[Andrea Barnett Budin]

How blessed your mom was to have you by her side. That takes enormous strength. You should be proud of yourself!

You will never look back and regret and that is a gift.

You two fought an amazing battle. It seems the cancer was just too far ahead of you, on so many fronts, to catch a break. And focusing on the HER2+ aspect and not the very daunting positivity of your mom's hormones is a lesson for all of us. Cancer has many faces, many components.

I have 2 daughters. I was 50 when dx and I have asked them to begin mammograms for a base line reading in their 30s. Now in their 40s they do annuals, and one does an ultrasound as well.

I also believe strongly that the first of each month we must all examine our own breasts. I never had a lump. A marble or a pea. I had a general hardness of my entire left breast. I did not know that ANY change whatsoever should be immediately looked after. I never thought I had cancer.

I did move my annual mammo up and make an appt w/my GYN. I thought it must be a cyst. I had never had a single lump. Turned out what I had was a 9 cm tumor -- lobular (vs the more common ductal) which is deeper and more aggressive.

When I recurred, the bc was throughout my liver. My blood work reflected a very slight elevation in liver enzymes. 3 mnths later, it was noted without concern by my docs. 3 mnths after that, when it was again mentioned without need to worry, I stood firmly and asked for an ultrasound. This led to a CT scan which led to a biopsy.

We must actively participate in our own wellness.

So as a mother, I am asking you, Deb's daughter (I wish I knew your name) to take good care of yourself. This is what I tell my dghtrs, not to scare them but to arm them well...

With love,
ANDI