Breast Cancer

[missprim]

A friend of mine has recently been diagnosed with breast cancer and as you can imagine she is feeling very low.All she seems to mention are the celebrity women who have died from this form of cancer i.e Linda McCartney, Dusty Springfield, and now Wendy Richards has died she gets more and more worried.
I would like to try to make her more positive by mentioning all the celebs we know who have survived breast cancer i.e Anastacia, Olivia Newton John.
My question is first of all do you know of other famous women who have survived and secondly, do you think by telling my friend of the survivors that it migth help.I especially would like to hear from people who have had this terrible disease and what helped them to cope.

[luxury]

Hi Missprim,

I think Kylie Minogue has survived breast cancer.

God strength to your friend.

L.xxx

[missprim]

Thanks luxury I'd forgotten about Kylie.

[ianfran]

lynn redgrave
shirley temple black
anastasia
ann jillian
suzanne somers
jill eikenberry
kate jackson
jaclyn smith and
richard roundtree to prove that it can affect men too!!
all survived and i pray your friend does too.
much love missprim xx

[chinadog]

I cant think of any other famous women missprimbut this might help. You're a true friend.
http://www.breastcancercare.org.uk/server/show /nav.26

[Eve]

I found these...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_notable_b reast_cancer_patients_according_to_survival_st atus

(Maybe copy and paste as there are those who didn't make it further down).

http://cancer.about.com/od/celebritytributes/a /famousbreastcan.htm

[missprim]

Thank you so much for your kind answers.My friend is like a sister to me as we have been friends for 58years and I feel her pain.Hope I might hear from those of you or someone close to you who have had cancer and how you dealt with it.
Many thanks

[DEN53]

My next door neighbour had breast cancer when she was in her mid 40's - she had a breast removed and reconstruction surgery - she is now 57 and fine. Its not always a death sentence - many women survive and live long and happy lives.

[missprim]

Jenna that's a very comprehensive list on wikipedia, would never have thought to look there,thanks.

[ianfran]

missprim - i hope someone posts you, that has beaten this awful disease so you can be re-assured that your friend will be in best care - with friends like you your friend is half way there to recovery so try not to worry.
i lost my mum a few years ago to breast cancer but it was found late on, so if found early and treated quickly, i'm sure all will be fine. two ladies at my children' school have both had breast cancer and beaten it by getting treatment at the right time and have had no re-occurrence for years and long may it continue. good luck, sweetheart.
LO love xx

[ianfran]

p.s missprim - on a separate note i hope you got my post earlier re: ER on media and tv, and wish you enjoy the remaining episodes, as you sound like quite a fan. bye for now
xx

[carmalee]

I'm not famous but have survived breast cancer - being famous doesn't make you any more immune to the disease or any more likely to die from it - we are all woman and take on life equally. My advice is - . tell your friend to be strong, believe in herself and fight this on her terms.This is one battle no-one else can fight for her. The only reson she is focusing on famous victims of BC is that they have been reported in the media - what about the millions of ordinary folk who have beaten it -I'm ordinary, I've beaten it - take the disease by the throat and throttle it. Really hope your friend fights on her own terms - be positive, keep a sense of humour (being depressed won't help) and revel in the support of your friends. Go well and xxx

[mallam]

missprim (first I thought you were O Wilde�s Miss Prism, then �misprint� � wonky eyes of course, but an amusing sequence of misreading, don�t you think?) ianf hopes someone posts that has beaten this awful disease. Well I didnt, but my surgeon did, by being in the nick of time. Is there any reason to suppose your friend�s might not be? My lovely �godsister� had breast cancer, and she too beat it by getting treatment at the right time. Now she may have had a recurrence. We must always suppose they (or their surgeons) can beat it. Look at jenna�s list!

[lil75]

My mum had breast cancer 20 years ago (the most aggressive form of it you can get), and shes still here to tell the tale, shes not famous, but means the world to me...

[Stockethill]

My sister was diagnosed with breast cancer three years ago. She had her breast removed and six months later had a reconstruction. Two years ago she took part in Race For Life and last year had a very successful Bingo Night in aid of Cancer Research. Yesterday she flew to New Zealand to visit her grand-daughter. So it's not all doom and gloom. Keep smiling.

[mallam]

Um, I have just heard from my above-mentioned lovely �godsister� that my lovely 'godbrother', my dearest friend from undergraduate days, has just died.

