Mount Pleasant Magazine Sept/Oct 2016

Sweet Strength

Linda McDandel

learned that she had ductal cancer in situ (DCIS)

during an especially rough time in her life. She and her husband had just

lost their home to foreclosure during the housing market crash. With their

financial security gone, they moved to smaller rented quarters and made

sacrifices. One was health insurance, so she skipped her mammogram for

two years until she just had a feeling.

“I couldn’t put my finger on it, but I knew something was not right. I

am very in-tune with my body,” Linda said. “So I thought I better go get a

mammogram and pay for it.”

The radiologist found a spot. After a biopsy confirmed the cancer diag-

nosis, a lumpectomy was performed and was rated a 0 on a scale of 0 to 5.

Because it was hormone positive, Linda’s surgeon recommended radiation

plus a five-year course of Tamoxiphen. Both treatments carry the risk of side

effects, some very serious, so Linda opted against these, preferring to adjust

her already healthy diet. She decided to forgo sugar, dairy, processed food

and meat, choosing fresh foods and fish instead.