During the summer of 2013, when Suzanne D Degregorio was 43, she began waking from a deep sleep with memories of a recurrent dream: "It's your time to get cancer," she heard over and over again, almost as if she had an appointment to meet the disease.
"I ignored the dreams because they pissed me off," she says. Suzanne had gotten a clean mammogram. Her radiologist casually mentioned that she had dense breasts but didn't otherwise sound any alarms. Nevertheless, when Suzanne's annual breast screening was due in December, she pushed for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in conjunction with a mammogram, as MRIs are more likely to spot abnormalities through dense breast tissue.
"In between getting the MRI and getting the results, I had another dream, but this time a woman in a white lab coat with short, curly hair said, 'You have Stage III breast cancer,' says Suzanne. "I woke up knowing she was right."
Within two weeks, the MRI results uncovered a suspicious region and a biopsy confirmed that Suzanne had cancer, but instead of Stage III breast cancer, she tested positive for Stage I, Grade 3, HER2-positive cancer. "Grade 3 indicates that cancerous cells are highly aggressive; Stage I means the tumor hasn't spread," says Suzanne. "I suspect my subconscious grabbed the word 'Stage,' a term I was familiar with, to indicate the gravity of my disease."
Suzanne met with a cancer counselor to discuss next steps before beginning treatment. "When the counselor walked into the room, I homed in on her curly hair, then her facial features it was the lady who had diagnosed me in my dream," she says.
Denne historien er fra October 2023-utgaven av Good House Keeping - US.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra October 2023-utgaven av Good House Keeping - US.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
BLISTERED BITES
Shishitos are delicious all yearand creepy on Halloween!
DRINK if you DARE
Welcome, vampires, skeletons and zombies: This spiritforward duo may be strong enough to wake the dead.
Have a scary-good HALLOWEN
The spookiest day of the year calls for tricks and treats!
More Than a Walk in the Park
Agility training can be a fun and engaging way to get moving and bond with your pet.
Get More From Your Garage
Expert advice on three common conversions
The Mental Health Benefits of CATS
How our feline friends keep our minds purring
THE STRESS-BUSTING HACK THAT'S RIGHT UNDER YOUR NOSE
Breathwork is more than the wellness trend du jour- it's a science-backed route to relief from multiple modern ailments.
Do Men Really Not See The Mess?
The answer might surprise you. Journalist and author Gemma Hartley pulls back the curtain to reveal the invisible forces that drive this all-too-common cause of marital strife.
At-Home Devices
In this burgeoning category of DIY skin tools, technologies like microcurrent (low-level electrical current), radiofrequency (lowfrequency electromagnetic waves), lasers (pulsating light) and LED light aim to stimulate muscles or collagen production to firm and tighten.
Can Anything Really Firm Your Face?
Countless complexion brands tout skin-tightening solutions like firming skincare products, at-home devices and professional treatments. Here, our experts get real about whether these techniques can actually help skin bounce back once it starts to go lax.