Category Archives: Personal Stories

48 and Feeling Great… Great… Grateful!

Posted on April 1, 2013 by Donna Pinto

Today is my 48th Birthday! My 10 year old son Cody said to me, “there is no way you are 48. Maybe low – mid 30s!” Thanks Cody for reminding me that age is just a #.  What’s most important … Continue reading →

Posted in Health, Personal Stories | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Latest MRI is GOOD GOOD GOOD

Posted on January 10, 2013 by Donna Pinto

Anyone that’s ever had an MRI knows how much fun it is — NOT! And then there’s the waiting for results! I want to give a personal shout out to all the folks at Aurora Breast Imaging of Orange County … Continue reading →

Posted in Health, Options, Personal Stories, Resources | 12 Comments

What Cancer Taught Me During the Holidays

Posted on December 29, 2012 by Donna Pinto

Thank you to Cameron Von St. James for sharing his inspiring story…. What Cancer Taught Me During the Holidays by Cameron Von St. James Making memories, celebrating a great year, spending time with loved ones, and being thankful for new traditions, … Continue reading →

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Mammograms???

Posted on March 13, 2012 by Donna Pinto

I feel I am one of thousands of women who have been over-treated and harmed by mammograms. I believe our society and most breast cancer organizations put way too much emphasis, money and marketing on mammograms and not enough on … Continue reading →

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BS stands for Blue Shield

Posted on March 12, 2012 by Donna Pinto

Dr. Esserman ordered the Oncotype DX Test for me over 1 month ago (see post “What is Oncotype DX?”) Today I received Blue Shield’s denial letter stating: “A physician advisor has reviewed the information provided and determined that the requested service … Continue reading →

Posted in Options, Personal Stories, Resources | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Dr. Esserman Touts Tamoxifen

Posted on February 9, 2012 by Donna Pinto

Armed with a list of questions, I enthusiastically flew to San Francisco to hear what  Dr. Esserman had to say about my DCIS situation and her recommendations for risk reduction and monitoring.  After waiting 2 hours in the lobby and … Continue reading →

Posted in Options, Personal Stories, Resources | Tagged , , , , | 19 Comments

Excellent News — MRI Results are All Clear!

Posted on February 3, 2012 by Donna Pinto

Dr. Stephen Feig, Professor of Radiology and Director of Breast Imaging at UC Irvine, gave me the results of my Aurora RODEO MRI today. He said, “nothing suspicious — see you in a year!” 🙂 To learn more about Aurora … Continue reading →

Posted in Health, Options, Personal Stories, Resources | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

My Choice for NO RADIATION & NO MORE MAMMOGRAMS

Posted on February 1, 2012 by Donna Pinto

“The most benign-appearing forms of DCIS (for example, low nuclear grade, small-celled without necrosis, estrogen- and progesterone-receptor positive,c-erbB2 negative, etc.), if untreated, may never cause clinical disease. Less than 50% of low-grade lesions develop into invasive breast cancer over a 25- … Continue reading →

Posted in Options, Personal Stories, Resources | Tagged , , , | 24 Comments

You Did What? Saying “NO” to Conventional Cancer Treatment

Posted on January 22, 2012 by Donna Pinto

I just finished reading this fascinating book….it is a story about Hollie Quinn, a 27 year old woman who was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer in 2002 while she was 38 weeks pregnant. Hollie and her husband Patrick share … Continue reading →

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Peace, Love & “The Science of Happiness”

Posted on January 20, 2012 by Donna Pinto

How have I managed to stay calm, happy and filled with gratitude throughout my two year DCIS roller coaster ride filled with mammograms,  MRIs, 1 needle biopsy, 3 surgeries,  waiting for pathology results, multiple opinions, information overload and doctors who continually try to … Continue reading →

Posted in Health, Personal Stories, Sanity | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments