Lisa Felder (L) and Ellen Holbrook (R)
My story began in December 1999, when I was young and healthy, and I had already completed 7 Marathons and numerous triathlons. On the night before I was scheduled for a routine mammogram, I found an unusual small hard lump in the space between my breasts, but sort of to one side.
Since I had NO family history of breast cancer, I thought maybe it was just a bone that I hadn’t noticed before. Unfortunately, it turned out to be early stage Breast Cancer – Ductal Carcinoma In Situ. The biopsy later showed that in my particular case, the cancer cells were aggressive and fast-growing. Had I not been diagnosed and treated early, I might not be here today to talk about it.
Because the margins around my first specimen were disputably small, we opted for a second lumpectomy to make sure that we got out all of the bad cells. I then underwent 6 weeks of radiation therapy, followed by 5 years of Tamoxifen therapy.
I have been cancer free ever since, and have finished dozens more Marathons and triathlons since then. I started the Pinkathon San Francisco so that I could do something to help find a cure or vaccine, so that others don’t have to suffer. Please help me support life-saving breast cancer research by making a donation to my personal fundraising page below.
Did you know?
- About 1 in 8 U.S. women (about 12%) will develop invasive breast cancer over the course of her lifetime.
- About 85% of breast cancers occur in women who have NO family history and no gene for breast cancer.
- Healthy, athletic people with NO family history can and do get Breast Cancer. I did.
- For women in the U.S., breast cancer death rates are higher than those for any other cancer, besides lung cancer.
Why donate to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation?
The Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF) is the top-rated Breast Cancer charity in the USA. According to Charity Navigator.org, 90% of BCRF’s budget goes directly to support Breast Cancer research programs. To see why BCRF is tops in the rankings, go to CharityNavigator.org.
Please use the link below to make a tax-deductible donation in ANY amount to support the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. This link is for my personal fundraising page as a member of the Pinkathon San Francisco team. 100% of your donation goes directly to the charity. The Pinkathon San Francisco does not touch a penny of it. The reason to use this link is so that the Pinkathon SF and I can see exactly how much money we raised.
Ellen