FORGET - The past six months have been difficult for Michele Amy and her family, as she has been diagnosed with breast cancer.
Amy lives in Forget and is married to William Elliott. They have three daughters, Brie, Sh’vaun and Gillian Maher.
At the Creative Tables fundraiser on Oct. 12, Sh’vaun introduced her mother as a talented musician and writer, as well as a coach, teacher, town council member and a competitive person, who cannot say no to anything.
In her speech, Amy noted she went for a mammogram when a friend of hers went and did not receive good news, and she felt it would be a good idea to have one done as well, just to be on the safe side. She had no idea on what kind of news she would receive from her testing.
She waited for her appointment with the doctor, which in her mind took forever. Beginning to worry, her mind was like a hurricane, thinking what if the cancer is everywhere.
Amy found out she needed a lumpectomy, which was scheduled for June 12. They removed the tumor and what the doctors thought was a clear margin around the tumor. When she went for her checkup, it was found the cancer was back, and she would need a second surgery.
Six weeks later, at the end of July, she received the second surgery. The cancer was removed again, with a large clear margin, and she returned to her doctor for another checkup.
“This is hard,” said Amy. “The waiting is hard, life is hard.”
Amy’s results came back, and it was not the results she hoped for.
This time her doctor told her she needed a mastectomy, and it was scheduled for Oct. 16.
She explained her emotions during these months and how she tried to keep them under control.
At times she felt very sad, and she would ask herself why she was this sad and how she could make her day better. If it was too much, she asked for help from her family and friends.
“We have choices,” said Amy. “We can choose to worry today about something that will happen at a later date, or we can choose to make the best out of the day we are on.”
Amy admits she is scared, but she is also very grateful for the opportunity to be able to go to the hospital and have this taken care of without having to worry about the cost.
In the U.S., this surgery could easily cost $200,000, according to Amy.
She is grateful for family and friends who check up on her or show up to clean her house from top to bottom, or bring a meal, and just listen to her.
“Life is often unfair. We all have struggles,” she said. She feels it is all about how people handle those struggles in their lives.
“We do not know when our time is up. We need to be caring and kind and love those that matter,” said Amy.
Amy is healing from the latest operation but said it has been rough. She is hoping that with each week it will get a little better, and that this will only last for a little while.
