Gatorgoddess

This, exactly. Instances like columbine show that going outside (or running to a car) is not always the safest. Obviously still upsetting for OP and the other kids in the room but might have prevented more casualties.

You say the doctor recommended the mastectomy and hysterectomy after the breast cancer diagnosis. Did you question why having a hysterectomy then made sense? And were they done at the same time?