I had my breast tumor removed last year. It was discovered while I was having a breast examination by a doctor after accompanying a friend to her check-up. I never expected a tumor to be in me, I just checked for fun.

The doctor did not give any comments on whether it was cancerous or not, just gave me some brief facts and reassurances that it might not be cancerous and such. I was really scared and I cried when I had the scanning. After less than half an hour, I had a report of the accurate size and picture of the lump.

I called my then boyfriend and family and cried. I kept thinking of dying and how I was too young to die. How the things I did will affect me, and how I will never experience the things I haven’t done. Weddings, child birth, I was only 20 going on 21. After a month of preparing myself for operation and the outcome, I checked myself at SMC Malaysia, in Sabah. Away from extended family members and friends.

I don’t want people to know, but I was ashamed. The operation was less than 2 hours, and it was my first operation. It was painful but it was not as bad as I thought. Less than a week later, I was declared cancer-free. It was like I was given another chance to live.

My point is, cancer is not a death ticket. We can fight cancer.

I had this thought that I had cancer before the operation, and I made it a point to be open minded, and to be positive that I can fight it. There are many death stories of cancer but there are also many survivors. The only thing is early diagnosis. SO please get yourself checked. Paranoia is good as it can saves lives.

I am lucky, I have resources and insurance. I think some people, especially in Malaysia, cannot afford to have an early diagnosis due to financial constraints, and government hospitals might be really cheap, but the service is bad. I might have a full report in less than an hour, but other people in government hospitals have to wait for many months to even get a report.

Cancer does not collaborate with time, and this is dangerous. Therefore the government and organizations should do something to combat this issue.

To all cancer patients and survivors, and those affected by cancer in family members, be strong. Do not let the sickness corrupt you. Cancer is curable, just be positive. Xoxo.

Anyone can share their stories do email me at. I will love to publish your stories in my blog to inspire anyone with cancer or with a loved one affected by cancer.

—Nadia Ramli

I received a link to this video via email today and I think it’s worth watching (all 3 minutes and 46 seconds of it).

This week on Johnson & Johnson’s YouTube channel, there’s a video about a woman named Ty Hunter and her discovery that she had breast cancer. In the video, Ty discusses her reactions to the cancer and shares her thoughts about the various treatment options.

My daughter, Sierra, has had a lot in her young life to deal with. Things a lot of us never have to in our entire lives. This past summer was no different unfortunately. She lost one of her gym teachers from last year to breast cancer.

Jan was an amazing woman through Sierra’s eyes. Sierra would ask what she could do to earn an extra dollar or two so that she could take Jan a candy bar. Jan had told Sierra that the chocolate helped her fight the cancer. Sierra being the loving person that she is to everyone she meets embraced this woman knowing what the outcome could be and still loved her unconditionally.

She would come home in the evenings and tell me and my husband about the day and would talk about Jan. My husband and I both were curious about the development since she was not Sierra’s direct gym coach. However, nothing we could do would prepare Sierra for the final outcome. We had no warning of how bad it would get. No time to prepare Sierra when she found out.

She went to pick up her schedule for the school year when she received the news while asking when Jan would be back at school. Sierra cannot tell you that she picked up her schedule, she cannot tell you that she met her new principal. All she remembers of that day was that her 6th grade principal gave her the news.

We sat for two days with her crying. Unable to help her understand how to cope with this loss. The loss of someone she had come to love unconditionally, the way we should all love. I hope that everyone one day can be so loving and generous as she is. However, it doesn’t stop there. My daughter is 12 years old. She is still a child.

Instead of just crying and “getting over it,” she began to ask me for ideas of how to help change things. She wanted to know how she could make people understand and get help so that no one else would have to hurt like she was and that no one else would have to suffer like Jan did. We discussed things back and forth then she heard about the Komen Race for the Cure marathon.

Sierra decided of all things that she could do that would be easy or quick, she wanted to run the race. So I emailed the organizer. I told her the story of Sierra. I did not give any details to the race organizer of names but she knew that it was Jan. She gave the information to Jan’s daughter. Jan’s daughter in turn invited Sierra and Sierra’s best friend who was running with her to join her team “Jan’s Gang.”

When we showed up for the race they all started the race together and as they finished the race they cheered for each other. As a whole that day they were there for each other through race the same way Sierra stuck with Jan.

