God Bless you. I hope you live a long and healthy life!

What an inspiration! I am involved in Relay for Life because cancer will effect everyone in one way or another. This young women gives everyone hope.

God bless. I was 21 years young when I found a lump in my breast. My mom knew I needed to have surgery regardless of THREE different doctors saying that it was just a FYBROID. The doctors this time were correct. But my mom would not rest until EVERYONE in the medical profession looked at me and diagnosed me and proved that THERE WAS NOTHING WORRY ABOUT. My mom knew that if she stopped too soon it could turn out to be cancer and it would be too late.
God watch over you.

God give us better health care in this country. Money was not an issue for me but for someone I know did have breast cancer it was an issue. God please watch over how you care for one another.

My mother died from breast cancer. My dad also died of cancer. I’m always very glad to hear about and have the utmost admiration for somebody who’s beaten it. God bless you.

You look as wonderful as you say you feel, you beat it! Cancer also runs in my family, and I have seen several brothers and sisters survive and come back stronger than ever.
Good luck to you and I just want to say YOU DID IT!!!!

I am so happy for this young girl. My sister-in-law was diagnosed with breast cancer when she was just 24. She had two young boys, ages 2 and 4. Previously, her Doctor told her she could not have breast cancer at her age, and said it was just because she had just stopped breast feeding. She was also told cancer does not hurt. She had found a lump and it was painful. When she insisted, a few weeks later, that she have tests, it was found to have grown and spread. She passed away a year later, leaving her little boys motherless. Bringing awareness to the need for early diagnosis is important.

Congrats on being cancer-free!

I wish you all the best in your life now that you’ve beat cancer.

I know first-hand how it feels to win the war over this disease.
I was born with muscular dystrophy 42yrs. ago, then diagnosed with Ovarian cancer in Feb.’07, and then declared cancer-free in Aug.’07. It made me feel good to know that I beat it.

Take care & God Bless!

A VERY BRAVE YOUNG LADY. I WISH HER WELL AND A LONG AND HAPPY AND HEALTHY LIFE. RW

Colleen is a beautiful woman. I hope she has a happy, healthy, and successful life. God bless and stay safe!

I think you are very brave, and have a good outlook on things. Putting your story out there will help to remind us all that we need to be watchful no matter what age. Thanks!

I suggest you get screened for colon cancer. My sister was diagnosed with colon cancer at 43 in 2006. Now she has breast cancer. So many women that develop one will develop the other. They seem to be linked together somehow. A colonoscopy is a piece of cake nowadays. I just had one myself. Congratulations on your victory!

i just want to say god bless you and im glad you are doing well im just a regular guy and i work in a hospital and see cancer patients all the time my heart go’s out to all who have had to fight this battle i hope one day we can find a cure take care and god bless !!

I am also a young breast cancer survivor. Diagnosed at age 38 with the triple negative type of breast cancer, my world was rocked. I am the mother of 3 boys ages 13, 10, and 7. My mother is also a breast and lung cancer survivor. She was diagnosed at the age of 29. She is currently 66 and the mother of 6 adult children and grandmother of 21 grandchildren. The advances of treatment over the years are terriffic. As an RN I enjoy sharing and helping others that are dealing with cancer. I was very fortunate to have been able to work throughout my chemo treatment without missing a day of work. I also choose to undergo bilateral mastectomies, taking off only 4 weeks from work to recover from surgery. My abilty to find humor in just about anything in life helped me get through the six months of treatment. My outlook was always that I can live without boobs, but may not be able to live with cancer. This made my choices easier knowing that all that really matters to me is to be able to raise my boys.

Thank you for sharing your story. Best wishes to you.

It is great to hear about a fighter/survivor. As a man, I never gave much thought or paid much attention to stories about breast cancer, until I was diagnosed with breast cancer two months ago. Good Luck to you!!!!

