Paige's Journey

I was leaving for South Africa in three days for a trip of a lifetime with my job. I was looking forward to meeting Nelson Mandela. It was the coolest thing I was ever going to do in my life. But I just knew I couldn’t go half way around the world concerned about the lump I had just found, especially with a family history of breast cancer. I needed a mammogram ASAP. I had it in Boston. The Chief of Radiology recommended an ultrasound and then said I needed a biopsy. Everything unfolded so quickly. I didn’t go to South Africa. I learned I had breast cancer. My Boston doctors told me that I could be cared for closer to home with an affiliated surgeon and oncologist at South Shore Hospital. I was relieved. I connected with my oncologist, Dr. Rolf Freter, and started a Boston-affiliated clinical chemotherapy trial at South Shore Hospital. Part of deciding to enter the trial was that I felt such a strong desire to do my part for the people coming behind me. I would tell someone just diagnosed today to be your best advocate. Know as much as you can. Know your limitations. Know your sources of strength.