- SANDY'S STORY -

With support from my friends and family, I survived an over 2-year fight against breast cancer.  It was after Mark Carlton planned a surprise “FUCANCER” party, which included a live band with lots of friends, that we decided to make a difference in the fight against cancer by planning more concerts.  ….And Notes4Hope was born!

On April 11, 2011, I was diagnosed with Invasive Lobular Carcinoma (aka Breast Cancer). In June of 2011, my right breast and subsequently my right arm lymph nodes were removed (2 surgeries within 2 weeks). The tumor in my right breast was much larger than expected and therefore, I endured 6 months of breast cancer treatment starting in July 2011. With a port in place, I underwent 8 rounds of ACT chemotherapy followed by 25 consecutive days of radiation to my right breast, ending treatment on December 12, 2011.

My journey continued.

In March of 2012, I elected to have my left breast, ovaries and tubes removed as a preventative measure. This rare type of cancer is not easy to detect and removing hormone producing organs increases my chance of survival.

 Unfortunately, in July of 2012, I developed an infection in my right breast that could not be treated with oral or intravenous antibiotics (no tissue, no cells, no blood, no relief), and had yet another surgery to remove the expander. Pathology results indicated I had a bad case of mold. Yes, mold!  I took a strong anti-fungal medicine for 5 months to eradicate the mold.  Once cleared, reconstruction could begin.

During the summer of 2013, I underwent 15.5 hours of reconstruction surgery.  I now have a “tear-drop, gummy bear” implant in my left breast and a “butt breast” on my right.  What’s a butt breast, you ask?  Doctors transplanted an area from hip to crack on my left upper buttocks by painstakingly connecting every vein and capillary, and shaping that into a breast. I could elect to have more breast corrections but after that long surgery, I'll stick with what I've got!  

And the really great news is that I’m healthy and…cancer-free!