Photo By Cpl. Alissa Schuning | Participants begin the Breast Cancer Awareness 5k run/walk on the seawall aboard...... read more read more
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IWAKUNI, Japan - Survivors and supporters alike arrived to participate in the Breast Cancer Awareness 5k run/walk at IronWorks Gym aboard Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, Oct. 12, 2013.
Maggie Morales, a station resident and breast cancer survivor, participated in the run/walk 5 years and seven months after her initial breast cancer diagnosis.
“My cancer was caught in the very early stages,” said Morales.
Morales, living in Yokosuka, Japan, at the time, went to her oncologist after finding an unsettling lump during a breast self-exam.
“The doctor in Yokosuka kept telling her it was a cyst, so when we got back to the United States we went to get a second opinion,” said her husband, Dominador Morales, a civilian employee aboard station.
The new oncologist suggested Morales receive a biopsy after a mammogram gave him reason to worry. The biopsy determined that the lump in her breast was cancerous.
“Hearing my lump was cancerous felt like the end of the world,” said Morales. “All I could think about was my two daughters.”
According to her husband, the initial shock of the diagnosis was the lowest point for the family during the whole experience.
“When we first found out I had breast cancer, of course we were upset and cried, but once we let it sink in it was all about positive thinking,” explained Morales.
Morales attributes a large part of her survival to the power of positive thinking. Support from her family and friends kept her spirits high even during the toughest of times.
“Just the experience of chemotherapy was the hardest part,” said Morales. “I prayed it would not come back because I didn’t believe I could go through that again.”
According to Morales, her friends were fooled by her healthy appearance after going through surgery, chemotherapy and the sickness that accompanies the disease.
“I can’t babysit my disease or else nothing good is going to happen to me,” said Morales. “I have to fight it and believe that this is not the end, no matter how bad it seems.”
Morales fought through the hardest part and eventually reached remission. Morales said, even though the doctors cleared her, there was still a possibility of the cancer returning.
“My doctor gave me five years,” said Morales. “He said after the first five years the possibility of a relapse was unlikely.”
Hope grew higher and doctors’ visits lessened as the years drew on and Morales reached her five year point without any signs of her cancer returning.
“Reaching the five year plateau and still being cancer free makes me the happiest person in the world,” said Morales.
Morales now attends breast cancer awareness events regularly to share her experience and help find a cure.
“I never thought it would happen to me and that’s why it’s important to raise awareness. Without doing a self-exam my cancer could have reached a fatal stage,” said Morales.
According to Morales, spreading knowledge about breast cancer is vital to prevent it from claiming more lives.
| Date Taken: | 10.12.2013 |
| Date Posted: | 10.30.2013 21:25 |
| Story ID: | 115976 |
| Location: | IWAKUNI, YAMAGUCHI, JP |
| Web Views: | 63 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Survivor walks to raise breast cancer awareness, by Cpl Alissa Schuning, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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