Believe…

in a positive attitude

Debra Stephens

I knew something wasn’t quite right with my right breast. It was thicker than the other breast. My dog, Bodi (who was magical, by the way), gently kept placing his nose on the outer side of that right breast. We pretty much suspected something was just not right. For three years, no mammogram could find the problem. I had dense breast tissue.

Finally, a new doctor sent me to Breastlink, which had recently opened a clinic in my area. They had the new tomography mammogram machine. On April 1, 2009, I got the not-so-funny news. I would need a biopsy. I wasn’t surprised. My dog & I knew all along. On April 17, 2009 (my niece’s birthday), I started chemotherapy. I was determined to stay positive and not accept that breast cancer would end my life. Attitude is everything, you know.

Cancer treatment can be very challenging on many levels. Chemotherapy and the years of tamoxifen were very difficult on my body, mind, and soul. I would also use visualization to help me kick cancer’s butt. I would sit calmly, visualizing myself pushing cancer out of my body.

So, friends, stay positive. Attitude IS everything.

Breast Cancer