THE BEGINNING

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Katie's Breast Cancer Journey 

Have You Squeezed Your Boobs Lately?


My life was forever changed on March 4th, 2022, when I got the phone call that I was diagnosed with Stage 0 Ductal Carcinoma in Situ (DCIS). In case you don't know, because I didn't, that means Breast Cancer. It was NON-invasive and apparently, if you ever get breast cancer, it's the one you want. I thought this was just a bump in the road, something easily taken care of and I could continue to go about my life. In fact, I had finally gotten back into the workforce 4 days prior to this call. Now this? My only thought was, let's just deal with it and move on. Probably a lumpectomy at an outpatient office and and I'll have a glass of wine when I get home. But that's just not how it happened. Not. At. All. March 4th was only the beginning of the shit-show now only I was in, but my husband, my two boys, my family. After many ugly cries, and laughs, because laughing really does help, I decided I needed to be vocal. 

I’m fortunate enough to be able to share my story on Chicago's 97.1FM The Drive radio station, because my husband is the co-host of the morning show. If I could get just one person to schedule their mammogram, check themselves, and catch breast cancer early, it’s a win in my book. I am so grateful that I had that ability.

I’m not shy to share the dirty parts of my journey, because there are some. Some that I haven't even experienced yet. I’m not afraid to make a joke, because I’ve got a few. They'll probably come out in my individual posts. Then I thought, what if I forget some of these details? As I talked to more and more women that had already gone through what I was about to go through (it's sad how many people this has affected), and asked them questions, some forgot some of the small details. For myself, for others, I don’t want to forget the details. So here I am, with tubes and drains coming out of me as I start to chronicle my journey. Starting from the beginning. Bare with me. 

First, let’s admit one thing, you can’t say BOOBIES without smiling. It’s just a great word and I still smile saying, BOOBIES. Even though they tried to kill me.




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