Jennifer Kennedy - A Beautiful Life

My mother was diagnosed with Stage 4 lymphatic breast cancer in 1994. She did not get regular mammograms prior to her diagnosis. She received treatment and was a breast cancer survivor for 4 years before the cancer returned to take her life. My sister and I miss our mother every day and get our mammograms annually. We want to share our story and message that regular mammograms can save a sister, a daughter, a wife, a friend, or a mother.

I lived 6,000 miles across the county from my mother the day that she told me she had been diagnosed with breast cancer. We knew that there was a history of the disease in my family but we never thought that it would be my mother. She told me that she had the worst type of breast cancer and that her treatment would be aggressive. I cried for the next week because I could not bear thinking about the possibility of losing my mother at age 61 and that she did not want me to come to visit her until she was more stable. My mother beat her breast cancer with radiation, chemotherapy and a mastectomy. She was a happy survivor who witnessed the birth of 2 more grandchildren in the next 4 years. She was also an anxious survivor who dreaded the possible return of the disease. My mother lost her battle with breast cancer on October 1, 1998, the first day of breast cancer awareness month that year. I mourn and miss my mom everyday, but have long ago made my peace about why she did not have regular mammograms that may have saved her life or at least extended it for many more years. My sister and I have mammograms annually and we have each have had breast biopsies in the past 6 years because our mammograms showed something suspicious. (Both outcomes were benign.) My sister and I want women to know the importance of having regular mammograms, especially if they have a family history. A mammogram and monthly breast exams could save the life of a sister, a daughter, a wife, a friend, or a mother.