All Warriors Have Scars: A Breast Cancer Survivor Story

All warriors have scars.

This mantra has helped 37-year-old breast cancer survivor Denise get through every day for the past two years. In her mid-thirties, Denise didn’t expect this phrase to lift her through her personal struggle with breast cancer. She didn’t expect to live with scars for the rest of her life, but these scars now give her life new purpose. She is a warrior… but her battle was not fought alone.

On an ordinary early February evening, Denise was reading a book with her then six-year-old son, when her right arm happened to brush up against her breast on the right side. Even though she was only 35 years old, Denise says she knew what the lump meant. She had a family history of cancer.

“I just knew it was a lump and I knew it was breast cancer,” she says. Still, Denise tried to put it out of her mind. She and her husband left for a vacation in Cancun that week and Denise tried to enjoy her time away, keeping her discovery from her husband.

When she returned from vacation, Denise visited her gynecologist who ordered a mammogram. Only then did Denise tell her husband about the lump.

“I didn’t want to scare him and I wanted our vacation to be fun and relaxing, but I knew when I got home that I needed his support,” she says. Denise received a biopsy after the mammogram results were abnormal and on March 6, 2015, she was diagnosed with breast cancer.

“I am a procrastinator,” she admits, “I thank God I didn’t procrastinate on this. After my biopsy, I told my family I was going to have a mastectomy if I had cancer. I ended up not having a choice in the matter. I had to have the mastectomy on March 24.”

After surgery, Denise endured sixteen rounds of chemotherapy to rid her body of two types of breast cancer

in her right breast. Denise calls her time in chemotherapy “devastating”. As a young mom of two, her children were frightened by her hair loss and the physical toll chemo took on her body. In addition, she then endured nine more surgeries before finally completing her reconstruction.

When Denise needed support from family, friends and the community, she found out that her own strength was bolstered by the kindness of countless others, some she will never even meet. To help alleviate the terrible side effects of chemotherapy, Denise utilized donations to the Mammogram and Breast Cancer Fund to receive massage therapy. These sessions, made possible because of the generosity of members of our community, helped relieve Denise of debilitating headaches and helped to reduce her stress levels.

In addition, Denise’s family utilized money from Camp for the Cure, an organization that sends families enduring cancer on a camping trip together.

“I can’t even begin to explain how wonderful that weekend was,” Denise says. “It was a time for all of us to forget what was going on with my diagnosis and to focus on being together. It was truly amazing.”

A New Role as Breast Cancer Survivor

Though her cancer journey was (and still can be) physically, mentally and emotionally draining for Denise and for her family, two years later as a breast cancer survivor, Denise’s perspective is one of gratitude.

“I received great care at University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center at Firelands Regional Medical Center,” she says. “This center saved my life. March 6, 2015 changed my life forever, but the physicians and nurses here saved me. I am proof that donations save lives. Whether it is $1 or $1 million, it all makes a difference. I will think about that and about the care I received for the rest of my life. When I meet someone who is going through cancer, I want them to know that when someone offers to help you, just grab onto that help. Be a warrior. Fight. We all deserve to live”.

Be Vigilant to Catch Breast Cancer Early

Do you know when to have a mammogram? According to the American Cancer Society, women should consider a 2D or 3D mammogram when they reach the following ages:

• Women ages 40 to 44 should have the choice to start annual breast cancer screening with mammograms.
• Women age 45 to 54 should get mammograms every year.
• Women 55 and older should switch to mammograms every 2 years, or can continue yearly screening.

Screening should continue as long as a woman is in good health and is expected to live 10 more years or longer.

For women of all ages, routine self-exams are essential. It's important to be aware of how your breasts should look and feel, and to regularly check for changes such as lumps and abnormalities.

Learn more about the 3D mammography services at the Firelands Center for Breast Care today.