When was I going to lose my hair? Why that was important to me at that time I’m not sure. I should have been fearing for my life, but my faith I’m certain led me in a different direction. What should I tell my boys? I have 3 boys, Jefferson 14, Lee 12, and Austin 6. What do you tell your young children who immediately think the worst when you mention the “C” word. I chose the truth. We were going to fight this as a family with no secrets. The boys were going to hear this on the street, so they might as well hear it from me first. Should I stay in Augusta or go to a specialty hospital like Mayo, Johns Hopkins or Sloan-Kettering? Many people do leave to get expert help, but after talking to my Ob-Gyn, he convinced me that we had fantastic doctors right here in Augusta. I really did not want to leave my family and be away from home, so I was grateful to have the expertise of the doctors and the care University Hospital provided. My type of breast cancer was not that rare so I did not feel the need to go to specialists elsewhere. What doctors should I use? There are many great ones here I found, but I relied on my Ob-Gyn to give me the best advice. He knew me and what would be the best for me. You need to find physicians you can trust. What type of treatment and reconstruction is best for me? Every cancer and every person is different, so you must rely on the professionals for this advice. There are several choices to make. Don’t be scared to make these choices and stay informed. Have I educated myself enough? You need to know what the doctors are talking about before you can decide what is best for you. Ask questions, many, many questions and talk to other women who have gone through a similar situation. What could I have done to prevent this? Who knows? This has been a big question for me. Did I eat or drink something? I exercise regularly, eat right and have never had a case of cancer in my family. What went wrong? I may never know, but I would love to. That is why we need to find a cure. What can I do to help other women? Obviously this is what I’m trying to do now. I’m helping to raise money for the mobile mammography unit so more women will get annual mammograms. I’m asking women to do self exams and if they discover anything different about their bodies, immediately contact the doctor to get it checked out. Cancer research has come a long way and breast cancer is curable if detected early. I believe women should start getting annual mammograms when they are 35. Why not? It could save your life!