One More Element in a Busy Life: A Young Breast Cancer Survivor Tells Her Story

When Rhonda Henry found a tender and swollen area in her breast, she was pretty sure it was just a fluid-filled cyst. As a nurse with a background in oncology research, she had enough information to make such an assumption. However, after a mammogram, two ultrasounds, and a biopsy, the diagnosis was made: stage I breast cancer.

Rhonda’s doctor immediately referred her to a plastic surgeon. “I thought that was out of the order of things, but retrospectively, it was the best meeting I could have had,” she said. “The plastic surgeon showed me pictures and discussed my options with me and I started to get a better idea of where I was headed.”

The plastic surgeon recommended a unilateral mastectomy (removal of one breast) because Rhonda was a small woman and he felt a lumpectomy wouldn’t look good cosmetically. Instead, Rhonda opted to have a bilateral mastectomy (removal of both breasts). Rhonda says she chose this more aggressive approach because she was young (32 years old) and didn’t want to have to deal with recurring problems. In addition, the plastic surgeon would not be able to match the breasts if she chose a unilateral mastectomy, so by removing both breasts, Rhonda was assured of a better cosmetic result with her breast reconstruction.

Shortly after her diagnosis, Rhonda underwent her mastectomy, as well as a sentinel node biopsy, which was negative. She spent two days in the hospital and was sent home with tissue expanders and a Jackson drain. She took two weeks off of work to recover at home.

Because younger women are at an increased risk for recurrence, Rhonda opted for a more aggressive course of treatment than most women with node-negative, stage I breast cancer. She underwent four cycles of AC (cyclophosphamide and doxorubicin) chemotherapy. “The chemotherapy was definitely tougher than the surgery,” she said.

On the first day of a chemotherapy cycle, Rhonda slept for most of the day. On days two and three, she took care of herself in the same way she took care of herself much the way she would during pregnancy: she took her time getting out of bed and kept crackers and water beside the bed.

Rhonda continued to work during chemotherapy. She said, “Having work to come to was better than staying home. Once I got myself going and got to work, I usually felt better by the end of the day.”

Just before starting her second cycle of chemotherapy, Rhonda lost all of her hair. “I had been pre-fitted for a wig, but I chose not to wear it because it just wasn’t me,” she said.

When her hair started falling out, she let her husband and her two young sons shave her head. “I wanted them to participate and have it be less shocking for them,” she said. “That way it wasn’t scary to see me bald; it was more like a fun trick they played on Mom.”

For Rhonda, cancer treatment was simply one more thing to juggle on her to-do list. She also had a husband, two small children and a job. She discovered that it was a time to be selfish and to allow people to help her. As a result of her experience, Rhonda has several recommendations for cancer patients.

“Minimize the things you need to worry about before going in for treatment, such as kids, job, etc.” Rhonda said. “People really do want to help. Rather than making people guess, be honest about what you need help with,” she said.

Furthermore, Rhonda said, “Be cautious about everything you read on the Internet and find sites with well-documented information. Many sites post statistics about survival and patients naturally infer that they’re going to die. They’re just statistics; it doesn’t mean they will apply to you.”

Rhonda recommends that patients keep positive things in mind. She suggests that patients choose movies and books that are positive and focus only on positive things. “A lot of health is a state of mind and outlook,” she said.

One thing Rhonda wishes she had done was keep a journal. Because her children were so young when she had cancer, she believes they might be interested in reading journal entries as they get older. “I’m not sure how much of this they’ll remember. I just wish I’d written down the cute things they said and their reactions,” she said.

Rhonda’s final recommendation to cancer survivors is that they “have to resist the tendency to panic at every ache and pain” once their cancer has gone into remission. “You have to resist falling into the trap of thinking everything is cancer because you just can’t live that way,” she said.

Rhonda fell into that trap only once, when she had severe stomach pains and assumed the worst. However, she quickly learned that she couldn’t live in fear. Rhonda undergoes thorough follow-up care on a regular basis. During the first year after her cancer, she had quarterly examinations; during the second year, she had biannual exams and now she undergoes annual screening evaluations.

Rhonda’s story has a happy ending. She already had two small boys and she really wanted a daughter to complete her family. She had quit menstruating during chemotherapy and hadn’t even had a regular period yet when she discovered that she was pregnant. She had mixed reactions to the pregnancy, fear combined with optimism. Although her cancer was hormone receptor-negative, she still worried that the pregnancy and resulting increase in estrogen might cause her cancer to return. However, she also felt that the pregnancy was meant to be.

The doctor told Rhonda that the pregnancy wasn’t ideal because of the increase in hormones, but also assured her that the pregnancy wouldn’t make her cancer come back. If her cancer was going to return, it would do so regardless of the pregnancy. He said that it just might return faster because of the pregnancy. It was a risk that Rhonda was willing to take.

The risk proved worthwhile as Rhonda now has a healthy daughter, which was the happiest ending of all. “I think of her as my reward for what I went through,” Rhonda said.

Date Created: 6/2/2005
Date Modified: 9/20/2005