Lisa Fournet (00:05):
My name is Lisa Fournet and I’m from Lafayette, Louisiana, and I’m a breast cancer survivor. Nine eleven 07, I was diagnosed with third stage breast cancer and that pretty much turned my world upside down. I felt a lump under my arm and I just thought it was just to pull muscle because I work out, I go to the gym a lot and I just figured I strained something. So I let it go. And then a week later I found a lump on the right side of my breast and I knew then that something wasn’t right. So I called my gynecologist and we moved up my mammogram. And when we did this, they found that they needed to do a needle biopsy. They did an ultrasound, needle biopsy. And then by that time it was September 11th, 07, when they gave me the news that I was diagnosed with third stage breast cancer.

(01:04):
I had to come home and tell my two sons and you know you never want to tell them everything. You always wanted to protect them. So we talked about it and I know they were a little scared, but they handled it pretty well just to let them know I’m going to need help in the next few months and I’m going to be down. And they were there for me. My husband, my kids’ family and friends were amazing how they just took care of me and cooked for me and brought food. And it was just a blessing. Very just awesome. So once we did this, I started chemo and my chemo treatments were every two weeks for four months. I had my good days and my bad days. It didn’t stop me. I still worked. I still went to the gym. I called up my download.

(01:55):
I’d get to the oncologist and said, “I’m here for my download.” And they’d hook up my little metal part. I’d sit there and listen to my music and cut up with everyone. And they made it easy for me to be there. They were really great. Another blessing that I had.

(02:12):
You have to have a positive attitude and that helps you so much. And also being in shape really helped me to recover a lot faster. I only needed to remove one breast, but I wanted to remove them both because I knew I wanted reconstruction and I also knew that I didn’t want to have to worry about it being in the other breasts, coming back, having to go through this again. I wanted it done. They have perfected this technique and they do a wonderful job. I’m so pleased. And actually a lot of people are, because I show them to all my girlfriends. He’s amazing. He is. Dr. DellaCroce, Dr. Sullivan. Everybody was just wonderful, sincere, caring.

(03:01):
It’s a blessing that God just blessed me with to be here because they are great. They are wonderful. And I really just can’t say enough about them. From the hospital to the staff, to the nurses, that everyone is so caring and giving. And even a lot of times you just feel like you’re not in a hospital or you’re not in a doctor’s office because they care about you so much. I’m done with my surgeries, but I’m not done with coming back to visit because they become a part of my family. That’s how well they make you feel. You never want to not come back. And I will be back as often as I can. I will come with friends that need to come and I will also have to pop in and bring them some good booty hand cracklands because I have to spoil them like that because they spoil me.

(04:06):
The one piece of advice I like to give women is to self-examine yourself. Just do it because it can save your life. And it’s amazing on what you can find on your body and there’s nothing wrong with it. Just be aware of your body and that’s going to help you to determine this doesn’t feel right. That doesn’t feel right. You know what your body feels like. You know, what’s normal and what’s not. And don’t be embarrassed about it. Don’t be ashamed. Call your doctor because they want to know too. And the quicker you can do it, then the quicker you can get on with your life.