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| The Susan G. Komen Tidewater affiliate, Survivor of the Year -- Lynne Young. |
I just read the most touching article about a pink ribbon sister that I've never met -- though now that I've read about her, I want to meet her and talk to her one on one. This sister has had breast cancer stalking her family line for generations... and yet she serves to inspire and motivate others.
I love it.
I will repost the article because I think we all can gain a little bit of inspiration and strength from Lynne Young.
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Chesapeake breast cancer survivor leads by example
By Vicki Friedman
The Virginian-Pilot
© June 20, 2011
CHESAPEAKE
Bad report from the doctor // And my bills aren’t paid on time // All these things come rushin’ at me // But I ain’t got time to whine // Lord I need your mighty wisdom // ’cause my situation is unclear // Don’t know where to turn // God’s word came to my ear // I say speak to that mountain of cancer // And cast down that spirit of fear // Pack your bags, you silly demon // I say you’re not welcome here
Lynne Young wrote those lyrics when her situation was cancer. But the Chesapeake woman hopes her song will inspire others to persevere through their hardships, whether they are related to health, family, finances or what she calls “the other speed bumps of life.” Young, named Survivor of the Year by the Tidewater affiliate of the Susan B. Komen Foundation, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2005. That is only part of her story.
“One of the things that makes Lynne such a strong individual is that she has not been defined by her cancer,” said Ilona Webb-Bruner, executive director of the local Komen affiliate. “What she does is use her cancer to empower those in the community and in her own family to make the best decisions in their lives.”
Young’s mother, Frances, died of breast cancer at 42, when Young was a seventh-grader. All of her mother’s sisters died from it, as did her grandmother.
“Growing up with four sisters, you wonder, ‘Who’s going to be next?’ ” said Young, an administrative specialist with the Department of the Navy. “You don’t say it, but it’s always in the back of your mind.”
She was in her 20s when mammograms became an annual part of her life. The results were never alarming, including in October 2004, when she received another clean bill of health.
Three months later Young experienced breast tenderness, body aches typical of the menstrual cycle and intense itching, which felt like an internal itch she couldn’t scratch. In bed one night, she realized she could not lie on her left side because of the pain.
Doctors found a cyst. Cysts had been a constant in her life, so another one didn’t seem out of the ordinary. But tests indicated the lump was abnormal and required a biopsy. In March, Young was told she had breast cancer.
She was 41.
“I didn’t think it would happen that early,” Young said. “You always think it will happen to somebody else. When the doctor called and told me, my co-workers caught me. I don’t even know what I did.”
The cancer was a highly aggressive form. Young was advised to have a double mastectomy because of the family history, but she was hesitant. A second opinion presented her with options, including being tested for the genetic mutation of the disease.
A positive result would mean Young would have an 80 percent chance of the cancer reoccurring without the most aggressive surgery.
“It takes about six weeks to get the answer back, and that’s six weeks of torture,” Young said.
The test came back positive. Young’s response: “Do what you have to do. I want to live.”
The nine-hour surgery took tissue from her abdomen to replace the breast tissue. The ensuing chemotherapy was brutal because of several allergic reactions that hospitalized her three times.
Young didn’t let it depress her.
“I’m a fighter. It can come and knock on my door, but it ain’t going to keep me down,” she said.
Young is 47. Breast cancer has touched her again. Last month she helped daughter Javalle Glass, 27, through her own surgery – a gut-wrenching experience. Family history prompted Glass to be tested for the genetic mutation, and it paid off.
“Her doctor suggested I get the BRCA test and I got that, and it made me aware of my risk so they were able to screen me early,” Glass said. “I know I’m going to be OK because my mom is a survivor as well. I know I have a lot better chance of success than maybe 10 or 15 years ago.”
Young has taken a lead role the Komen youth initiative that provides outreach through middle and high schools, and she is especially passionate about the Circle of Promise, which helps African American women take charge of their health and be community ambassadors.
According to Komen, breast cancer death rates were similar for white and African American women in the early 1980s, but during 2001-05, African American women had a 37 percent higher death rate.
“We’re trying to reach those who aren’t knocking on the door asking for more information,” said Young, wearing a pink blouse with matching earrings and necklace that show the ribbon that promotes breast cancer awareness. “Early detection is the key, and that’s what I advise. Stay on top of your health.”
Another nugget she shares: “We all have to be our own advocate for our own health. We have to be our first advocate, because the doctors only know what we tell them. They can’t look for things you can’t tell them.”
If your doctor doesn’t listen to you, shop around for another, she said.
Attitude is important, too, she said. Young conveys hers through inspirational music that she writes and sings in a beautiful melodic style.
“What keeps me going, what makes me a survivor, what is part of Survivor 101, is that I know God’s purpose in my life outshines any obstacle or any speed bump that tries to get in my way,” Young said. “I looked at breast cancer as a speed bump, just an obstacle to slow me down. I know there’s a higher purpose for everything. That’s what keeps me going.”
Vicki L. Friedman, (757) 222-5218, vicki.friedman@pilotonline.com