Of cancer. But I mean this too as a positive post. Because even he, who did have a dreadful prognosis TWELVE YEARS AGO of 6 mths to 2 yrs life expectancy, has since then not only made medical history, but taken over the running of his College, published several more books of great depth and wisdom, seen all but one of his children married and a whole lot more grandchildren born and grow up, and above all still been a wonderful friend to me, of whom he quaintly and touchingly said to a visiting professor at dinner in College, "This is my best friend so-and-so. I have always had very few, but very close friends..." and all his other friends and family.

He had had so many close calls that his last call to me, in which for the first time he said �farewell� might not have been THE last.

However positive I have tried to be about all this, I have cried a lot for him and his family over those years, especially my godsister, who has been heroic beyond all imagining. Now I will no longer fight those tears. Jesus wept. It must be ordained, then.

[missprim]

Thanks again to you all.
Den53,carmalee,lil75,stockehill and mallom for sharing your experiences with me.
mallom I am so sorry your 'godbrother' didn't make it but he certainly packed a lot into his life,and this has given me thoughts that I must now make sure my dear friend enjoys the rest of her life no matter how long it will be and talk to her sometimes about all the fun we had when we were teenagers in the 60's, all our memories from the day we were 5 yrs old and started school together and stayed in the same class all throughout our schooling.
ianfran what can I say? Lovely words that made me weep.You lost your Mum which saddened me to read, but then encouragement telling me about the 2 ladies at your children's school, and yes I saw your post about ER and I am a huge fan:-)
Lots of love xxx

[gelda]

I was diagnosed with breast cancer 6 years ago but didn't do anything because my hubby was very ill at the time and I didn't want to worry him, he died 2 years later and by that time the cancer had spread to my bones and I was paralysed from the waist down but with radiotherapy over a couple of months I was able to walk again. I'm still having chemo which I'm told I will have to have for the rest of my life as it has now spread to my lungs and scull, BUT I'm still alive and eating well and thinking positive. Tell your friend to keep positive, cancer is not a death sentence as many people think when they hear the word, your friend has a good chance because she was diagnosed early, When you think about what I've been through through not going to the docs when I found the lump I would say she's got a very good chance of getting through it. Remember tell her to think positive, it really has helped me. Wish her all the best from me x

[chas2008]

im a husband whos wife (52)has gone through this experience, 2 years ago our whole world fell apart when we were called in to see the consultant and she was diagnosed with BC. Type 3 which is the most aggresive couldnt of got much worse, she had a masectomy within 3 weeks then 7 courses of chemo and a month (every working day) of radiotherapy. Luckily my company were undersatnding and i attended every appointment and session with her and i have to say it a very humbling experience some sights that i really didnt want to see(other people i hasten to add )...male ,female,young ,old , rich or poor ,black or white makes no difference..cancer really isnt to choosy.
Just before xmas this year she had reconstruction in which the opp was for more major then the original surgery (7 hours) which included a tummy tuck as this is where the tissue was taken from. The results are amazing even the surgeon was over the moon..this was done at Leicester (they specialise in it )which is a 3 hour round trip for us .
I have to say the treatment she received from Kettering GH and Leicester Royal were second to none...nothing was to much trouble..amazing staff

The advice which i would recomend ,as my wife is not a very social person didnt do and i really tried hard to get her to talk to someone, would be to contact one of the charity organisations so she could be put in touch with someone local who has gone through the same experience. Unfortunately everyone knows someone etc. so you get so many second hand ideas , stories and info coming at you which more than often is nothing to do with the type of cancer or treatment involved.
On a positive side the advances in treatment is coming on in leaps and bounds and is for more effective than say even 5 years ago and talking to the medical staff they really are convinced its only a matter of time before a complete cure is found.
best of luck with your friend ,anything else you want to know just

[missprim]

Wow gelda what a brave person you are, you have been through so much.I hope my friend is going to be a fighter about this like you, not sure I would have the strength.
Chas what a heartwarming story, I'm so pleased everything worked out so well for your wife.
I must admit I know very little about cancer but it's good to hear of the advances being made in the treatment of it.
Many thanks xx

[sqad617]

missprim...tell your friend to look at these survival rates.
10yr survival.....means that after 10yrs will have been cured of the disease.
Stage 1 (tumour less than 2cm+ no lymph gland spread) 100% survival.
Stage 2 (tumour between 2cms, but less than 5cms, with limited lymph gland spread) ...92%

This should cheer her up.