The hardest part of all of this experience so far, was telling my kids, and then other people. I am a pretty spunky (stubborn, headstrong, bossy, outspoken) person. I exercise regularly. I'm very active in the world of music education and advocacy. There's no family history. I have never smoked. Never done drugs. The reaction by everyone was just shock. Many times I had to ask if the person was "still there" because of the silence that followed. And then, people cried. So I cried. Or, I cried first. Lots of crying. I think crying is good - healthy even. But it was mentally exhausting.
After sharing the news privately, I decided to share it on social media. I have never been a person that keeps secrets - it's easier for me when people know what's going on. I decided right away that I was going to deal with this trauma in a proactive manner - and just boss people into making sure they had their yearly preventative health testing. Following the first post, 22 women messaged me in some manner to say they had scheduled a mammogram. This was great for my own mental state, because it felt positive - productive even a little battle-oriented.
Five days later I had my appointment with the breast surgeon. He's a hilarious man, just what I needed. He gave me lots of good news. Size was very small. No reconstruction needed. Let's schedule this thing ASAP. So June 30th - the real battle began.