A Celebration of Women™

went searching and found another amazing woman, survivor Taking Action.  

We are pleased to pay this Tribute to and introduce her to you as an inspiration of Faith, Hope and Success … through our Celebration of her Life.
 

 

WOMAN of ACTION™

 

 

Barbara Terrell

 

“The month before I was diagnosed with Breast Cancer, I was worried about what to wear to my 25 year high school reunion. I opted for the low cut, short purple dress, which is unusual for me because I’m pretty darn conservative.

 

 

To say I was shocked when I was diagnosed with Breast Cancer would be a huge, huge, huge, understatement.

 

If there is such a thing as ‘the good kind of cancer’, that’s what I got.

 

DCIS, ductal carcinoma in situ. Carcinoma – how can I have a disease that I can’t spell without spell check?

 

 

Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) is the most common type of non-invasive breast cancer. Ductal means that the cancer starts inside the milk ducts, carcinoma refers to any cancer that begins in the skin or other tissues (including breast tissue) that cover or line the internal organs, and in situ means “in its original place.” DCIS is called “non-invasive” because it hasn’t spread beyond the milk duct into any normal surrounding breast tissue. DCIS isn’t life-threatening, but having DCIS can increase the risk of developing an invasive breast cancer later on.

 

 

When you have had DCIS, you are at higher risk for the cancer coming back or for developing a new breast cancer than a person who has never had breast cancer before. Most recurrences happen within the 5 to 10 years after initial diagnosis. The chances of a recurrence are under 30%.

 

 

Women who have breast-conserving surgery (lumpectomy) for DCIS without radiation therapy have about a 25% to 30% chance of having a recurrence at some point in the future. Including radiation therapy in the treatment plan after surgery drops the risk of recurrence to about 15%. If breast cancer does come back after earlier DCIS treatment, the recurrence is non-invasive (DCIS again) about half the time and invasive about half the time. (DCIS itself is NOT invasive.)
 
According to the American Cancer Society, about 60,000 cases of DCIS are diagnosed in the United States each year, accounting for about 1 out of every 5 new breast cancer cases.

 

There are two main reasons this number is so large and has been increasing over time:

• People are living much longer lives. As we grow older, our risk of breast cancer increases.
• More people are getting mammograms, and the quality of the mammograms has improved. With better screening, more cancers are being spotted early.

I’m incredibly lucky that it was caught in a very early stage, and with a little surgery here, and a little radiation there, I’m well on my way to becoming a two year survivor.
 

 

A funny thing happened after I was diagnosed. I started writing about what I was going through.

There were a lot of books that talked about Breast Cancer,

but none focused on DCIS.

 

 

HOME: www.dcis.org

I shared my experiences with friends and family, and we’ve all grown through the process of surviving DCIS Breast Cancer.

 

Next,

an even funnier thing happened.

 

 

In New York, there is a group called The Healing Project, started by

Debra LaChance.

 

 

She is a Breast Cancer survivor that wanted to give people going through it a voice, a way to share their hopes, and to not feel so alone.  You’ll see that her dream has taken root, and The Healing Project has now produced three books, if you go to: www.thehealingproject.org ,

 

 

 

Online Community…..

I’d been working on a detective story for a year, and have always wanted to get published. Now, by a strange twist of medical fate, I had a story to tell and The Healing Project listened.
 

My humorous essay on the lessons I learned during treatment appears in

Voices of Breast Cancer.

 

 

Voices of Breast Cancer will be available at your local book store or on Amazon.

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Voices-Breast-Cancer-Companion-Strength/dp/1934184020

Low Cut Tops……..You Go, Girl!!!!!

 

“I must admit that two years after fighting Breast Cancer,

 

I’m much more likely to wear low cut tops.”

 

@ Barbara Terrell,

Highlands Ranch , CO

 

For more information, please visit www.bjterrell.com.

 

A Celebration of Women™

is completely inspired and priviledged to have found You and all we can think of to say is

Congratulations!

 

Brava Barbara!

 

A Celebration of Women