linked to cancers of all types and a multitude of illnesses that have arrived only in the last 100 years. That I do daily now with a new product I found 2 months ago. I have had asthma for 15 years and after 2 weeks of this detox I have"t used my inhaler at all, what freedom to be able to breath again and not feel like a fish outta water. If you are interested in detox and its importance I encourage you to go to http://personalhealthoptions.info
You will be shocked, I also have a list of doctors that do not use invasive chemotherapy or radiation to cure cancer and have sound evidence of their cure rate and I have a list of books on healing cancer as well. They used to view scurvy like we do cancer, incurable and who knows where it comes from my doc said "its the luck-o-the draw". Well I don't see him anymore and that is not why we get cancer. Scurvy killed alot of sailors, but the brits noticed when they hit shore and the guys could eat fresh fruits and veggies that the scurvy went away......amazing what vitamin C will do for the immune system and yes we need more than 60 mg a day as the FDA suggest, we use 3000mg a day and we feel great and never get sick anymore. heres to happy health and a cancer free life ladies!

At first I used the date of my surgery, because that was the day I first felt like the cancer was gone. Since then I heard someone say something that has stayed with me.

"Everyday you survive, you are a survivor!"

That person took the date of diagnosis, because whether you are getting treated or not cancer is now a part of your history. So, in just over 3 weeks, it will be exactly 10 years since my biopsy and that cancer diagnosis.

you are a survior after your first mammogram is clear after being diagnosed with cancer

I AM HAPPY TO KNOW THAT YOU ARE STILL ALIVE AND DOING WELL BUT I NURSED MY MOTHER WHO HAD LUNG CANCER I WENT THROUGH THE RADIATION CHEMO AND EVERYTHING AND SHE COULDN'T STAND IT SHE WANTED TO GO AND GET EVERYTHING OVER WITH I DON'T KNOW IF YOU HAVE KIDS BUT THAT WAS A BLESSING FOR ME FOR THE SIMPLE FACT THEIR WAS MORE TIME THAT I SPENT WITH HER AND IT MAY NOT SEEM THAT WAY TO YOU BECAUSE YOU ARE GOING THROUGH IT BUT YOUR HERE AND THE DOCTORS TOLD US IN SEPTEMBER THAT SHE PROBABLY WOULDN'T MAKE IT TO THANKSGIVING AND SHE DIDN'T SHE PASSED OCT, 6TH 2001 THE BLOOD CLOTS WENT TO HER BRAIN BUT IF YOU ARE QUESTIONING IF YOU ARE A SURVIVOR "YOU ARE" INDEED TO HAVE GONE THROUGH THE PAIN THE SICKNESS ETC,.... I THINK ANYONE WITH THIS DISEASE IS STRONGER THAN ANYONE I LOOK IT AS A PERSON WHO IS BATTLING SOMETHING THEY DO NOT HAVE CONTROL OVER AND THEIR TAKING THESE MEDICATIONS TO FIGHT IT OFF! JUST LOOK AT IT FROM YOUR FAMILY'S POINT OF VIEW AND I THINK YOU ALREADY HAVE! YOUR NOT DOING THIS FOR NOTHING

You are a survivor the moment you are told you have cancer.

Lots of information about complementary and alternative approaches from the Annie Appleseed Project

We are a non profit run by volunteer patients, survivors and advocates.

Ann F.
www.annieappleseedproject.org

You need something that is going to rebuild all the cells in your body. When cells are properly nourished with all 8 monosaccharides they will communicate and not allow cancer cells to grow. For more information on alternative natural methods send an email to frank@wellness4life.org and state your medical issue so the proper attachments can be sent.