Jillies

My mother was diagnosed with early stage breast cancer when she was 46 years old. At that time, younger women weren't supposed to get breast cancer. It was a disease of the aged. My mother was lucky to have found it early and was fortunate to find a surgeon who was one of the pioneers of breast conserving surgery. In fact, she was one of the first women to have a lumpectomy followed by radiation therapy. That was 1983...

I was just out of college and at that time illnesses, such as cancer, were rarely spoken about so there was very little conversation in our house regarding what my mother was about to go through. Also, there was little support for the family on what to expect, before, during, and after treatment. Emotional needs were not figured in. So, basically, we were left on our own to cope with the situation.

I worked, during that period, for a small non-profit statistical consulting group that conducted analysis of data collected from cancer clinical trials. I had first hand knowledge of the scientific research being conducted on breast cancer. The news in the early 1980's was guarded. Data was still being collected and analyzed on many of the treatments that, today, are standards of care. Prevention and early detection, then called cancer control, were in their infancy. The emotional part of having cancer was not in the forefront. The focus was on the science. Even with my knowledge of the research, I had no idea of how my mother would fare both physically and emotionally during her treatment.

Years of persistence and dedication by physicians, scientists, researchers, and patients have led us to where we are today. The good news is that the great strides made over the past 25 years in the early detection, diagnosis, and treatments for breast cancer have led to so many women living full and happy lives despite their disease. My mother is a 26 year survivor and going strong!!

Even though the number of women living with breast cancer is unprecedented, the emphasis of research and care still weighs heavily on the medical side, which of course, is of the utmost importance. However, there are still emotional, physical, and daily life issues that women, as patients, have to deal with. The information available to assist in these areas is often sparse and hard to find. This is where Jillies comes to play.

Lauren and I created this site out of our passion to stand up and conquer issues around breast cancer. This is not about what happens with your medical care, but what comes up in daily life, the day to day routines that may be altered because of breast cancer. Jillies is here to help by giving you resources and tips on many of the non-medical concerns women with breast cancer have. Our hopes are to help make your experience of being diagnosed, treated, living with breast cancer a bit less stressful and a lot more comfortable. We hope you find Jillies information and links useful.