BOSTON -- Hi, and thank you for your interest in my story. When I was diagnosed with breast cancer on Dec. 22, I felt utterly overwhelmed and scared to death. My husband and I not only had to process a lot of information quickly, but also make countless decisions.

One of the most valuable parts of my experience, so far, has been hearing the stories of survivors. They are the veterans whose courage inspires me. Their frank recounting of exactly what I'm going through made it all seem less scary.

That helped me to make the decision to share my story with you. Keep in mind, this is just my story, my experiences. Every woman and every family deals with breast cancer in unique ways.

We have put some resources on this site for medical information you may need. We have also included links to great agencies in our community that are helping improve the lives of women battling this disease.

To my cohorts in this fight, I am thinking of you and wishing you the best. To the rest of you, thanks for caring. I especially appreciate all of you who have taken the time to express your concern and good wishes. It means a lot to me.

Kelley Tuthill