When I was diagnosed @ 38 - I had two male doctors tell me to have a double mastectomy and one (my radiologist) “they may have cut it out with the biopsy” dilema. My mother, wanting her daughter to survive wanted the mastectomy. Single and actively participating in the diagnosis, I chose the lumpectomy followed by radiation - 15 years later, cancer free and no mastectomy made me realize proactive responses to diagnosis instead of reactive complacity can be less painful. Tragically, I lost my mother to breast cancer five years ago in spite of her proactivness - you can only be as proactive as the compentency of your radiologist hence SECOND OPINIONS are of the essence. Mammograms hurt a lot less than mastectomies - No Brainer!

I am very glad she recovered! I’m not saying this is the case with her, since I don’t know the details, but the Pill does increase the risk for breast cancer especially when used for more than 4 years, and especially when those 4 years are in the teenage years. Don’t believe me? Then why is she taking medicine to suppress estrogen? The Pill is part estrogen. Breast cancer is a terrible thing - when will our society wake up to the link between the Pill and breast cancer? Even supposed breast-cancer awareness groups are in denial. In 2006 the Mayo clinic performed a meta-analysis of dozens of studies examining the potential link between the two, and the overall results were that there is a link between the Pill and breast cancer. Women need to be more aware of this fact.

I too am a young breast cancer survivor. I was diagnosed with stage IIA at the age of 29. I had a 2 1/2 year old son at the time. I did chemo and radiation followed by 5 years of tamoxifen. I’m proud to say that I beat it. I am now 38 years old and mother to two boys. My oldest is now 10 and my youngest is 2. I’m living proof that young women with breast cancer can still lead a normal life and have children. I wish Colleen the best of luck in her future.

I too am a young breast cancer survivor. I was diagnosed with stage IIA at the age of 29. I had no family history. I had a 2 1/2 year old son at the time. I did chemo, radiation and five years of tamoxifen. I’m proud to say that I beat it and I am now 38 years old and still cancer free. That was over 8 years ago. My oldest son is now 10 and I also have a 2 year old son now. I’m living proof that young women can survive breast cancer and go on to have the families they have always dreamed of. Best of luck to Colleen in the future.

My daughter was dianosged with breast cancer in 2004 at the age of 26. The disease does not run in either side of our family, she was not overweight, never smoked or drank, was an athelete in High School. It was a complete shock and very scary. She was also a Stage IIB, her tumor was also around 2.5 centimeters, fast growing, aggresive, and had spread to her lymph nodes. She had 8 rounds of chemotherapy and 33 radiation treatments. At the time of the diagnosis she had a lumpectomy, but in 2006, she has had a masectomy on that side and reconstructive surgery.

She is now 4 years past her diagnosis, and is healthy and strong. She is on medicine that has put her into “menopause” because her cancer was hormone receptor positive. While going through treatment she also held a full-time job and continued going to grad school, which she has now completed. She went through the experience with a grace and strength that was inspiring to the rest of us around her, and we all tried to follow her lead.

She is my hero.

hello i also am a breast cancer survivor and i am 37 years old. i was diagnosed with ductul carcinoma i was a stage 1 but a rare case it also was rapid growing. i am going through chemotherapy as of now i have 3 weeks left and then i go on to radiation. i have 5 weeks of that every day. i have 2 children and a husband. my children are older 14 and 17 and when i found out i had this it was hard to tell my kids due to the fact their grandmother died of this. when i found out i had cancer i was devastated but i stood on my feet and said this cancer was not going to beat me i am going to beat it!and i did. everything happened so fast from then, i had a lympectomy and then had to have a pota cath inserted for chemo. i told my kids when i had to let them know, that this is where your faith has to be strong. we are a christian family and i am a youth director at my church, and what got me through all this is was GOD and i know he has blessed me in so many ways. i turned it over to the Lord and he took care of me. thank you for letting me share this with you and god bless!

Wow, what a great, encouraging story.

Fox, THANK YOU for posting a positive story for once!! It’s starting to get old to read all the doom and gloom that is up on the site EVERYDAY!

God Bless this young women that she have a long healthly life!!

