Lenora Matthews

I am 36 years of age. I’m a native of the City of Bridgeport. I currently reside in the town of Norwalk with my daughter Janelle and the love of my life Daryl. I am the youngest of four children. I am currently employed by Bridgeport Hospital as a Cardiovascular Technologist. I was diagnosed with Breast Cancer in October 2002.

My Life as I saw it was just beginning. My first child was about to be christened, I was planning her first birthday party, and my professional career was advancing. I performed self-breast exams monthly. And during this particular exam I felt something “different”. I chose to wait to see my doctor after my daughter’s christening. I was told to have a mammogram.

I didn’t fear anything. This was not my first mammogram. In the past I had benign tumors. I wanted this to be the same. But in the back of my mind I knew something was different. My mammogram was normal. An ultrasound-guided biopsy was suggested because of my past history.

During the ultrasound the doctor didn’t say much to me. This was also different. During previous examinations we would converse. I would then get that call in a couple of days saying everything was ok. Well that call never came. I was told to see a surgeon. Then I knew that I needed to prepare for the battle for my life.

I am the third person in my family to be diagnosed with Breast Cancer. It had already taken my sister away from me and my mother was currently battling the disease. My tumor was at a very early stage. I decided, with the love and support from my family and friends, to have a mastectomy with reconstruction. The team of doctors also suggested having six rounds of chemotherapy followed by Tamoxifen. They decided to be aggressive since my family history of the disease was so strong. It was also important to me to find out if I carried the Breast Cancer gene. To my surprise I do not. This

genetic testing was performed at Yale New Haven Health.

I thank God for blessing me with friends and family to support me during this time. There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t thank God for “Another day to see my daughter’s face.”