By Dr. Ginger Gabriel
Special to the Alpine Mountaineer
One out of eight women in America will be given the diagnosis, “You have breast cancer!” At that point in time, she will have to make decisions quickly that will affect the rest of her life.
Soroptimist International of Rim of the World, with a grant from the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, put on an afternoon presentation at St. Richard’s Episcopal Church on Saturday, April 13. The program, which was open to the community, featured three survivors of breast cancer.
The first survivor speaker, Linda, said she was diagnosed in 1995. Her doctor then informed her that he was scheduling her for surgery the next day. He would be doing a lumpectomy (surgically removing the cancer lump). Six weeks later she endured radiation treatments followed with chemotherapy.
Twenty-five years later, the cancer returned to the same breast. She was not a candidate for the same treatment she had previously received. This time she had no choice. She endured a unilateral mastectomy (removal of one breast).
Linda said that all of these medical procedures required quick decisions. There was so much to think about: reconstruction of the breast, prothesis, understanding what this type of surgery would mean to her daily life. In that moment she was still in shock. There didn’t seem to be time to do research and consider the pros and cons of different treatments. She said, “I relied on my oncologists to tell me what was best.”
Over this journey she has had three different oncologists.
In 2011 her 45-year-old daughter was diagnosed with breast cancer.
Linda’s closing remark was, “Be vigilant. Ask questions. Don’t agree to surgery until you understand all of what’s being said to you. Look at all the pros and cons of that action.”
Lauralea is an 18-year breast cancer survivor. She has experienced the loss of a mother and aunt to breast cancer. She praises Mountains Community Hospital with saving her life. At 50 years old, a mammogram detected her cancer.
She has survived a lumpectomy, radiation and four sessions of chemotherapy. Lauralea, an educator, worked full time throughout the entire treatment. She did the chemotherapy on her weekends. The first session she did get ill but, when she told her doctor, he then prescribed her an anti-nausea pill and she was fine during the rest of the treatments. She described the beginning of hair loss, but had her family shave her head. She experimented with scarves and wigs and got through that period, working hard at being as normal as possible.
Lauralea’s daughter wanted to be with her mother during this time but was working in Australia. Lauralea solved that problem by loading up the family and going to Australia to visit their daughter.
Lauralea is a strong believer in networking with other cancer survivors and in early detection. She said, “With early detection, breast cancer is not a death sentence.” It must be taken seriously as it is the second leading cause of women’s death.
“Breast cancer helped me slow down and begin to prioritize things in my life,” Lauralea said. “I decided to retire early at 55. I needed to spend more time on me. I wanted more time with grandkids, to pay more attention to life, and to enjoy more.”
Mary-Justine reported that she discovered her first lump when she was only 22; that was followed by three additional lumps – cysts – that were removed.
In 2016 a friend asked Mary-Justine if she had had her mammogram that year. At that friend’s urging, she had a mammogram at Mountains Community Hospital. She was called back for a second mammogram and an ultrasound. A radiologist consulted with her via telemedicine and, due to dense breast tissue, advised her to have an MRI. That resulted in her being referred to a surgeon, who also was a professor with medical students following him around. While the doctor/professor was teaching his students, Mary-Justine was also getting educated about her diagnosis.
Mary-Justine was diagnosed with breast cancer in March of 2017. She had a lumpectomy followed by 33 radiation treatments. She commented that she has had six oncologists on her cancer journey. She has been cancer-free for seven years.
All three women stressed the importance of early detection.
Cathy Kay, co-chairperson for the event, thanked the participants for sharing their stories and opened the floor for questions and discussion. A spirited exchange of ideas flowed. Many suggestions were put forth. A number of men were present and at the end, Geoff said, “This was awesome.”
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