It’s my hope that everyone can be part of “Jan’s Gang” and remember that we are all in this together. We all are there for each other. We all deserve the love and support that we can give for one another.

—Brett Washam

Whether or not anyone believes we have angels among us, I sure believe! I believe that my sister-in-law, Ellen, was one of the strongest, most courageous angels God has blessed our family with! She was such an amazing woman!

I’ve known Ellen for about 20 years. I came into her family as wife to whom she called her BBB (big brother Bruce). At age 35, Ellen went to have a mammogram and was told she was too young and to come back when she was 40. Well, at age 40, when they gave her, her first mammogram, Ellen was diagnosed with breast cancer… I wasn’t there when she got the results, but when I found out the news, I was floored!! I couldn’t believe my ears.

How dare such a deadly disease affect our family! Especially someone so young. I can only imagine how she felt when they told her. And what was going on in her mind. I felt such empathy for her. I wanted to just hug her, cry with her and make it all go away!

Through the years that followed, I watched Ellen go through so much pain and trauma that without the help of God to call upon, she would have not been able to come as far as she did. She fought this deadly disease for about 8 years. What a struggle! Each time it knocked her down, she came up fighting with all her might! As if that wasn’t enough to deal with, while fighting for her own life, Ellen suffered the death of her dad in June of 2006, and her mom, in September of 2007.

Ellen use to call and talk with mom every day of her married life. That was mom’s only daughter and they were really close. We got together as often as time would allow. Ellen and her family, own a cabin here in Berkeley Springs and came up from Woodbridge, VA three seasons out of the four. One of her favorite pastimes was riding the lawnmower.

After mom passed away, I could see how Ellen’s little body was getting more and more tired and weaker as time went by. We were able to be together this past thanksgiving and Christmas. It was a little sadder this year because mom wasn’t with us, but being with family is the most important part of any given holiday! Ellen has touched the hearts of so many people. When I first met her, I knew that I was going to love being a part of this family.

On my blogger site, I wrote a post which I named “Courage.” It was my first post about Ellen. Now, before I go on, I’d like to vent if you don’t mind? It was so very hard seeing Ellen go through this battle for so many years. She was one of the most courageous woman I’ve ever known and loved.

Ellen fought this ugly, unforgiving battle with cancer for the last eight years of her life. She’s gone through losing her breasts and her hair. Through the pain of radiation and deadly chemo. She also came through reconstructive surgery of caging some of her vertebrae because it was deteriorating. She endured having surgery on her brain and on one of her eye lids. She came through the doctors trying to rid the cancer in her spine, and also had to live with it attacking her bone marrow.

That September, just before mom passed away, we got word from Ellen that it came back into her brain. Mom was going through some very serious health problems of her own so we thought it best not to add that on her plate. Ellen told us that they were going to try and shrink the cancer in her brain this time but not to get her hopes up. She was truly living one day at a time. She decided not to go through the procedure and they more or less told her to go home and enjoy the quality of life she has left.

At that time, along with the pain n sorrow we were all feeling, I asked God that Ellen would be able to enjoy one more Christmas with her family. It was beautiful. Very poignant. We were there, her honey, Rocky, was there, all 3 of her kids and her 2 granddaughters shared a very special Christmas that year! Just like the year before we knew it would be moms last Christmas so that year was also most unforgettable. God heard my prayer and granted my hearts desire. What a loving God we have!

Ellen passed away January 12^th of this year. She spent her last few days in the hospice section of the hospital. I was very concerned that Ellen has never been baptized, even as a child. I arranged for the Chaplain of the hospital to come in and baptize Ellen. We talked about it for a while but the opportunity never presented itself… until that very time. Her honey, Rocky, her BBB and I were there with her. Along with baptizing her, the Chaplain anointed her with oil and gave Ellen her Last Rights.

I hate this part of life!!! And it doesn’t get any easier to bear each time we have to go through the death of another loved one. I know God doesn’t give us more than we can handle, but with so much pain and sorrow we have no control over, whatsoever, is happening all around us, it’s a wonder how we can pick ourselves up and go on living with that void. Ellen, you live in our hearts and you will sadly be missed!

ELLEN CLEVELAND
NOVEMBER 17, 1959 — JANUARY 12, 2008

You May Be One Person In This World, But To One Person, You Are The World!
If God Brings You To It, He Will Bring You Through It!
Your Faith Is A Gift From God!

—Anni