Norita D Walker

Survivor

My support system

Hello, my name is Norita Walker, and I am a Breast Cancer Survivor. I was diagnosed in January of 2008. My primary care physician knew in December. I was taking hormone replacement pills, because in 1980 I had a hysterectomy. He changed mu hormone pills and within a couple of weeks my breast had doubled in size and brown fluid was in the bed. At first I didn’t know what was happening. Same thing the next night. So I called him and he asked a few questions. For the next couple of weeks I had tests done. He never said the word cancer. I had gotten my results from my mammogram, and everything was clear. He gave me his cell phone and told me to call him if anything changed. This was all during the Christmas Holidays. My diagnosis was the 9th of January 2008. I had to have a MRI because my breast was dense and that’s why it wasn’t picked up when I had my mammogram. My primary care chose my surgeon, oncologist and my radiologist. I was told had he not changed my hormone pills I would not have survived the year out. It had traveled that fast. I had a Radical mastectomy on the 22 January 2008 and 10 nodes were removed. 7 were positive. I then had chemotherapy and radiation. I then had another year of Herceptin. January 2009 I had a Total mastectomy on the right side. I wasn’t able to have Reconstruction surgery until 2012, because of the radiation and the tissue was still too weak. My diagnosis
Breast carcinoma
Left breast, Infiltrating Ductal Carcinoma (IDC), Lower Outer Quadrant(LOQ) (4:00 o’clock) It was a long hard journey, but I wouldn’t trade it. I thank God everyday for keeping me here to help comfort someone else in need. I have always had the best doctors and I still do. They have changed over the years, but there is one that has been with me since the beginning and that’s my pain doctor. My support system at home is still in place. My family and my friends are still with me. You need a support system. Without mine I know my journey would have been a lot harder than it was.

Staying positive is what helped me tremendously. Letting someone help when you need it and listen to your body. Last but not least
FIGHT LIKE A GIRL! LOL!