In April 2014, I became a member of a club that no one wants to join. Faced with the diagnosis of Stage III lobular breast cancer at age 44, I became that statistic: 1 in 8 women to develop breast cancer in her lifetime. I entered the long tunnel of medical treatment – surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation – all the while plagued by the thought that the only thing that could possibly be worse than my own cancer diagnosis would be if it were my daughter’s.
A year later I emerged from the tunnel as healthy as one can be in the wake of Stage III breast cancer. My family and I celebrated with a trip to the Southwest. Immensely grateful for all that I had – strength, resilience, a loving family, a network of caring friends – I gazed at the famous sandstone cliffs of Zion Canyon and the haunting hoodoos of Bryce Canyon, trying to grasp the idea of millions and millions of years. There’s nothing like geological time to put one’s own life in perspective.
But, our individual lives are precious. Those of us who confront the epidemic of breast cancer in ourselves and our loved ones know this. And, yet the long view is important, too. We do not want our daughters, sisters, mothers, spouses, or friends to confront a similar diagnosis.
That is why I am writing to you and asking for your help. Your contribution to the Massachusetts Breast Cancer Coalition (MBCC) is crucial to the work – education and advocacy – necessary to stop this disease before it starts. Together, we have the power to keep the next generations from joining the club no one wants to join.
Every morning I take two pills, Tamoxifen and a clinical trial drug. Advances in medical treatment saved my life. I have tremendous gratitude for all the women who entered previous clinical trials and in doing so made my treatment possible. What if we saw the same advances in cancer prevention? By contributing to MBCC, you are joining with others who are also concerned about preventing this dreaded disease in future generations. In combining our forces, we have exponentially more strength than each of us alone.
When I first heard of MBCC, I was still in shock from my diagnosis, but I knew even then that I wanted to join that club, an organization committed to solving the problem at its source. In August, I participated in the Against the Tide event in Brewster, MA. To run and swim – to be healthy enough to do so – was invigorating! But, the most inspiring aspect of that day for me was meeting other survivors and supporters committed to eradicating the environmental causes of breast cancer.
I listened to other women’s stories. I teared up when Cheryl Osimo, MBCC Executive Director, announced the song “Wind Beneath My Wings,” by Bette Midler. I watched my daughter turn cartwheels in the sand. I had hope that she will never have to join the club.
Justine’s daughter at the 2015 Againt the Tide event on Cape Cod
Yours truly,
Justine Dymond
Associate Professor of English
Springfield College
