1.  Well, it all started August 2005. I had to go in for my yearly check-up. I had just had my second child in March of 2005 and just celebrated my daughters sixth birthday.  My family doctor examined my breasts, just as I had done  a week prior during my monthly self-checks. I felt nothing, the doctor felt nothing, so nothing to worry about... well the doctor said that I needed to get my baseline mammogram. He suggests them for women between the ages of 35-40. He wanted me to have one when I was 35 and I asked to wait until the following year. When the year came around I was pregnant for my son, so I could not have it done then. Then  the next year came, I was 37. Two weeks later, I went it for my very first mammogram. I wasn't scared except for the fact that "everyone" said that it hurt and they pinched your breasts flat as a pancake... "great" I thought this will be fun.  Well, I must have had an experienced tech, because it did not hurt at all. I was done in no time. I felt pretty good the rest of the day, joking about it with my husband; "yep, smooshed them flat". The following day I was called by the tech that they needed to get a couple more pictures. I went in and they took more. The following day I was called by my family doctor saying that they had found an area of suspicion on my right breast and they wanted to do a needle biopsy on me in two weeks. The biopsy was somthing I had never experienced before in my life. I had to lay on the procedure table face down with my breasts hanging down in front of me through two holes cut out of the table. With my breasts hanging down, they could get to the tumor better, I guessed.  The results came back fairly quickly. I had an appointment with my family doctor on Oct. 10th 2005.  I went in for the consult, alone; well, with my son, and he gave me the news that I had cancer. I was speechless, in shock, numb. He was telling me all sorts of things about treatments and surgery to remove the tumored area. It was all foggy to me but I was trying to retain all that he had said, because people would want answers.....The next day was my 38th birthday.............Happy Birthday to me!!!!!