Heidi's Breast Cancer Survivor Pins

Heidi's journey...

In the early Spring of 2010, I began to notice some changes but didn't really pay much attention to it, passing it off as 'just hormonal for that time of the month'. I am so blessed to have a sensitive and supportive husband who pushed me to get it checked out. I didn't think it was anything serious because I had a clean mammogram in August 2009. But I decided to go and get it checked out. I had another mammogram as well as an ultrasound. Two weeks after that I had a biopsy because of something "suspicious". By early April 2010 I was diagnosed with Stage 0 Non-Invasive DCIS. I was told that 'if  you are going to have breast cancer, this one gives the best prognosis for recovery.'

So, I went into research mode and discovered that this type of breast cancer doubles every six months, and the reoccurrence rate is 44% within 5-10 years if the 'good' breast is left as is. Well, based on those factors I decided to have a double mastectomy. I had that surgery on June 1, 2010. During my recovery I had a vision of an image which represents how I feel about being diagnosed so early and the benefits of intuition and early detection. I designed the pin and had it made here in North America three months later. In June  2011 I became a volunteer advocate for the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation and have made it my mission to support the screening program and promote the importance of early detection through regular screening.