Lisa’s Story

Our lovely Woman Candy Wednesday this week is Lisa. Lisa’s attitude and her not wondering, “why me”, really made me smile. You can tell she is one inspiring lady. I’m so glad she shared her story with us.

Here is Lisa!

In early December of 2018, I was watching football with my husband. It was a Sunday and I was planning my week ahead (as most busy moms do). For the past year or so, once a month around my menstrual cycle, I had been experiencing tender breast. So on this day, I was feeling the side of my breasts, kinda under my armpits and on the left side, I felt a small lump. I then went into full self exam mode and felt again, and there was a definite lump. The panic in me happened, and my gut reaction was, well this is it. I have cancer. Then the optimist in me quickly rationalized that this was probably a benign Fibroadenoma. I had already had one of those in my early twenties. I had it removed and tested and I was fine. I thought this would go about the same. So I made a Dr. appointment, he confirmed there was something there but that it was probably just a cyst.

The day after Christmas, I went in for a sonogram, followed by a biopsy the next week and a diagnosis two days later. My ob/gyn came into the room and informed my that I had “just a little cancer”. I thought, what?! Who has “just a little”?! Either I have it or I don’t!

I knew right away that I wanted to be treated at UCSF (University of California San Francisco). They have some of the best doctors in the world and they have a Breast Cancer Treatment Center.

I found out in the weeks to follow that I was Triple Positive. That means that I am Estrogen (ER), Progesteron (PR) and HER2 Positive. I thought of course I tested triple positive, I am such a positive person! This type of cancer tends to be more aggressive so the decision was to have a lumpectomy first, then chemo, then radiation. After my lumpectomy, my cancer was staged as a diagnostic stage II and prognostic 1b. One of my lymph nodes tested positive, so my treatment includes six rounds of Chemo. It’s TCHP (Taxotere, Carboplatin, Herceptin and Perjeta). The first two are chemo drugs and the second two are antibodies. I will have chemo until July of this year, followed by 4 weeks of radiation (20 sessions total) then 8 months more of infusions every three weeks of the antibodies only, followed by a shot once a month for I don’t know how long, followed by 8-10 years of oral medication. All this, for “just a little” cancer.

Through all this, I never thought “why me”. I don’t know why. I guess maybe because I have never known anyone with breast cancer so I have always thought that either I will get it or someone close to me will. Since 1 in 8 women are diagnosed, I knew that chances are this cancer will impact my life at some point. I know that statistically speaking, it shouldn’t be me. I have done almost everything they say to prevent cancer.  I am young (39), I have no family history, I breastfed all three of my children, I am not a drinker, I exercise very regularly and I eat well. I have had one break down. The week before my first chemo infusion. I don’t like not knowing what to expect and with chemo, even though my doctors did an excellent job of preparing me, there is no way to know how your body will react to the side effects.

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My best advice to anyone beginning this journey, is to just prepare the best you can, get a team of doctors that you trust your life with and ask questions. For me, I have had to travel to each appointment to a bigger city (San Francisco). It’s about 1 hour 45 min. away, but my life is worth it. Also, get your support system in place. You will find out quickly who is there for you and who isn’t. I have the BEST husband. We were high school sweethearts, married young and going on 20 years of marriage. I want for nothing. He waits on me hand and foot, tracks my meds, gets me anything I want and knows what I need before I do. He’s made this whole thing so much easier. Also remember at your lowest points, the reason you are doing this. To live. The treatment is torture on your body physically, but remember what it’s doing. It’s killing cancer too! You will get through this, we will get through this.

Lisa