WORLDWIDE CONTACT US ABOUT US INVENTING FOR LIFE PRODUCTS RESEARCH LICENSING NEWSROOM CAREERS INVESTORS Home It's Personal Living with Breast Cancer “It's very important that you continue to do your monthly self-exams and get your mammograms because early detection is key.” Carolyn Ranzetta Matlack began her breast cancer journey in May 1996 when she was just 34-years-old. During her monthly self- exam, she felt a hard lump the size of a pea. Tests revealed that it was a cancerous tumor. "My team – my motivation – was my family, friends and colleagues. They encouraged and supported me as I navigated through the breast cancer landscape, which, for me, meant a lumpectomy on the right breast, six rounds of chemotherapy and radiation therapy every day for six weeks," Carolyn recalls. In November 2005, breast cancer struck again. "I was angry that cancer had crept into my life again, but I was much better equipped to handle my second diagnosis," she notes. "I had checked off the boxes: acceptance – check; control – check; live in the moment – check. I was blessed once again with a strong support team." Then in September of 2012, Carolyn began her third battle with breast cancer. THIS IS HER STORY: BREAST CANCER FACTS About 1 in 8 women in the U.S. alone will develop breast cancer during their lifetime. Today, there are more than 2.8 million breast cancer survivors in the United States. Copyright. © 2009-2017 Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp., a subsidiary of Merck & Co., Inc. All rights reserved. Forward-Looking Statement Privacy Terms of Use Site Map