Rosa Kendall

My name is Rosa Kendall and I am a resident of New Haven, Connecticut. I have two daughters, three sons, and eleven grandchildren.

In May of 2001, I went in for my annual exam, which included my yearly mammogram. The results were sent to my doctor and she noticed an abnormality. She called me in for a biopsy. Two weeks later, she called me at work and told me that it was breast cancer. It was the most devastating day of my life.

At first, I couldn’t talk to anyone about it and I didn’t even want my children to know. But, a couple of weeks later, I spoke to my friend, Maxine McClam, and she really helped me a lot. Since she had been diagnosed with breast cancer a few years earlier, she helped to convince me that I shouldn’t be going through this alone.

I didn’t want to tell my children, but she helped me to see that I needed their love and support now, more than ever. Telling my children was the hardest thing that I ever had to do. But, I did it and, with their love and support, my lumpectomy was scheduled for the end of May. After my surgery, I went through eight weeks of radiation treatments.

It has been a year since I had the surgery and I am still afraid that something may go wrong. But I just trust in the Lord that everything will be okay. And, with the love of my friends and family, I believe that I am going to be just fine.