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Cancer can't define woman

Mary Ann Truman of Butler had a double mastectomy last year less than two months after being diagnosed with breast cancer. She says there is no room for negative thoughts or messages in her life, only positive ones.
Mother of 4 stays positive

It was 5:10 p.m. on Oct. 13 last year when Mary Ann Truman found out her life had changed.

That's when the Butler woman was diagnosed with breast cancer.

“My gynecologist called me and said they found a 1.2 centimeter of invasive ductal carcinoma, which is the most common form of breast cancer,” Truman said.

Invasive ductal carcinoma makes up 70 to 80 percent of all breast cancer diagnoses, according to nationalbreastcancer.org.

While the news for her was difficult and overwhelming at times, Truman was determined to not let the fact she had cancer consume or define her.

“I have four kids, two dogs, three cats and a husband and a mom. I just added cancer to my life. I can't really focus on that,” she said.

She has her husband, Wayne, who she's been married to for 28 years this month, and their four children, Alex, 25, Angie, 23, Spencer, 18, and Tucker, 16. Her mother, Flo Vitari, also lives with her.

Once diagnosed, she immediately began attending events and meetings, getting to know like-minded women and finding out what options she had in her case. She attended the Butler Women's Health Fair at Clearview Mall five days after she found out about her cancer.

“I got so much information I can't even tell you. It's not just about cancer. There are other things that are available out there. It's just amazing, and those people are a plethora of knowledge,” Truman said. “They just swallow you up with love, and think that no matter what, you're going to be OK.”

The cancer support meetings she attended were enlightening.

“It's a no-judgment zone there,” she said. “A lot of them had made a whole lot of different choices, older/younger. But they didn't tell me what to do. They just gave me my options.”

Less than two months after being diagnosed, Truman decided to have a double mastectomy, replaced with implants. A month after that, she opted to have 16 of her lymph nodes removed because of non-metastasized cells that were found.

The 49-year-old has always been a positive person, but she said the diagnosis and surgeries made her look at alternatives instead of limitations.

“I learned to do something different instead of focusing on the negative. You can't let that get in your head. So I don't have time for that. That's the text message that I sent to my family and friends … Only positive thoughts will be accepted from now on,” Truman said.

“Once negativity steps into your life, it just is a downward spiral. So I try to teach my children, we take the good with the bad and see them all as blessings.”

Her missing lymph nodes put her at higher risk for getting sick, so she takes various precautions. She's also at risk for lymphedema, a condition that could swell her arms or legs due to lymphatic system blockages.

She starts most days at 4:30 a.m., giving her some time to herself in her garden. Since having cancer, she's been eating a vegan diet. She's already canned several jars of vegetables and sauces for the winter months.

As a Catholic, she also begins her day with daily devotions.

While she does not have any family history of cancer, someone else in her household is also a cancer survivor. Titan, her 4-year-old German boxer, had cancer the year before she did.

“You can't really look at your kids and say I can't move my hands today. You know what I mean? You can't look at your kids and let them know that you're having a bad day because you just can't. But the dog knows it. So he just doesn't leave you,” Truman said.

She's appreciated others' care too, with strangers sending her blankets, pillows and other items to be used as a source of comfort.

“I've always been pretty positive. I guess I don't take things for granted as much.”

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