Hi. My name is Joyce Budziszewski, and I'm the district manager in the central region for Brighton collectibles. And I've been asked today to talk to you about my experience with breast cancer. Yes, I am a survivor. I had cancer 27 plus years ago, and I am so excited that Brighton is doing a cause that is helping with our research to find what we can do to support breast cancer.

In my 27 years, I have realized that every survivor's experience is so different. I actually got to meet a lady who does all of the DNA testing on the women that have breast cancer. And she said that the reason that we haven't found a cause yet is because there is nothing that connects all these different women together. So I'm going to take down a journey. And my journey started on Christmas morning. Believe it or not, I woke up and I took my shower and I was like, wow, there's something different here. There's something going on. So of course, my whole family was there, and I proceeded to have conversation with them. And then the next day, I went to the doctor and the doctor was a good friend of mine. And he said, well, just a precaution, let's go ahead and let's have that mammogram done. 

I was only 35 years old. I was not in the bracket as someone to be watched at 35 years old, it was very rare for anyone to get breast cancer 27 years ago. Obviously, it took two weeks for the mammogram and the sonogram to come back again. I'm going to tell you, it was 27 years ago. So this was also very new and fresh that it took a while for the test to come back.

And when they came back, there was nothing on any of the scan. So I was sent to a breast surgeon just because my doctor was so concerned, the breast surgeon immediately knew what was going on and wanted to do a biopsym – went in like, three days later, and he found a growth that growth had doubled in size. And so he said he was sending it off to a lab and they were going to check it out. Well, again, two weeks later, it came back and he asked me.

He called me at my home and asked me if there was anybody there. And of course, what did I say? Yes, my children were here with me. Well, he proceeded to explain to me that I had cancer. And then I needed to see him tomorrow at 5:30.

And I had to have a radical mastectomy. And at that time, it was a new procedure to bring your latissimus dorsi from the back forward. And that's what we did. It saved my life. They found a mass that was 6 CM long by 15 CM.

And they also found two other forms of cancer. So you can't be too sure. This research that Brighton is supporting through the sales of our breast cancer bracelets through the month of October is so important not only to me but to you and your mothers, your grandmothers, your sisters, your friends. As you can see right here, here are past years of breast cancer bracelets that I have supported, and I would really love for you to support the cause too. This means so much to me, because today I have gotten to be able to spend time and be with my five grandchildren and see my lovely two daughters grow up in to be wonderful mothers and see them get married.

So please support the Breast Cancer Program here, the Power of Pink, through the month of October at Brighton. We really appreciate it. Thank you.