Lynette Mondiello

I am a mother of two amazing boys age 5 and 3. My husband is an amazing hard working man. I am a ultrasound technician. My family make me so happy and are my life. I enjoy every moment spent with them.
   
Our world was turned upside down when I went for my baseline mammogram. I needed additional pictures which being in the medical field I knew was common and proper protocol. I then was told I needed a bilateral breast biopsy and I was then scared a little. I went for the procedure which was painful. I waited a few days for the results.


The results came back June 1, 2016 and was positive for DCIS istu. Which was a good thing but scary because I had cancer in my body. After the phone call I cried and cried. Not knowing what was going to happen to me was scary. I met with a breast surgeon right away and planned a double mastectomy because of size of the infiltration of ducts. I had second opinions but felt comfortable with my first dr. The plan was just mastectomy and nothing else after surgery just heal. I also had a great plastic surgeon and the plan was to go directly into implants. 


I had surgery on 7/13/17 and all went well. My breasts look like they did before. I couldn't be more happy with the results. The pain was a lot and the emotional pain was just as worse. Recovery took awhile. 


I got a phone call from my breast surgeon and she said that my pathology results came back with the DCIS and unfortunately the cancer was also invasive and I was ER, PR, and HER2+ (a protein that makes the cancer cells grow at a fast rate). This changed everything I now 
needed to see an oncologist. I went to 3 different ones and all said I needed chemo every week for 12 weeks, herceptin and after chemo tamoxafen for 5-10 years.


I was very upset about having to have chemo and all the side effects. But I knew I had to do it for my children and family. I will fight this and get back to my life before all of this.