I am 84 years old and I just moved to an over-55 community with my husband, George, last year. Since I retired from secretarial and real estate work about two decades ago, I’ve kept busy by joining a knitting group, gardening, and going to the gym.
There were a lot of things going on in my life when I first found a lump in my breast. My mother-in-law was in failing health, my two children were teenagers, and I was separating with my husband of 23 years. My life was in chaos; when I found the lump, it further added to that.
I’m 65 years old, and thanks to a 35-year career at the Department of Defense, I’ve been happily retired for just about a decade. I live in Willow Grove, Pennsylvania, with my husband Bill, our dog Tess, short for Tess the Mess, and our cat Amoco, who is named for the gas station where we found her.
I was a first grade teacher for six years before becoming a reading specialist for kids with learning disabilities. After having four children of my own, I decided to be a stay-at-home mom and teach my children, along with my nieces and nephews.
I was with my youngest, who was 18 months at the time, at the mother’s group I run at my church, when I received a heart-wrenching call from my doctor. Thankfully, I was surrounded by an extremely supportive group of women when I learned I had breast cancer.
