MY HEALTH CHALLENGE
It all began in September 2010 when I was 58 years old. I was taking a shower and discovered a small, hard lump in my right breast. I told my husband, and we agreed I needed to have a mammogram. I procrastinated for about two months before finally making the appointment.
It was just before the Christmas holidays. Immediately after the mammogram, the X-ray technician told me to wait to speak with the doctor. I could tell by her expression that something was wrong.
When the doctor shared the X-rays with me, he pointed to a small, unusual shape and told me, “I don’t know what it is, but I know that it should not be there.” We agreed that I would schedule outpatient surgery to have it removed.
A couple of days after surgery, I received a call from the surgeon. He explained that the lump he had removed was 3 centimeters in size — and 2 centimeters were breast cancer. He told me to make an appointment with a local oncologist.
My diagnosis was stage II infiltrating ductal carcinoma breast cancer. My form of breast cancer is ER positive HER2 negative; that is early-stage hormone-receptor-positive breast cancer.
WHAT I DID
After receiving the results of the oncotype test, my oncologist explained that the makeup of my breast cancer would not benefit from chemotherapy. In fact, there was a greater chance that chemotherapy would cause leukemia. Her recommended treatment plan was 33 rounds of targeted radiation.
My husband and I were hesitant to share this information with our adult daughter and only child, Kristan, who was living and working in Columbus, Ohio, at the time. Naturally, she was terribly upset and learned from her co-worker that she lived only four miles from The James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute. My husband and I drove the 12 hours to be seen there for a second opinion.
At the James, I underwent margin surgery to ensure that all the cancer had been removed. In addition, I had a sentinel lymph node biopsy, where dye was injected into the breast to see if any of my lymph nodes were cancerous. Only two lymph nodes were involved and removed rather than all lymph nodes, which had been the previous standard of care.
The oncologist at The James agreed that the 33 radiation treatments were the best plan for me. Once the treatments were over, I went on with my life.
ANOTHER DEVASTATING DISCOVERY
In July of 2014, my husband and I hosted his family reunion, and we stopped to pick up some last-minute groceries. It was raining, and as I entered the store, I slipped on the wet floor and came down on both knees and my left arm. I figured I would be a little sore, but nothing major.
Until March of 2015, my left arm remained very sore and painful. There were times when I could barely lift it. I went to my primary care doctor and had a couple of X-rays done, but he saw nothing.
Finally, I insisted that something was wrong. He ordered an MRI, and the results determined that my breast cancer had metastasized in the form of a solid tumor that had nearly devoured my L6 vertebrae in my neck/spine. There also was a small, cancerous spot on my right hip bone.
The news was devastating. My family and I agreed we should get two opinions before deciding on my next treatment plan. The first doctor I met with suggested that I have the vertebrae removed and replace it with a fake one, rack it with titanium and begin radiation and chemotherapy immediately.
We sought a second opinion at the James, and the doctor there said, “You are young. You do not have diabetes or heart disease. I do not believe surgery is necessary. I perform about three surgeries each week to remove and replace vertebrae; however, I want you to take a journey with me.”
MY NEXT TREATMENT PLAN — AND NEW CHALLENGES
The treatment plan we all agreed to was that I would start immunotherapy with a daily dose of Letrozole. After three months, my tumor shrank, and the pain disappeared. After six months, new bone generated around the perimeter of the tumor, and still no pain. A monthly injection of Xgeva, a bone-targeting agent, was later added to my regimen to better protect my bones.
From 2015 until September 2024, there was no new metastasis. In late November 2024, I told my oncologist that I was feeling a new level of discomfort at the base of my neck/top of my spine. She immediately ordered scans that confirmed a small new area of breast cancer metastasis. I received 10 rounds of radiation at Memorial Hospital.
In August 2023, I was diagnosed with Graves’ disease, atrial fibrillation and Type 2 diabetes all at the same time. My primary care doctor, endocrinologist and oncologist worked to develop a treatment plan to get me stabilized and successfully back on track.
MY LIFE NOW
Despite it all, I can live fully! My moto: “Keep going, Keep growing. Keep living. Keep giving.”