God Bless all of you that have beat cancer. We shouldn’t let cancer run our lives, but fight cancer. I was diagnosed with Hodgkin Lymphoma on my left groin in 2004. Stage IIB. I found the lump in March 2004, then diagnosed later in the summer. I lost all my hair. But while I was battling Hodgkin, I left where I was working, moved to Virginia, found a place that could do my treatments better, plus my DR said I want you “CURED” from cancer. March of last year, I was working up to my stem cell transplant in Nashville, TN. Thats been a year ago. This year, I feel it is a victory over cancer. I am going back to college at the age of 42. I was diagnosed when I was 38 years old a year after I just graduated from a tech school in Florida. I do feel that I am going to come back stronger, at this one college in Virginia, I know of area’s that I am weak in. I first went to school for Automotive Service, but had to take time off to focus on what was going on in my body. I think that how I got through all the chemo’s radiation treatments and the stem cell transplant by a chaplin weekly just to check on me, plus my support person.
My eyes water when I see other people going through cancer treatments, you have to be strong going through what matters the most. Don’t let cancer win. Lets win the battle against cancer. Be Strong!!!

Good to have this information put out there, because it can surely happen to young women in their twenties. My daughter, while serving in the Coast Guard, was only 23 when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She went through a radical mastectomy, then reconstructive surgery, along with chemo and radiation therapy. She’s been cancer-free for approx. 14 years, but does continue to be very diligent about having MRI’s every year, checkups every six months. It does have a tendency to run in families, as both of her grandmothers had breast cancer.
Thank you and keep informing the public, this is extremely valuable information!

Sincerely,

Sue Turnbull

Colleen Cappon, my daughter is now 25 years old and was diagnosed with breast cancer in June of 2007 at the age of 24 (1.4 in 100,000 people her age). She , she had 18 months of chemo, then elected to have a double mastectomy at which time they did an axillary lymph node dissection, followed by 25 days of radiation.

She found a lump in November of 2006, which the doctors said was an enlarged lymph node and not to worry or do anything about it. In March of 2007, she found another lump, in the same breast right next to the “supposedly” enlarged lymp node. Once again, the doctors said not to worry that many young girls have Fibroadenomas or Papillomas (not sure if I spelled this correctly) and they are non-cancerous lumps. My daughter INSISTED on getting an ultrasound. The doctor very reluctantly wrote out the prescription and told her “if if she was losing sleep at night then go, but his recommendation was to throw it away.” After 6 weeks, she went for the ultrasound. The ultrasound technicians referred her to a breast surgeon as they found not one, but two lumps. The breast surgeon told her they were Fibroadenomas; however, he was going to remove them because they do grow larger and eventually have to be removed — not to worry. My daughter was, at the time, training for a figure competition so the doctor said there was no hurry to do the surgery to wait until she finished her competition. He scheduled the surgery for three weeks out. After the surgery, in the recovery room, my daughter, once again, asked if this was cancer. The breast surgeon told her “no.” He said the lumps had no characteristics of malignant tumors and, once again, told her they were Fiboadenomas or Pappilomas. Five days later, she received a phone call from the surgeon and was told she had HER2/neu positive breast cancer (only one in every four breast cancers is this type — extremely aggressive and poorer prognosis). She was diagnosed as a IIB, but may possibly be a IIIA as the surgeon never did a sentinal node biopsy to determine if her lymp nodes were positive; however, the doctors have reason to believe it was in her nodes — putting her at a stage IIIA. One of her tumors was approximately 5 cm and the other around 1.5 cm. My advice — PLEASE FOLLOW YOUR GUT INSTINCTS AND DON’T BE INTIMIDATED BY A DOCTOR MAKING YOU FEEL AS IF YOU ARE OVER REACTING. A friend of mine forwarded your story to me, and I am going to forward it to my daughter.

Best of luck to you — keeping fighting and be positive!! My prayers and thoughts will always be with you.

Letty

Congrats to Ms Cappon. I hope that she will always remain vigilant against other forms of cancer, and that she will enjoy a long, healthy and productive life.

