Living With Metastatic Breast Cancer

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I really can’t tell you how encouraged I was by the article "Dancing in Limbo" in the Summer issue. It was almost as if I were a part of that group. I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1989 and, as of today at age 62, I have battled this disease for 19 years. Thanks so much for the many types of articles you publish and the scientific information you provide.

Paulette Friederich
Erie, Kansas

Thank you for the wonderful article on living with metastatic breast cancer. I was diagnosed in 2003, and this past November my lower back began hurting. It was discovered that my breast cancer had metastasized to my bones. Since then I have been looking all over in magazines, the Internet, and other places and have not found many articles on this type of cancer, but your Summer issue really helped me to better understand what I am in for.

Nona B. Van Clever
New Iberia, Louisiana

Not a Death Sentence

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I was so pleased to read your article "A Better Way to the Brain." As a three-year survivor of a racquetball-sized malignant brain tumor, it was great to show that having brain cancer does not mean a “death sentence” as some of my family and friends thought. I especially loved the illustration by Pam Curry since I took Temodar and became aware of just how this drug is absorbed by the tumor. I am hopeful to see more brain tumor articles in your magazine. Brain tumors do not get enough attention.

Lynn Fortaleza
Tamarac, Florida

Choosing Not to Tell

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I had surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy for a malignant brain tumor of significant size. I have told a small group, including my family and close friends. That doesn’t mean I don’t want to discuss it, but I am faced with a situation similar to the freelance consultant mentioned in "The Diagnosis Dilemma" article about whom to tell. It doesn’t matter that I suffered no deficit in speech, logic, or movement; I am a nurse in a medical-surgical unit. Would you feel comfortable with someone who has had a portion of their brain removed treating your loved one? I am monitored closely for new growth and symptoms. I know eventually I will have to stop working; however, as long as I can be a safe and useful nurse, I intend to keep doing the job I truly love.

Name, city, and state withheld

Extended Caregivers

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CURE was first introduced to me at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor and the articles have been very informative, helpful, and insightful. Having this magazine allowed me to feel as if I had an extended staff of caregivers and supporters walking with me and my husband. Thank you for such an excellent vehicle of knowledge.

Nettie Wood
Lansing, Michigan

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