know or have seen around the

schools was affected by breast

cancer.
"It makes it more real for
them," she said.
Ignet was diagnosed with
breast cancer in early 2005.
She found alump on herbreast
during a regular self check, but
she didn't think much of it.
"I usually checked myself
once a month." she said. 'When
I found the lump, I just thought
it was calcium build up. I went
througlt every excuse in the
book."
It wasn't until she went to
her physician for another mat-
ter when she brought up the
lump.
"I could tell by his reaction
that it was going to be bad,r'
Ignet said.
The lump turned out to be
two malignant tumors and
Ignetwas diagnosed as being in
an advanced stage of breast
cancer. A month later, the
tumors and several lymph
nodes were removed and Ignet
began her battle against breast
cancer.
A susrzivor's
story
By Dana Rasmussen
f0* te;
Siaflwriter
d*l
drassmussen@tcnewsnet.com
Amy lgPet is a wife, mother,
sister and amillion otherthings
- and one of those things just
happens to be breast cancer
srrwivor.
Ignet, who works in the
board office for TiPP CitY
Schools, attended the VolleY for
the Cure event last week along
with several other sr-rrvivors,
even thougfi she said she does-
n't like to be thought of as "dif-
ferent" because she's had
breast cancer.
"People tend to look at
You
like you're different because
you've had or have breast can-
cer," Ignet said.
'And we don't
feel different, but I think in a
way, we are, because it did
happen."
Though Ignet said she does-
n't like too much attention
focused on her, she wanted to
be included in the event
because she wanted TiPP stu-
dents to be able to see her face
and realize that someone theY
Ignet said one of her fondest ed to go to the mailbox no mat-
mernories
of her wig was the ter how exhausted
I was"'
ti^" t., son brouglrt
his new To keep herself
going' Ignet
nititt
"A
home fJr the first said she also continued to work
il;:;""^^l"iJ
"n.
was half-days
at the board office
*ut t Aio
"t
y away from heat and only missed six weeks of
while wearing
the wig, but work when she was recovering
thouglrt it would be ok to get from her surgery'
tft
-fi"-tg""outoftheoven'
"She was really brave"'dis-
"tt sinled the bangs riglrt off," trict
lolmunicatons
director
she said.
,,I
couldn,t taie it off Kitty hbo said.
"If you didn't
lnl-lo
back to the table alreadyknowshewassick'you
U."..i. that would have made couldn't tell' She always
put on
it too awtr(Mard
for my son's a smile'"
girlfriend. So I just wore it.''
Ig5ret has been cancer free for
-Gn.t
said
'
her sense of trvo years' She goes in for check
humorhasbeemonumentalinupseverysixmontlrstomake
FG
ner ttrouglr
her battle sure
!ht-
cancer hasn't
wittr cancer'
returned' She said Lher-e is a
"I lauglr all ttre time," she
good chance the cancer will
said.
'You have to laug!r';
ieturn and lf it does' it would
Dudng ttre seven rionths it beinoneofherorgans'butshe
took for Ignef s cancer to go into said she doesn't waste her time
;;;""t;,
she said
"ht
-""
worrying about that'
able to make
it through
'You can battle cancer
physi"
because of ttre support from cally' but it takes a iot to get
tr..-f"ttify
and fi:iends and by tttrough the mentai aspect of
il;*iili"gl
ss to let it Dea-t it"'she said'
"People think can-
her.
cer is scalY' but ifs noi scaV'
'The cards, food and gifts Weallhavechallenges'Youjust
pJ;i; sent were huge to i-re.'' have to face it head on and
just
"tr. ".i4.
"I was always so excit-
$et
on
"l'ith
life' '
AMY IGNET
Every two weeks, Ignet
underwent her chemotheraPY
treatments while she was also
receiving radiation treatment.
She said the chemotheraPY
caused her to lose her taste
buds so that everything she ate
or drank tasted metallic.
"It was awfl-rl," she said.
The chemotherapy also
caused he{to start losing her
hair, but she beat it to ttie
pnnch by taking arazor toher
head and shaving it all off.
Then she got a wig.
"l hated the wig," she said
with a lau{h.