Katharine Adams and Dr. Kimberly Allison have never met, but they share a diagnosis in common. Both women have fought Stage 3 breast cancer,
and more importantly, are now thriving and helping others too! Once
diagnosed with cancer, each woman had some serious treatments to face
and many decisions to make. These survivors have built upon their
experiences and moved forward in different ways.
Katharine Adams lost both breasts and went through 6 months of chemo and 6 weeks of radiation. She learned to take charge of her medical decisions and kept copies all of her medical records. Kathy became her own patient advocate - a move which protected her health through the rigors of treatments. She also designed comfortable, good-looking clothing to be worn during recovery. Did I mention that she is a fitness trainer? Despite the chemo and radiation, Kathy continued to use exercise to keep herself limber and fit. That's something I wish I had done!
Dr. Allison was a new mom just getting used to breastfeeding when she found a lump and was diagnosed with Stage 3 breast cancer. She is a pathologist - an important part of the oncology team - and knew what cancer could do at the cellular level. Kimberly had to deal with her cancer at age 33, while going through many other life changes. Her treatments were aggressive - to match the large tumor - but she survived. She shares her story in the book "Red Sunshine" about how she and her very supportive husband went through the whole journey. It helps to know that doctors are very human and can relate to the sufferings of their patients.
Stage 3 breast cancer is a complex, invasive cancer diagnosis. This diagnosis is broken down into 9 substages, each a bit more serious than the last, all of which require more treatment than Stage 2. With treatment, survival rates are better than Stage 4, and about half of all patients live past the 5-year mark to have full and useful lives.
Here's an article with all the details about diagnosis, survival rates, treatments and follow-up procedures for Stage 3 breast cancer.
Katharine Adams lost both breasts and went through 6 months of chemo and 6 weeks of radiation. She learned to take charge of her medical decisions and kept copies all of her medical records. Kathy became her own patient advocate - a move which protected her health through the rigors of treatments. She also designed comfortable, good-looking clothing to be worn during recovery. Did I mention that she is a fitness trainer? Despite the chemo and radiation, Kathy continued to use exercise to keep herself limber and fit. That's something I wish I had done!
Dr. Allison was a new mom just getting used to breastfeeding when she found a lump and was diagnosed with Stage 3 breast cancer. She is a pathologist - an important part of the oncology team - and knew what cancer could do at the cellular level. Kimberly had to deal with her cancer at age 33, while going through many other life changes. Her treatments were aggressive - to match the large tumor - but she survived. She shares her story in the book "Red Sunshine" about how she and her very supportive husband went through the whole journey. It helps to know that doctors are very human and can relate to the sufferings of their patients.
Stage 3 breast cancer is a complex, invasive cancer diagnosis. This diagnosis is broken down into 9 substages, each a bit more serious than the last, all of which require more treatment than Stage 2. With treatment, survival rates are better than Stage 4, and about half of all patients live past the 5-year mark to have full and useful lives.
Here's an article with all the details about diagnosis, survival rates, treatments and follow-up procedures for Stage 3 breast cancer.
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