Survivor Diary: Linda Cahir

I was diagnosed in...
"In 2006 and 2008. The first time around, I was getting an ultrasound from a technician when the physician came in, visibly upset. I asked her what she saw and she said, 'What do I see? What do I see? I see a dark, hard, ugly mass with irregular edges. What do you think I see?' That's how I found out I had breast cancer."

My immediate reaction was...
"I truly couldn’t process the situation. Once I got over the trauma, I was just afraid for my husband and little one."

Now, breast cancer means to me...
"Perspective. My daughter is from a third-world country. It brings tears to my eyes to think of the women around the world who don’t have access to immediate, incredible health care, like we do here in the United States. There are women dying every day from this disease."

I'd tell someone recently diagnosed with breast cancer...
"Find out as much information as you can. The more I learned, the less scared I was. And understand what your choices are before you make them, even when it comes to detection. Nothing came up in my annual mammograms, but my doctor felt something unusual and suggested I check it out. I wasn't going to, until I went home that day and saw my little girl's face. I knew I had to get it checked out for her."

The things that keep me strong are...
"My support group. I joined one after I was diagnosed, even though I’m not the type to do that sort of thing. It helped to talk to other women going through the same hardships, who can relate to what you’re feeling."

If I were to stand in the middle of the street and scream something, it would be...
"Thank you!"

Hope is...
"A given. It’s part of who I am."

Breast cancer is...
"Traumatic. Especially radiation."