Marsha Hulsebus’ story

” “THE CALL” came from the doctor that I actually had two types of cancer; lobular carcinoma and ductal carcinoma.  One fast growing and one slow growing.”

My name is Marsha Hulsebus and I am a 68 year old widow with 3 children and 9 grandchildren.

My cancer story starts with a routine physical in December of 2003 with the doctor telling me there was something suspicious in the left breast.  I had done my own breast exams and never felt anything.  Even after the diagnosis, I still could not feel it.  That’s why it’s so important to get those mammograms done because early detection is the key to survival!  After a lumpectomy in January of 2004, “THE CALL” came from the doctor that I actually had two types of cancer; lobular carcinoma and ductal carcinoma.  One fast-growing and one slow-growing.

Elly Blacquiere’s story

Elly’s friend, Lindsay Bransen on left; Elly Blacquiere on right

 Elly: “’In the depth of winter, there lives inside me an invincible summer.’  I love that quote and tried to keep cancer from stealing the summer inside me.”

In the summer of 2008, I moved to South Carolina to live with 4 of my girlfriends from college. It was the best and worst year of my life.  The 5 of us were in a new place trying to make it on our own and starting our careers.  We took weekend trips, throwing ourselves into southern culture, trying to experience all we could.  We spent all of our time together and became a family.  We knew everything about each other.  During one of our nights where we lounged in the living room, I told the girls that I had felt a lump in my breast.  I have always been a worrier, so even I didn’t take myself too seriously.  They told me to go to the doctor if it was bothering me.  My initial response was sarcastic saying, “Yeah… I’ll just schedule an appointment in all my free time”.  I was in my first year of teaching and a head varsity softball coach.  I was putting in long hours and the time commitments had taken over my life.  I also did not have a doctor in South Carolina at the time, so that was another dilemma.  I let a couple of months go by and during that time my friend, Amy, was in my ear about seeing a doctor.  She would not let it go and was constantly reminding me until I finally made an appointment.  I will be forever grateful to her for her nagging, because she could have saved my life.

Amy, Megan & Elly (left to right)

When I visited the gynecologist I remember feeling embarrassed to tell her because I thought I was just being paranoid. She told me it was nothing abnormal for someone my age.  I should just monitor it, but she gave me a number to call if I wanted to get a mammogram. The following week it was still bothering me and I could feel the lump while sleeping on my stomach. I decided to schedule an appointment for my own peace of mind.  My appointment was before school and when I got there they told me because of my age, they were going to do an ultra sound.  The doctors knew right away that the big mass was

Deb Hoogeboom story

 Deb: “I am determined to get back into my gardening and spending time with my grandchildren”

My name is Deb Hoogeboom.  I found out I had cancer shortly after a routine physical in April of 2011, one week after I lost my job due to my work closing.  My mammogram came back with a suspicious  spot on it that they wanted to check. The next afternoon, I went down to Lacks Cancer Center where they did another test.  The radiologist showed me what they found and explained they needed to do a biopsy.  We scheduled it and I went home where I looked on the internet what the radiologist had shown me.  Things didn’t look good.

There was no family history of breast cancer and after the biopsy

Deb Sportel’s story

 Deb: “I felt like I had been kidnapped by cancer and taken to a place I didn’t really care to go.”

Debra Sportel was a vibrant wife, mother of 4 grown children, and grandmother of 5 with a small photography business when a routine mammogram changed her world.   At the age of 54, in March 2011, she was diagnosed with invasive ductal carcinoma.  This is her story…

I had stage 2 breast cancer, invasive ductal carcinoma in a couple of places in one breast.  It was present in lymph nodes, but hadn’t traveled far.  There was also an area of ductal carcinoma in situ in the same breast. I never had any symptoms, it was discovered

Cheri Koning’s story

Cheri and her daughter, Jamie

Cheri: ” I realized that every breast cancer survivor has their own story.  No two were alike… and they are all heroes to me.”

Cheri Koning was 51 years old and the picture of health when she received the devastating news that she had breast cancer.  A life long runner, she had just completed her 2nd half marathon days before.  This is her story…

For the past 11 years I had always been faithful in having a mammogram every year.  My last one had been in December of 2008 and everything seemed normal.  During the summer of 2009 I noticed a change in my left breast right around my nipple.  I wasn’t too concerned because it felt more like a fibroid mass and it moved around.  I had always been told to feel for lumps that did not move.  I had an upcoming yearly physical appointment for mid-September and decided to wait until then to have it looked at.

My doctor said that she didn’t think it was cancer, but she thought I should schedule a mammogram just to make sure.  I waited several weeks