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So this post will have bit of extra personal information – apologies if that’s not your thing. I developed hypothyroidism/Hashimoto’s during my first pregnancy. This led me to be on thyroid medication and regularly seeing an endocrinologist. One of the diagnostic tools used in treating thyroid problems is ultrasounds. I had several with no problems (other than englarged). In 2015, I had a scan with some spots but they were too small to biopsy and were of no concern to the doctor. In 2018, my little spots had grown big enough to biopsy. Unfortunately, the results were Papillary Thyroid Cancer (PTC) and my problematic thyroid was removed. Since then, I’ve been an big advocate for getting your neck checked if you feel any lumps or bumps. I celebrate my thyroid eviction day every June!
Jump ahead to 2023. You know how they say put your arms on your hips check during your monthly BSE. Well I noticed there was a difference between the two sides. I went to the doctor, they did an ultrasound, said there was a cyst on the left side, and it would likely clear on its own. By the time I did my annual mammogram, everything was back to normal. I had another normal mammogram in 2024. Then in 2025, I noticed a difference between the two sides again. My doctor called in the ultrasound. While I thought my left side was the problem again, it was my right side that had an area of concern. A biopsy was ordered and I was diagnosed with Stage 1 Invasive Ductal Carcinoma (IDC). It was caught early and my Oncotype score came back low. So, I only needed to have surgery, 20 rounds of radiation, and take hormone blocking medication for the next five years. June marks the one year anniversary of my breast cancer diagnosis.
I was inspired by my journey and treatment to design my Survivor’s Quilt. (I am also inspired by my cousin currently beating brain cancer). The Survivor’s Quilt is a block based quilt making 10″ blocks arranged to look like one large and multiple small cancer awareness ribbons. It is a small throw size, so perfect for a loved one to take to the hospital for treatment. The background color can be the recipient’s favorite color to add an extra level of personalization. The pattern is designed to use three colors in the cancer survivor ribbons – which provides some eye candy for single color ribbons as well as accommodate the ribbons that are multi colored (ex – thyroid cancer’s pink, teal and purple ribbon). It can be made with 1/2 yard cuts of fabric or be more scrappy with fat quarters.
The Survivor’s Quilt pattern can be found in my Etsy shop and 10% of sales of this pattern will be donated to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.
