ALMetro360

Surviving Breast Cancer… Times Three T HREE TIMES MAY BE THE CHARM FOR A LOT OF THINGS , BUT FOR T RIA G REEN , IT MEANS ONE SIMPLE THING : SHE ’ S A SURVIVOR . STAFF REPORT P HOTO BY L OLA P HOTOGRAPHY When breast cancer takes an encore, it’s an unsettling feeling. Women hope they never have to hear the diag- nosis once, much less three times. But when they do, some wonder if they can summon the strength to engage in the battle all over again. Even as women cross the finish line of successful breast cancer treatment, the fear of recurrence can be lurking in the back of their mind. For many women, that first mammogram is a very emotional experience. They hold their breath during the exam, waiting to hear that everything is clear — until the next mammogram, when the anxiety surfaces again. “For me, there was no family history of breast cancer in my family,” said Green. “So, I was the first to go through cancer. I can’t stress enough the importance of having yearly mammograms — it’s crucial for early de- tection. I make sure to keep my appointments for all follow up work, labs and tests.” Green is a Montgomery native now living on Lake Jordan in Wetumpka, with her husband of 26 years. She attended Robert E. Lee High School and after grad- uation attended nursing school at the University of South Alabama in Mobile. “I worked at the ER at Jack- son Hospital for five years and decided to become a nurse case manager for workers compensation claims,” said Green. I’ve been doing it for the past 20 years.” THE BATTLE F IRST D IAGNOSIS “I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2009, it was found on a routine Mammogram. I had my first rou- tine mammogram at age 39, a year later I obtained my second routine mammogram at age 40 inMay 2009. I was called back to obtain additional im- ages and further testing. I was referred to a breast surgeon in Montgomery and biopsies were performed on the right and left breast. The results were DCIS, Ductal Carcinoma in Situ-left breast and IDC, Infiltrating Ductal Carcinoma-right breast — Stage 3. I went to UAB and met with Dr. Marshall Urist, 30 AL/ Metro 360 www.almetro360.com