Christine Shur

Survivor Stories

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Christine Shur
Bucks County

Her Diagnosis & Treatment
I was 45 years old when I found the lump on November 11, 2005. I felt this nagging twinge on my left side. After a few days of discomfort, I felt around my left breast. Maybe the new bra was not well made. Maybe I bumped into a door and forgot about it.
This can’t be breast cancer because breast cancer doesn’t hurt, right? When I felt the mass of tissue beneath my skin though, I knew. I felt my stomach move to my throat. I knew. My husband and children were asleep. I drifted on air down the stairs to lie awake on the sofa, numb, fearing the unknown. I felt as if I was in a freefall, losing my footing on reality. Was my life to become a question mark? As a wife, mother, and career woman, I was used to being in charge and having the answers. Now I would have to rely on others to give me advice and guide my decisions. Two weeks after I found the lump, I had gone through all the tests needed. I had to keep it together for my daughter and son. I told my husband that adults can handle it but not the children. I was wrong. Adults can’t handle it either. I decided though that I had to find the courage to know about my health, understand my treatments and prognosis, make the hard decisions, and face the truth … no matter how good or bad the news might be. I had four sessions of chemotherapy prior to surgery, then a mastectomy and breast reduction on the opposite side to create balance.*

Sources of Support
The PBCC website became the one source of general fact-driven information for me. I ordered a Friends Like Me™ care package and, once my job ended, I became more actively involved, representing Bucks County in the photo exhibit. Dr. Kristin Brill saved my life. She always says it was my attitude, but I say I wouldn’t have that
attitude without her. She made me feel that I was important to her and that gave me confidence. I became a social butterfly at work, with everyone stopping by to ask about my well-being. I felt as if I was in charge of my health, and I was. At the time I was Assistant Vice President at J.P. Morgan Chase. My co-workers were amazing,
treating me normally as if life is going to go on and there will be a tomorrow and a next year. Their humor, generosity, and willingness to accept me were a huge help in getting me through. I did a lot of laughing. I still do.

Taking Breast Cancer Head On
I approached breast cancer head on, getting all of it done with laughter over my tears, and determination over my fears. Humor played an important part in my survival. As good as I thought I looked in my wigs, they looked even better on my son and daughter when they turned up to dinner dressed in them! They even tried to get my husband, whose hair loss had nothing to do with chemo, to wear one. When my pathology reports came back, I was elated. All of the lymph nodes that were removed were negative. At that moment I started to really live for the first time again. Now I remember the
fear of not being here for my then 5 year old daughter and 14 year old son. Children need their mothers. That is the one thought that helped me
the most to move forward and that still keeps me aware of how valuable I am to those around me. I hope other women will step out of their comfort zones and do something to help find a cure, whether that is to donate time, create an avenue to raise funds, write a story, or spread the word. Don’t worry about losing your breast or your hair. You are not the physical. The spirit of the woman is the important thing. It’s important to laugh, and to remember who you are.

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