A Lucky Lesson You Can Learn From, Too!

By Senior Paralegal, Arlyn Villanueva

I have always considered myself to be a private person and have never been very open about sharing my personal life with others. However, my experience over the past few weeks has moved me to open up about it, because I feel that my experience was one that many of our clients and others around me could relate to and even benefit from.

Back on January 27th, I wasn't feeling so great. I noticed that there were some weird changes in my body and then that's when I noticed a lump in my breast. I immediately contacted my doctor's office and they advised me to come in right away and get it checked out.

I went into the doctor's office and they checked my vitals. They said my blood pressure was extremely high, which wasn't usual for me. My heart was racing. They said that it was clear I was nervous and probably quite anxious about my appointment. The doctor ordered both a mammogram and an ultrasound.

Two days later, my doctor's office called me back and said that the mammogram results came out negative. It didn't find anything. However, the ultrasound test showed a number of fibrocystic cysts and a mass. They said that I had 2 options. First, I could immediately go in and get the cysts and mass biopsied to check for cancerous cells. Or, I could just keep an eye on it and wait and see if anything changed or if it worsened.

It was a no-brainer for me. I had to know what was going on with my body and cancer isn't something to play around with. So, I set up an appointment for a biopsy on, of all days, February 14th, Valentine's Day.

I was extremely scared and anxious. I couldn't sleep. My mind was racing. All I could think about was that I had my family - - my husband and 12-year-old son - - who depended on and needed me for so much.

Arlyn's Husband, Wilson with their 12-year-old son, Nathan

February 14th came around and I went in and they biopsied the mass and the fibrocystic cysts.

Two days later, my doctor's office called me and said they had my results. I went in and they had me meet with a nurse to go over the results of my biopsy. I thought this was already a good sign, but I couldn't be sure. And then she sat me down and pulled out my chart and said to me, "The good news is, it's not cancer."

I immediately broke down in tears. I felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders and all of the emotion I had been feeling the weeks leading up to this point just came pouring out. I was okay and my family was going to be fine. I consider myself lucky and blessed to have my health.

There are lessons that can be learned from my experience that I wanted to share with all of our clients, readers and even my coworkers (many of whom will not know about what I have been going through until they read this newsletter).

First, I am 40 years old. It's a reminder that cancer does not discriminate based on age, gender, race, size or wealth. It's important to get regular doctor checkups. But, here's another lesson. I had both a breast exam and a mammogram back in November of last year. That mammogram, as well as the mammogram I was given to test for the mass, both did not show anything. So, be in tune with your body. Women should regularly do their own self-assessed breast exams each month (click here for instructions from WebMD on how you can do breast self exams).

Speaking of WebMD, I really advise against going online and relying alone on self-diagnosis. Not only is it ill-advised, because what may really be going on with you may not even be what you're looking up, but it also creates needless anxiety and concern. Doctors are trained and experienced in medicine, not you and not general information provided on websites.

Last, but not least, the lesson can be learned here is to not wait. My boss and our law firm President, Phil Kavesh, talks about procrastination all of the time in our Living Trust seminars. It truly is a silent killer and you won't know the damage of not acting now until it's too late. This, of course, leads me back to a conclusion that will circle back to getting your estate planning done and not dragging your feet on either setting up an estate plan for the first time or making sure that your current estate plan is up-to-date.  

Just as I now have the peace of mind knowing that I am healthy and that my family will be okay, why not experience the same peace of mind in knowing that if something were to happen to you, your affairs are in order and your loved ones will be properly taken care of?

Cancer has somehow affected just about each and every person I have ever met, whether personally or with some other loved one or friend. It is my hope that you can take away some of the lessons that can be learned from my personal experience shared here in this newsletter. Best wishes for a healthy 2012 and beyond!