Category: forgotten Fighters

Now This Is Real

by admin

It is very hard to sum up the last two years of my life in one article, but Amy from West Michigan Woman did an amazing job of pulling all of the major details together. I owe a big thank you to Kasie Bomer-Smith and the rest of the WMW team for for sharing my story and for sharing the Forgotten Fighters Mission and I owe a big thank you to all of my hair and makeup stylists for making me look and feel a little bit like my pre-cancer self for the day. Now if I could just get them to make me up like this every morning…

You can read the article here: http://www.mydigipub.com/publication/frame.php…

#WestMichiganWoman #mypersonalpinktime #ForgottenFighters

Fox 17 Morning Mix with Dr. Diana Bitner

by admin

Breast cancer is the third most common cancer in women. While taking steps to detect breast cancer seem bothersome and scary, these precautions could save lives. The earlier patients are diagnosed, the better chances of that person becoming cancer-free.

Dr. Diana Bitner, a nationally recognized menopause specialist from Spectrum Health, brought along her patient, Tammy, who has struggled with breast cancer and shares her experience with the screening process, treatment, and other struggles she faced on her journey.

To read more about Tammy’s story, check out Dr. Bitner’s blog.

 

My Husband’s Story

by admin

A lot of you have asked or wondered if my husband Jordan would ever be willing to share aspects of how my Breast cancer affected him and our family. He has always said that he would someday, but feared he wouldn’t be able to put his thoughts into words in the same way that I have. I think it was something he would have gotten to eventually, especially if something happened and I was not doing well, but we got bit of a nudge a few months back when Good Housekeeping contacted me. They were interested in interviewing Jordan and I for a story about young families facing breast cancer. We of course said yes as it has unintentionally become part of my mission to share the side of breast cancer that so many hide, but this was a great opportunity for Jordan to share a bit of his story as well. I will admit he was hesitant at first, and in his words he feared he may “screw it up”. I told him that It was his call, but I did have one stipulation….. If he agreed to the story, he had to be 100% open and honest with the journalist writing the story.

Here is the article that GH published a few weeks back. The writer we worked with did a great job of capturing Jordan’s thoughts and feelings and Jordan joined me by taking one giant step out of his comfort zone, as he was honest and open in discussing a some pretty difficult topics. The truth is he too has suffered and is still suffering through all of this with me, just in different ways. In some ways he is suffering on an even deeper level than I am because he has to helpless watch and react rather than feel things first hand. Breast cancer didn’t just happen to me. Breast cancer happened to everyone who loves me.

We would like to note that the headline is a little deceiving. Jordan did take a lot of the photos that are featured in the article, however Sam from Shutter Sam Photography deserves a great deal of the credit for beautifully capturing so many aspects of the past two years, including all the aspects of this journey that are so difficult for others to see.

See the Good Housekeeping article here:

http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/health/a44239/husband-documents-wifes-cancer-battle/

#MyPersonalPinkTime #GoodHousekeeping #ShutterSamPhotography

 

Addressing The Silence And Moving Forward

by admin

Would you believe me if I told you that before cancer, I used to be the shyest most reserved person you had ever met, and I would have done anything to avoid talking about my own feelings, personal thoughts, or struggles?

2 years ago, Cancer was NOT even on my radar. In fact, Cancer was something that I thought happened to other people, not something that I thought would ever happen to me… Until it did.

As many of you know I found the lump myself, but not because I was doing a self breast exam. I found it because I had been experiencing really sharp shooting pains in my chest pains for at least 6 months. When the pain was bad I would push the palm of my hand up against my chest. That’s how I found the lump. I didn’t tell anyone about it for a few weeks, but my mind was filling with fear and all I could think about was the fact that cancer could take me from my family. After doing a lot of research I realized that I had to tell my husband….. and I had to make the call. I saw my OBGYN first. She said that based on my age alone most doctors would recommend watching it for 6 months, but she said she wasn’t going to take any chances with me because she had a family history of breast cancer. She sent me for a mammogram, an ultrasound and Biopsy right away to rule out cancer. After two mammograms, I was sent to have an ultrasound. My technician was about midway through the scan when she said she had to talk to the radiologist. She tried desperately to make it seem like a routine part of the process, but I was starting to see realize what was happening. She was gone for at least 20 minutes so I had a lot of time to let my mind wander but I was oddly no longer thinking all the scary cancer thoughts, instead my mind was racing with moments from my life that made me feel like that exact moment was all part of a bigger plan for me.

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Sign My Petition

by Tammy Myers

Breast Cancer Happens Under 50:
Help Me Fight For Early Detection In Younger Women

Forgotten Fighters | Tammy Myers from Tammy Myers on Vimeo. Click here to sign the petition.

It’s official. The Forgotten Fighters campaign is live. Please take a moment to watch the video, sigh the petition and share this link with everyone you know.

Breast Cancer Happens under the age of 50. In fact women in their 20’s and 30’s are being diagnosed with breast cancer every day. The harsh reality is that Breast cancer is not limited to those who have a family history, high body weight, lower activity level, consume more alcohol, or smoke. It can attack any woman, young or old, at any age. This overlooked group—younger women in their 20’s and 30’s—are typically diagnosed with much more aggressive and further advanced forms of breast cancer. It is astonishing that the U.S. Government does not recommend screening young women. Even more, it suggests that younger woman should not even preform self-breast exams. This entirely contradicts the long-held suggestion that early detection saves lives.

If it’s large enough to be felt, it already may be too late When a tumor is found during an annual screening—mammogram or ultrasound—it’s often caught long before it has grown to a size that can be felt. Unfortunately, women under the age of 50, especially those under 40, must rely on themselves to find a lump. We must show the U.S. Preventative Services Task Force that although we may be the smallest categories of women diagnosed with breast cancer, we still represent lives that could be saved. In the absence of Government-guided support, young women need to be our own breast advocates. We need to forget about the guidelines and get to know our bodies, check ourselves often, and push our medical team to do the same.

Please join us in the fight to change the recommendation to a much earlier age and give younger women a fighting chance against breast cancer. Don’t just do it for us, do it for all the daughters, mothers, and wife’s who will be diagnosed.

Please take a few moments to watch the video below, like the forgotten fighters Facebook page, sign the petition, and of course help me make this grassroots campaign go viral, by passing this message along to everyone you know.
A very special thanks to Rhino media, Shutter Sam Photography, I do Signs, White dress events, Modern Day Floral, Sip Organic Juice Bar, Adrienne and Meghan from Pure Salon, Anything Goes Catering, The Cakabakery, The Event Loft, Hourborfront Banquet Hall, Wasserman’s flowers, White Dress Events, Grand Finale Desserts and Pastries, and to Ron Kellow who helped me string all of this content together. I am so thankful that you trusted in my crazy ideas, and jumped on board to donate time and services, to help me turn my crazy little vision into a reality. I truly could not have done any of this without all of you.

Now let’s make some waves! Click here to sign the petition.

In order to truly make waves we must show support with signatures.

You can also check out the webpage at forgottenfighters.org

#Forgottenfighers #Mypersonalpinktimeprojects #reversetherecommendation

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