One of the hardest things to hear a doctor say is that you have malignant cancer.  The first thought that goes through your mind is that of fear, probably fear of death.  Please try to remember this one piece of information as you go through this life changing ordeal:  Cancer is not a death sentence.  The odds of your cancer killing you are somewhere around 3%.  My wife was one of those unlucky 3% who had an aggressive form of breast cancer, but most people will go through one cycle of treatment and will never have to endure another day of being a cancer victim.  

It's true.  According to the American Cancer Society, a woman has a 13% chance of developing breast cancer in her lifetime but only a 2.96% chance that it will take her life.

I look back at the early days of my wife being diagnosed with breast cancer and I realize we made some mistakes.  That is why I am writing this article and creating this site.

The most important thing you can ask your doctor is just how aggressive the cancer is.  Not all doctors like to tell you these things unless you press them.  My wife was already at a stage 2(out of 4) and the tumor was classed as an aggressive one.  We did not know this until 3 years later when her cancer returned and I started becoming much more aggressive in dealing with the medical professionals.

We were led to believe that her cancer, because it was not found in her lymph
nodes, was unlikely to ever return.  If we had known what the doctor did not tell us, we could have gotten her better treatment.  If only we had known to ask. We could have gone to M.D. Anderson in Houston sooner and maybe she might be alive today.

My wife's story is a sad one and one I hope can be avoided again.