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Dear friends.
Up until this send out, only a handful of people have known about what I'm now going to share publicly since it's not my style to needlessly worry people who love and care about me.
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So here's the scoop: One morning around the end of August, (Aug. 30th to be precise) while helping me get up and washed, as my attendant lifted my right breast, to wash underneath it, he very casually said: "Oh. I've never noticed that lump before."
Having very recently moved here from Africa, I knew he had absolutely no idea of what he had just told me. I tried my best to keep the sheer terror inside and hidden from him, but to some extent my fear no doubt showed.
"Did I do something wrong?" He asked with great concern.
"No!!! I replied. "No! Absolutely not!!! Actually, you may have just saved my life!"
He sat in complete shock for a moment. Then I explained Breast Cancer to him.
As it turned out, I had my annual physical coming up the next week, (Sept. 4th) so obviously I told my doctor. After examining my breast, she said: "Gerianne, honestly, I am very concerned... It's large, and it's hard." (the lump).
Next came a mammogram, about two weeks later. I felt kind of stupid and shameful. Because of covid and being short staffed a few times, I had let one or two mammogram appointments slide, and I know better than that.
Because of my own mother, I had always faithfully kept on track with mammograms and such, but during covid, I wasn't so vigilant with things.
Although it was some 60 years ago and we have come an immensely long way with Cancer Research and Treatments, my Mom's Cancer started in her breast, then Leukemia, then at some point when doctors thought she had it beat, Cancer literally took over every part of her body. Back then, the doctors discovered Cancer in places inside her body that they had never even thought of.
But as I said, despite my personal stupidity, very thankfully, we have made tremendous strides in Cancer Research and Treatments.
At the end of the mammogram I asked how long it would be before I heard anything. The tech said it would likely be a week to ten days. Inside, I almost knew it would not be that long.
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With that frame of mind in tact, I have some news that I think is great news! (Keep reading.)
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A week later, on a Friday evening, my Dr. called around 6:30pm.
"Gerianne, has the IWK (our local Women's & Children's Hospital) called you yet?" She asked.
"No. Not yet." I replied."
She continued. "Gerianne, I got the preliminary report this morning and" She paused.
"And it's Cancer." I finished her sentence for her, hoping to make it a little easier on her.
"Yes... Gerianne. It's Cancer.
"Okay. What's our next step?" I asked. "How do we tackle this beast?"
"Gerianne. Do you have support?" She asked.
I smiled, as I thought about my current attendants, my church family, my Grace College Alumni family, my GO-3D/Teamwork family, my "adopted family" - those who I consider my family, simply because they know me best and love me most, and of course my bro-dad, Lloyd, and my sister, Lynda, and most of all God & Jesus Christ.
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I answered with a very slight chuckle: "Yes, I do. Yes, I have a ton of support."
She said that the IWK Breast clinic would contact me about a biopsy.
The next Thursday I was at the IWK, I found myself participating in a whole new rodeo show. I had no idea what to expect and honestly, I had no clue how the biopsy would go. - Would I need to be put out? I didn't know, but whatever was about to happen, had to happen, so there was no point in getting freaked out about it.
When the doctor discovered she could do the biopsy while I remained in my chair, (because of the tilt function on my chair) I was thrilled. She told me she would freeze the area but if it got too painful, to let her know and she would apply more freezing. She said she would need to take four fluid samples. I assured her that I happen to have an extremely high pain tolerance, so she should just do what needed to be done.
With the mechanics figured out and everyone plotting out their spots, it was decided that since I wasn't using the bed, my attendant could sit on that, so he was kind of off to my left and behind me.
As the doctor inserted a rather large needle into my breast, I heard a small wincing sound behind me, and as she continued, I heard more wincing and moans behind me.
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I knew my attendant was now burying his face in his hands. At one point, I kind of looked back in his direction and asked: "Hey... You okay back there, pal?"
I kind of chuckled as I thought: "Ooookaaay..... Here I am with this needle (that feels like the size of a knitting needle) stuck in my boob, and he's the one squirming? Okay then!"
Honestly, I was just on the verge of asking for more freezing, when the doctor said: "Okay. We're all done."
After leaving the hospital and heading to catch the bus, I asked my attendant if he'd ever been to our Public Gardens yet. When he said no, I decided to take him there, in the hope that it would make him feel better, and I think it worked.
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The Cancer is only in the one, right, breast. There's no indication that it's gone beyond that. The surgeon told me that whether I chose a mastectomy or lumpectomy, it would make zero difference in terms of removing the Cancer. They're both equally effective.
So, on November 7th, I'm having a lumpectomy done. Sometime after that, there'll be at least a month's worth of radiation. (I think three months after the lumpectomy is done.) No chemo though! No losing my hair or anything like that. She said I'll likely be extremely tired for a few months. (Haha! She obviously doesn't know me) but after that, my life is expected to go on as it always has.
It was funny though. As she was going through her check list of medical history questions, (diabetes? = No; high blood pressure? = No; heart decease? = No; etc-etc? = No.) she says "Gerianne, you're pretty darn healthy."
I reply with: "Yup, I am... Except for this whole Cancer thing. lol
I feel extremely grateful and extremely blessed! A few months of "down time" out of an entire lifetime, is nothing!
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People are starting to ask if there's any way they can support me. My answer is a resounding YES!
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Here's a few things anyone can easily do:
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- Women - BOOK A MAMMOGRAM! and encourage EVERY woman you know to do likewise.
- Men - Encourage EVERY woman you know to book a mammogram.
- Men - Movember is here. Get checked for Colon, Prostate, and Testicular Cancer, and bug all your friends to also do so.
- Women - Remind every man you know about Movember, and strongly encourage each one of the men you know to get tested.
- Beyond that: Your prayers, positive thoughts & energy, visits, jokes, laughs, etc., will all be very much appreciated, by me, and by others.
Actually, if you feel like sending me an email or note to say you've booked (or have recently had) a mammogram or a colonoscopy, I would be sooooo flippin' happy to hear that. You can email me at: GBHull@GBHull.com
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So until next time...
And remember... "God is good all the time, and all the time, God is good!"
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- from the "God's Not Dead" movies.
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