Linda K. Schlesinger-Gessner-Hale, is one of our featured survivors with an inspiring story.
Here's her story:
I was laid off in 1999 from a large technology company and as a single mom decided to move from Marketing Communications to Education. With a month of benefits left, I got all my medical exams scheduled. On the day before my benefits ran out, I showed up for my mammogram appointment. They didn't have me anywhere on their books and were booked solid. The only thing I could do was sign up for a month of Cobra benefits and reschedule the mammogram. It's a good thing I did because we found calcifications. The biopsy showed a cancerous tumor in my left breast. At that time, was no way of knowing what the stage was or if it had spread into the lymph nodes. I had a weekend to decide if I would have a lumpectomy or bilateral mastectomy. When I read breast cancer often mirrors on the other side, I decided to have a bilateral mastectomy and breast reconstruction. After the surgery, it was determined that my cancer was DCIS and at stage 0, so it had not spread and we caught it very early. I was so blessed to not have to go through chemotherapy or radiation. The breast reconstruction was no picnic, but I'm so glad I did it. I no longer have to have mammograms
and have symmetry. The procedures keep getting better all the time. If it weren't for the mammogram, I may not have been as fortunate! Eighteen years later, I'm cancer free and very thankful.- Linda K. Schlesinger-Gessner-Hale, 2017
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