My Wild, Wacky, Wonderful Double Mastectomy

By Tanya Yager

Since 2003, Tanya Yager had been getting mammograms on her breasts. In 2004, 2006, and 2012, she had surgeries to remove a lump in her left breast of which all were benign. When Angelina Jolie had her double mastectomy, Tanya knew she would do the same thing in a heartbeat. Her doctor was not quite on track with Tanya's thinking. In 2018, she had her fourth surgery to remove a lump from her left breast. This time, the diagnosis was "abnormal cells."Tired of being at the mercy of her left breast dictating her health, Tanya decided to make a proactive choice and get a double mastectomy. This is her story of the events leading up to the surgery and the surgery itself.The reader will be enthralled with all the ups and downs and twists and turns Tanya had to go through to achieve her goal. This book is for any woman who has been faced with one of the greatest medical decisions of her life and the joy of being able to finally have control of her destiny.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Page Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Nov 2, 2022
• ISBN: 9781662477362

Book preview

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My Wild, Wacky, Wonderful Double Mastectomy

Tanya Yager

Copyright © 2022 Tanya Yager

All rights reserved

First Edition

PAGE PUBLISHING

Conneaut Lake, PA

First originally published by Page Publishing 2022

ISBN 978-1-6624-7746-1 (pbk)

ISBN 978-1-6624-7736-2 (digital)

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements

Introduction

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Epilogue

About the Author

To Angelina Jolie, who showed the world a double mastectomy is not the end of the world.

Acknowledgements

It takes a village, as they say, and there are a lot of people in my village that made this book possible:

Thank you, Lord, for your many blessings and for giving me all the gifts I am listing below.

My husband, Chad, for being such a wonderful support and the one who has been on this roller coaster with me.

My dogs, Molly, Maya, and Mylo; for showing me unconditional love.

My beloved family for their constant love and support.

Dr. Kanter, Dr. Levin, and Dr. Varki for their knowledge, wisdom, and guidance.

Thank you to the staff at Baptist Hospital for taking care of me.

My coworkers for their friendship.

And finally, you, the reader, for reading about my journey!

Introduction

In 2013, one of the most popular actresses in the world made a startling announcement. Due to her mother's history with cancer, Angelina Jolie decided to take the very proactive approach of getting the BRAC analysis done. After testing positive, she decided to have a double mastectomy.

At the time, I was not a huge Angelina Jolie fan. I was still on #teamjennifer after the whole Brad Pitt thing. This got my attention. This made me have a whole new perspective for Ms. Jolie. She was no longer the woman, in my eyes, who broke up a Hollywood marriage. She was now a woman/mother who decided to take matters in her own hands.

I remember vividly when the announcement took place. I turned to my husband, Chad, and said in no uncertain terms, I would do the same thing in a heartbeat. I would not think twice.

Who knew, six years later, I would indeed take matters in my own hands. So many events surrounded my double mastectomy. All from my history, the tests, and the extenuating circumstances. It was all so very worth it.

Sit back, relax, and enjoy the crazy ride…

Chapter 1

Year 2004, 2006, 2012, and 2018, I had been able to recite those four years like a rhythm. It was in each of those four years that I had a lump removed from my left breast. By the time 2018 rolled around, I was done. I knew what needed to be done. You may be thinking that after 2004, I would be able to easily have my own Angelina Jolie story. In the words of Lee Corso (former NCAA football coach, current ESPN College Game Day host), Not so fast!

Nope. It was not that easy. In order to understand my obsession with getting my double mastectomy done, you need to know about my history…

Chapter 2

I came into the world in a miraculous way on November 10, 1967, in Newark, New Jersey. My mother had a fibroid tumor the entire time she was pregnant with me. As the doctor said, the tumor could have enveloped me, and I would not have lived past the age of six. According to reports, the doctor said, She is a miracle.

I lived in Elizabeth, New Jersey, until I was six years old. My mom and dad decided it was time to hightail it to Miami, Florida. Apparently, my parents, along with some members of my family, did not like the cold and did not see a future in Jersey.

Following suit were a couple of aunts and uncles on my dad's side and my aunt, uncle, and grandparents on my mom's side.

About a couple of years later, my maternal Grandmother Nena was complaining that her right arm was hurting. I remember one time going with her to one of the doctor's appointments. The doctor told her to stand against a wall, face the wall, and lift her arm from down at her side, in a circular motion, up and past her shoulder. She could not do it because she was in a lot of pain. She got about half