Something was very wrong. The nipple in my left breast was inverted and swollen. After a few days I called my primary who told me to come right in. Thinking it was an infection but not sure, I was put on an antibiotic and set to Wende Logan for a mammogram the very next day. All appeared fine on the mammogram, but when the doctor examined me, I could tell by her face she was worried. Wanting to know what she suspected, she hit me with, “I believe you may have inflammatory breast cancer. It’s a very rare, aggressive form of breast cancer, and unless diagnosed and treated soon (as it can be misdiagnosed), the prognosis is not good.” She did an ultrasound and needle core biopsy and told me she would call me as soon as she got the results. I remember sitting with my husband, waiting by the phone for three hours only to hear the news. On January 17, 2001 I was diagnosed with stage IIIb inflammatory breast cancer at the age of 50.
I was quite fortunate to be seen by an oncologist and surgeon two days later, and learned I would start the first of four founds of chemotherapy within the next ten days. Surgery would follow. Lymph nodes would be taken at surgery, and if any were positive, I could need additional chemotherapy. Due to the difficult nature of diagnosing inflammatory breast cancer, my husband and I ended up consulting the University Hospitals of Cleveland. Three female providers, a surgeon, medical oncologist, and radiation oncologist, confirmed the inflammatory breast cancer, and they recommended six initial treatments before surgery rather than four. Ugh! The trip home was not fun. Being completely bald, scared, and tired, I now knew the fight ahead would not be easy.
During my battle, I was put in contact with the Reach to Recovery program offered by the American Cancer Society. They assigned me a mentor who had just completed her first year following an inflammatory breast cancer diagnosis. DeeDee was my lifesaver! I ended up needing four extra rounds of chemo following surgery, followed by 35 radiation treatments. At times, I thought the chemo would get me before the cancer, as I even needed a cardiac ablation several months later. After battling through a year of treatment, it was not time to regain my strength, get back to work, and feel normal again.
Back then, there was no bell to ring, but hallelujah, I was now a survivor with a much steadier follow-up. I had so many people to thank: My loving God, an excellent team of doctors and nurses, my wonderful husband, three beautiful children, a caring family, dear friends, colleagues, and neighbors. Feeling so blessed, I just knew I had to give back, and that’s where the Coalition comes in!
As soon as I could, I became a mentor in Reach for Recovery, and when I didn’t know the answers to some of their questions, I was directed to see Holly Anderson at the Coalition. What a great wealth of knowledge she was for me to be able to help and hopefully inspire others in our community. I also asked about the Coalition possibly taking all the proceeds from the hand-knitted scarves I was selling- “Susie’s Scarves.” Then, after playing in the inaugural Tee’d Off at Breast Cancer golf tournament, I joined the golf committee, hoping to secure more donor items for their raffles and silent auction. Now, 22 years later and going strong, Tee’d Off at Breast Cancer is one of the Coalition’s three major fundraisers! I simply love being on hand for whatever is needed for the Coalition. Yes, cancer touched my life, but because of it, my life has been changed in a very rewarding way.
October 2024
