A little over a year ago I was diagnosed with breast cancer. It seemed daily that this cancer revealed itself to be nastier and nastier. Thankfully, the gods had, in the past decade, provided a drug that suppresses a human growth hormone that “feeds” the cancer in 1 out of 4 breast cancer patients, including me.

All the seminars I had taken paid off. I was able to accept this illness in a way I would never have anticipated. So many people say “why me,” and I never went there. I only have been interested in what we can do to give me the best chance for long term survival. My outlook is, my chances are not that different from the normal population of women my age.

I have been very fortunate to have great insurance during this time. My insurance is billed $11,000 every three weeks when I have my Herceptin treatment, and they actually pay out a contracted amount of $5,300. I have only had to pay copays to see the doctors, and $500 to the hospital. My theory is, I was put in the job that I have so that I could have the treatments I needed without a lot of financial or personal stress.

Life does look different. How much so, and just how, I am still discovering. I emerge from my final Herceptin on April 25th, and will then go forward into life and discover more.

- Peggy Testa

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