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To me, life is a whole lot different because I don't worry
about the small things that I used to worry about.
We also ask that you bless the meal that we're about to eat.
Because I know tomorrow's not promised and in the next second,
your life can change drastically.
And we ask you, Lord God, to set your blessings upon
the family that's here today.
In 2009, I had my regular mammogram.
And after my examination they told me that they would like
for me to see the radiologist.
I was at work and she said, hi.
She introduced herself being one of the doctors over at Kaiser.
And she proceeded to tell me that unfortunately --
and after that, I blacked out.
I didn't even hear exactly what she said because usually
nothing good comes after "unfortunately."
And I hung up the phone.
I got myself together and basically called her back.
And she told me that unfortunately
it is breast cancer.
Once I got my diagnosis, my family was really concerned.
Cancer really hadn't hit our family in a personal way.
I believe I was one of the first people in the family
to have to deal with this.
And we have a close-knit family.
The first thing I thought about was my son because I said,
wow, you know, if something should happen to me --
I just kept saying I want him to be at an age where
he can take care of himself.
And I wanted to be able to leave an impression on him that
he can take with him for a lifetime.
So my first thought was my son.
And then my second thought was, you know what?
I'm not gonna let this beat me.
And to this day I will never forget the doctors at Kaiser.
I will never forget how they all --
each little piece that they did, they all saved my life.
They all worked together.
It was like a system put in place to assist you
when you needed it the most.
And so I was able to go through this experience with ease.
Never once did I say, oh, my gosh.
Am I making the right decision because they kept me informed.
They gave me the options.
They told me everything that could possibly happen.
And it's just a family feeling that I got from them.
And it's not like I was a stranger.
Even though they really didn't know anything about me,
they made me feel like I belonged.
They made me feel that everything was going to be okay.
And I honestly went in there because I knew
I was in good hands.
And that's what healthcare is all about,
being able to go see your doctor and knowing that you're going
to get the best quality care possible.