the beginning

Chapter 1

Told by Krista:

It was December 17, 1996, a couple of girls I worked with ~ Carole and Jeanelle talked me into going with them to get Mammograms. I had had them in the past but like most women had canceled a couple of appointments. We scheduled them at the Women's Wellness at DeKalb General which is about 15 minutes from the County Courthouse where I worked. Well, we all had the tests and they asked if I would wait a couple of minutes, I did, then they asked me to come back in for additional films. I didn't think anything of it at the time and they gave me no clue that there was anything wrong.

We left and drove back to the office, like I said, a 10 ~ 15 minute drive and there was a message already on my desk to call my Doctor. I called and they asked me to come in right away, the Doctor needed to see me and it would probably be a good idea to bring my husband ~ fear is beginning to creep in.

We saw the Doctor about 5:30 that evening, he told me I had breast cancer and that he had made an appointment for me to see a surgeon the following morning. I remember being devastated, wondering how bad it was and of course ~ was I going to die? That couldn't happen to me, I had a daughter I wanted to see grow up, get married, have children, a husband I wanted to grow old with, 2 stepsons still in high school, parents, in - laws, other family and friends ~ a host of things I wanted to do with my life.

I remember walking out of the Doctor's office, bursting into tears and telling my husband, "Its not supposed to happen to me, its supposed to be you". I didn't say it to be mean, I said it because he has cancer on both sides of his family and we have always kind of joked that with his family it isn't if they will get it but what kind they will get and when they will get it. Then we went home and continued with the worst night of my life ~~ telling the family.