Cheryl & Butch - High School Dance Cheryl & Butch - High School Reunion
When my surgeon gave me the option of a lumpectomy with radiation or a mastectomy I chose the lumpectomy because I wanted to preserve as much of my petite-size breast as possible, plus she said that the survival rate was the same for a lumpectomy with radiation or a mastectomy. She also told me that even though the tumor was located just under the nipple, she thought she could save the nipple and areola or at least try.
Since I didn’t really know how much of my breast would be taken during surgery or what the healing time would be, I asked her if I could delay the surgery until after my upcoming high school reunion. I didn’t want to go to my reunion with a tender unhealed breast or no breast. My surgeon said, “Go and enjoy yourself. The cancer took 7-15 years to grow, so waiting 2-3 weeks isn’t going to make any difference at all.”
After making him swear to secrecy I told my friend and former high school admirer, Butch, that I had breast cancer and that I wasn’t sure if I would be able to make it to our class reunion. I told him that if I went to the reunion I didn’t want former classmates pointing at me and whispering to each other, “Did you know that Cheryl has breast cancer?” or coming up to me with pity in their eyes saying, “I’m so sorry to hear about your breast cancer.” Or worse yet, that the men who used to have boyhood crushes on me would recoil in repulsion and ignore me the whole evening. Well, Butch talked me into going to the reunion. He said that people would be disappointed if I didn’t go and that I needed to have some fun.
So I flew to Long Beach and couldn’t wait to see my old friends, knowing that my secret would be safe. Later at the reunion dinner-dance when members of my former high school click singled out some of the others we went to school with and said with pity in their voices, “Did you know that Gerry R. and Tom J. both had knee replacement surgery 3 months ago and that Tom’s wife had breast cancer last year? And look at Sue W. She has MS and we thought she was going to die 5 years ago --- even made her a farewell video, but she’s still here and doing better now than she was at the last reunion … and poor Ray N. had a heart attack and died and Chuck H. had a heart attack too, but was luckier than Ray and is still with us. And….oh, did you hear that Geri D. and Terri A. both died from breast cancer? Who would have thought that would happen. They were both so beautiful.” I joined in with pity and shock in my voice, “Really? How awful!” There was no way that I was going to be put in the same category with the unfortunate and unlucky ones --- the ‘other’ ones. Yes, my secret would remain with me for the next two days---and with Butch, of course. Thanks, Butch. I had a great time at the reunion and didn’t even think about the future. It was too much fun remembering the past.
My advice to breast cancer patients is to do something fun and exciting before your treatment starts because you won’t be able to enjoy yourself for months to come. In fact, it may be the last time you’ll feel normal, so celebrate the moment and don’t worry about the future.
Since I didn’t really know how much of my breast would be taken during surgery or what the healing time would be, I asked her if I could delay the surgery until after my upcoming high school reunion. I didn’t want to go to my reunion with a tender unhealed breast or no breast. My surgeon said, “Go and enjoy yourself. The cancer took 7-15 years to grow, so waiting 2-3 weeks isn’t going to make any difference at all.”
After making him swear to secrecy I told my friend and former high school admirer, Butch, that I had breast cancer and that I wasn’t sure if I would be able to make it to our class reunion. I told him that if I went to the reunion I didn’t want former classmates pointing at me and whispering to each other, “Did you know that Cheryl has breast cancer?” or coming up to me with pity in their eyes saying, “I’m so sorry to hear about your breast cancer.” Or worse yet, that the men who used to have boyhood crushes on me would recoil in repulsion and ignore me the whole evening. Well, Butch talked me into going to the reunion. He said that people would be disappointed if I didn’t go and that I needed to have some fun.
So I flew to Long Beach and couldn’t wait to see my old friends, knowing that my secret would be safe. Later at the reunion dinner-dance when members of my former high school click singled out some of the others we went to school with and said with pity in their voices, “Did you know that Gerry R. and Tom J. both had knee replacement surgery 3 months ago and that Tom’s wife had breast cancer last year? And look at Sue W. She has MS and we thought she was going to die 5 years ago --- even made her a farewell video, but she’s still here and doing better now than she was at the last reunion … and poor Ray N. had a heart attack and died and Chuck H. had a heart attack too, but was luckier than Ray and is still with us. And….oh, did you hear that Geri D. and Terri A. both died from breast cancer? Who would have thought that would happen. They were both so beautiful.” I joined in with pity and shock in my voice, “Really? How awful!” There was no way that I was going to be put in the same category with the unfortunate and unlucky ones --- the ‘other’ ones. Yes, my secret would remain with me for the next two days---and with Butch, of course. Thanks, Butch. I had a great time at the reunion and didn’t even think about the future. It was too much fun remembering the past.
My advice to breast cancer patients is to do something fun and exciting before your treatment starts because you won’t be able to enjoy yourself for months to come. In fact, it may be the last time you’ll feel normal, so celebrate the moment and don’t worry about the future.
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