Congrats to you! What an inspiration!! I have a VERY strong family history of breast cancer and I am BrCa2 positive. I was diagnosed with BrCa last year at age 34. I also had a double mastectomy and reconstruction and glad I did it!! I want to be around for a long time!! Good luck to you and I hope you continue to be healthy!! STAY STRONG!! Oh, and tell Shep I said hello!! Thanks!

Why is it that only women’s cancers are important?? Who’s leading the charge for prostate cancer awareness??? Call me sexist if you want, but that’s how I feel.

My sister beat breast cancer at 24. She’s now 35, married, happy and most importantly, healthy. Good luck in the future-

I was diagnosed two years ago at age 26 so I know what you are going through. Keep that positive attitude. It will take you far. We are a small minority and there needs to be more awareness and early detection implemented.

Kurt,

I am pretty sure that routine colonoscopy visits are the best detection for prostate. They can take on polyops before they cause cancer. That doesn’t work with breasts.

This story is misleading because it is not certain at all that this person is cured of her breast cancer. Calling people “survivors” implies that they have been cured of the disease. In all cases of solid tumor cancers such as breast cancer, the risk of relapse is very high and relapse may not occur for years.

The survival rate and survival times of breast cancer patients have not measurably improved in the last 20 or so years. In fact the true median survival times for virtually all solid tumor cancers have not improved. Unfortunately, women who are diagnosed with premenopausal breast cancer do not have a good prognosis and it is premature to state that after one or two years that a person has “beat” the disease.

Everyone should check, if you find a lump, have it checked. Don’t wait, get it checked. I knew a man in his 70’s that was diagnosed with stage 4. His doctors told him to get his life in order, because it could have been the end. That was 4 years ago, and going cancer free. It doesn’t matter if you are a man or a woman, we live, we try to see why are we here. But sometimes it takes something like cancer to awaken our eyes that we are not perfect. In 2005, when I was living in Tampa, Florida, my doctors had me 99% remission. When I went in for a check up. the lump was active and I had to go through the chemo again, TGIF that I didn’t have to go through the radiation treatment, but the stem cell was extrem. The stem cells are kept at 32 degrees F, and is put back inside you at 35 degrees. I had to tell myself to breathe. I had chemo drugs like cytoxen, the late time in Nashville. Then had the stem cell transplant. Some might have their opinion, but I feel that there are times that I can not remember how to spell a word, and they call that “Chemo Brain” I plan to go back to college for automotive service up in Virginia, plus take a english class just to help all part of my body health. Even thou your cancer is gone, what about other parts, last year I had tinging in my hand, my nerves in my hands was messed up completly. I noticed that left in March.

I think back four years ago, I could have taken the lesser or the easy way out, and taken my Mustang GT and tried to get it up to the highest speed…….I won’t go any more about that. But noq four years later, I am moving on past cancer, going to try to work and restore a 68 Camaro. I didn’t give up, I fought. I doesn’t matter if you are a man or a woman, you have to fight against cancer. Because cancer strikes anyone.

Macey:

You can’t be serious. A colonscopy will only detect colon cancer. What I’m talking about is prostate cancer, which only happens in males. Females do not have a prostate gland. Currently the only way to detect prostate cancer is through a blood test called the PSA. PSA’s are not entirely accurate and are prone to inaccurate results. Ultrasounds and biopsy are other forms of detection. The point I was trying to make is this: nobody cares about prostate cancer, except the guys that have it.

I loved your story!! I lost my grandfather to cancer when I was ten and an aunt about 6 years ago to breast cancer. I live in Arizona and for you and all the survivors and loved ones who have lost someone to cancer I am walking 60 miles in the Susan G. Komen walk for the cure in November. It is my goal to raise $3,000. You give me hope that there will someday be a cure so my children(3 sons and 2 daughters) will never have to know someone or loose someone to breast cancer.!!!

Thank you and Stay strong
because “Everybody deserves a lifetime”……