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What a great idea, Al! I am Tricia from Arizona and give a little of my story in answer to Cathy B. a few lines down from here. I was a young and active 56 when first diagnosed with BC in 1985. My younger sister died from it that same year. I had a double mastectomy, nothing more then. It slowed me down enough to finish my PhD dissertation in psychology. My husband, a psychologist, and I continued in private practice, especially doing marriage enrichment type weekends for couples and family counseling for 5 years, when the cancer showed up in my spine in 1990. No chemo, just tamoxifen, lots of prayer and alternative things. Took time to write a book on marital intimacy with my husband. Cancer in remission, we retired and moved to northern Az., wound up not retiring after all. June 30 of this past year I had a heart attack and in preparing for bypass surgery (which hasn't happened yet), a CT discovered cancer mets to the lungs, 14 years after the last met in 1990. I am doing quite well as I said in the post to CathyB., am now a young 75, not as active as I wish now, but still fighting and very positive, and enjoying life fully, including our very large family of 9 children, 32 grands and 27 greatgrands! We did have to move out of the mountains and back to the desert because of the altitude. The cancer seems to be shrinking after 6 months on navelbine & herceptin, plus femara, now just herceptin & femara. I love this website and am so grateful for all I've learned here to feel in control of the situation. I am so glad to "meet" you all and your stories have truly inspired me. My prayers and best wishes go out to all of you! Tricia
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