Just two months after her mother lost her battle with gall bladder cancer, Liane was diagnosed with breast cancer. It all happened earlier this year -- and while Liane is still mourning the loss of her mother, she is also still managing the madness of her own disease. Liane is surviving with courage, with determination, with the same powerful spirit that powered her mother's fight.

Liane lives in a small city -- population 43,000 -- in northern Alberta Canada. She has been happily married for 18 years and has two daughters, ages 13 and 15, and a golden retriever named Sunny. Liane loves to garden, cook, read, and spend time with family. She normally works full-time in a real estate and property management office but has been blessed with six months off for treatment. Liane is already -- without a doubt -- a survivor.

When were you diagnosed with breast cancer?

April 21, 2006

How old were you at the time of diagnosis?

45

Do you have a family history of breast cancer?

Not really. My mother-in-law survived inflammatory breast cancer 14 years ago, just when I was pregnant with my youngest. That was really a mixed time of emotions. We were welcoming a new baby into our family and at the same time worried to death about the poor prognosis my husband's mother had been handed. She was granted her miracle and is as alive as ever (she never stops!) today.

My own mother was diagnosed with gall bladder cancer in February of 2005 and was also given a very poor prognosis. She fooled everyone and responded to her chemo treatments. Unfortunately she lost her fight on Feb 22, 2006, a full year after being told she had only months, maybe weeks, to live. Even so, her death broadsided us. She lived with us for the last eight years and was at home until the morning we had her brought to our only hospital. She passed away that afternoon.

How did you find out you had breast cancer?

On Easter morning I had an itchy spot on my right breast that just wouldn't go away. Then it was achy but I thought it was just normal achy before-my-period kind of achy. But this time it didn't go away and then my husband brought to my attention that there really was something there that hadn't been before. I knew too but I think I was still in that kind of dreamy, not really conscious state of mind that grieving seems to put you into when it just hurts too much to actually think about what you are feeling. When my husband verbalized what I had feared for the previous two weeks I found myself suddenly needing to run, not walk, to my doctors office. It just all seemed so surreal.

How did you tell your family members about your diagnosis?

I honestly don't remember. I do remember driving myself to my sister's and blurting it out and then both of us just crying for a long time. Later that day I vaguely remember sitting my girls down with gramma and grampa and telling them. It's all kind of a blur to me now. Everyone was so shocked and disbelieving I think.

What types of breast cancer treatment did you receive?

I had a mastectomy, sentinel node biopsy, and axillary node dissection. I am currently receiving FEC chemo -- just received my 4th dose of six, spaced three weeks apart. Only two more to go -- Yay!

How did you manage through breast cancer treatment?

The recovery from surgery was more painful than I had imagined. My dad and his wife drove from 10 hours away and cooked and cleaned while my little family just was. We were all like robots -- functioning but just. Chemo has been gross. I ended up in the hospital after #2 with an infection of unknown origin and extremely low blood counts. My doctor lowered the FEC dosage by 10 percent and the next two treatments went much better. I still get very tired. I swear I have every side effect listed for the chemo drugs as well as the anti nausea drugs. I find that keeping a little food in your tummy at all times helps with the nausea. Nothing tastes better than lemon drops when everything else tastes like kaka, and my daughter's soft blanket that she so willingly shared with me was soothing on my sore skin.

What has been your worst breast cancer moment?

When I was undergoing a lot of the testing for staging I had to go into the same diagnostic rooms and see the same technicians as I had accompanied my mother on one year before. It was very difficult to relive that. I wasn't even really able to worry about myself or what I was undergoing. When I was hospitalized after my second chemo they put me on the same floor that my mother spent her last day on. My nurse thought my tears were for me but when I told her what was going on in my mind, she told me that this sort of thing actually happened quite a bit, being such a small community with only one hospital. It made me realize that others have been in my shoes before me. When it came time for my first appointment with the cancer clinic I requested the same doctor who had treated first my mother-in-law and then my mother. I trust her implicitly.

What has been your best breast cancer moment?

Having that same doctor tell me that although there is no cure, I would be fine. That simple statement put me at ease and made me believe and look forward.

How do handle anxiety and worry related to breast cancer?

I talk to my mother-in-law who is full of experience and shares without reservation. My mom had a way of making me strong with just a few simple words. She taught me to believe in myself and I still talk to her too. My husband has been a rock. He holds me when I am having my moments and that is enough. I hold my girls when they let me (teenagers) and that has been a lot lately. My sister is just always there for me. My 2-year-old niece is also very therapeutic. I highly recommend keeping a few babies around when the going gets tough.

How has breast cancer changed your life?

I've learned to let the little things go and accept help from others.

What lessons have you learned through breast cancer?

We can handle a lot more than we may ever have imagined.

Are you involved in any breast cancer support groups? Fundraisers? Organizations?

We held a multi-family yard sale right after my surgery. My sister, our father and his wife worked for days. My sister made a big sign with a photo on it of my mom, myself, and my sister on my wedding day. My sister wrote that all proceeds that day would go to the Alberta Cancer Society in honor of our mother who had recently passed away. And the people bought and bought and bought. Some gave us money without buying anything. Many told us how they had lost a loved one or survived a diagnosis. It was bitter sweet because some of my mom's things went home with strangers. In the end we had almost $400 to donate. That was pretty amazing considering most items sold around the $1.00 mark!

What advice would you give someone newly diagnosed?

Let people help you. Now is not the time to try to do it all yourself even if you are that type. Listen to your body and don't push it. Talk to someone who's been there, done that.

What advice would you give family members and friends of someone diagnosed with breast cancer?

Talk about it! Communication is so important with any cancer diagnosis. There is so much fear associated with the word cancer and silence feeds that fear. Not everyone can handle all the information that is available but I for one, and my sister for another needed and wanted any and all info. with my mother. We found information comforting. Not knowing is not an option.

Name any breast cancer related books or other resources you would recommend.

The Cancer Blog, of course. I also found reading the blogs of others very comforting. For strictly the facts there are countless reliable sources on the web -- your local cancer society is likely the best starting point.

What else would you like to share?

None of us know when or how an illness might hit or how numbered our days are. Don't take your health for granted but don't live as though everything is a danger either. We still need to have fun. And appreciate those who love you.