beyond pink team
  • Home
  • About Us
    • Who We Are
    • Our Board
    • Annual Report
    • Contact Us
  • Support
    • Physical
    • Emotional
    • Community
    • Financial
    • Caregiver
    • Online
  • Education
    • Newsletter
    • Ignite the Cancer Conversation
    • Quality Care
    • Resources
    • Request Speaker
    • The Cancer Journey
  • Advocacy
    • What is Advocacy
    • National Breast Cancer Coalition
    • Iowa Stop Breast Cancer
    • Research
    • Influencing Policy
    • Access to Care
  • Join Us
    • Be an Advocate
    • Volunteer
    • Events >
      • 16th Annual Pink Ribbon Run
    • Membership
    • Donate to BPT
    • Follow Us
 If you are Breast Cancer Survivor and  you would like to contribute your story to our Newsletter, 
​please send us a message here.
DOWNLOAD Current NewsletteR

Categories

All
Advocacy
Bone Health
Breast Density
Breast Disease
Caregivers
COVID 19
COVID-19
Emotional Support
Environment
Exercise
Fatigue
Financial
Gender
Genetic Testing
Grief
High Risk
Hormone Replacement Therapy
Ignite
Implants
Intimacy After Cancer
LGBTQ
Lymphedema
Mammography
Meditation
Men
Mental Health
Metastasis
MRI
NBCC
Nutrition
Obesity
Pain
Pregnancy
Prevention
Radiation
Reconstruction
Reduce Risk
Rehabilitation
Screening
Sex
Side Effects
Support Groups
Surgery
Survivor
Survivorship
Treatment
Vaccine
Yoga
Young Women

Archives

January 2023
October 2022
July 2022
April 2022
January 2022
October 2021
July 2021
April 2021
January 2021
October 2020
July 2020
April 2020
January 2020
October 2019
July 2019
April 2019
January 2019
October 2018
July 2018
April 2018
January 2018
October 2017
July 2017
April 2017
January 2017
October 2016
July 2016
April 2016
January 2016
October 2015
July 2015
April 2015
January 2015
October 2014
July 2014
April 2014
January 2014
October 2013
July 2013
April 2013
January 2013
October 2012
July 2012
April 2012
January 2012
October 2011
July 2011
April 2011
January 2011
October 2010
July 2010
April 2010
January 2010
October 2009
July 2009
April 2009
January 2009
October 2008
July 2008
April 2008
January 2008
October 2007
July 2007
April 2007
January 2007
October 2006
July 2006
April 2006
January 2006
October 2005
July 2005
April 2005
January 2005
October 2004
July 2004
April 2004
January 2004

Survivor Story- Not just a unicorn, but a Survivor

4/1/2022

0 Comments

 
Picture
by Kathy Baethke

I consider myself to be a unique individual, a unicorn one might say. The reason I, many of my friends and family, call me a unicorn is because in the last fifteen years of my life, I have had three cancers. All of which have been different from the original one. With this being said, my story begins fifteen years ago.

In September 2006, I had an abnormal lump in my wrist that was causing my fingers to turn purple. I called the doctor and made an appointment to figure out what the lump was. They did an MRI and decided it was best to send me to the Iowa City University hospital since this lump was literally integrated around the structures in the wrist. I had a small biopsy done, and what they had taken out was all benign. We then proceeded to have surgery to remove what we could from the wrist. It was a very meticulous process as it was only supposed to take an hour or two, it turned into over four hours. A week later I was then informed via phone call from a student resident that the lump was actually a liposarcoma. With this new little bit of information, and since the surgeons couldn’t get clean margins, I was informed that thirty-six radiation treatments were the best course of action.

Thinking all was good, on April 1, 2011, a day for silly pranks begins the next chapter in my unicorn life. On that day I discovered a pea size lump in my left breast during my self-check. I thought it might be an infection or something so I figured that I could wait a bit and just keep checking. A month later after the lump had significantly grown to about the size of a quarter, I went to see my family doctor. The next day an ultrasound was performed. From the images of the ultrasound, and the gut feeling within me, I felt that I needed to do more than just wait for a phone call of the results. The nurses set up an appointment with a breast surgeon. The next day the doctor checked the ultrasound, and we discussed the options. We decided to do a lumpectomy and it was scheduled for four days later. The biopsy results were invasive ductal carcinoma, and it was triple negative. A nine out of ten for tumor aggression. Thankfully, the lymph nodes were not involved.
​
Now I get to see the oncologist to discuss what further treatments were needed. I did six rounds of chemotherapy and thirty-six radiation treatments. On my first day of chemo, I got to the cancer treatment center and was able to choose a breast cancer blanket. This blanket was special to me for it was handmade with love and care and given to those who are going through chemo. I got my own private room which had an awesome recliner. I spent a good amount of time in that room while getting numerous medications via port. Thank God for a port as I am terrible with needles. I did these every three weeks. The treatments made me nauseous, and most of my food tasted weird.

Almost like a metallic taste. I learned that plastic silverware was my friend. Watermelon was the only thing that tasted good to me. Chemo caused my hair to fall out which was fine as its only hair, and I got to wear a lot of cute hats. Chemo fog is a real thing as well as a struggle to this very day.

Nine years later... February 2020. I assumed after that length of time the chances of cancer returning were slim. My body however decided to throw a curveball. I had some blood coming from my left nipple when I showered, so I went to the breast clinic to have it checked. A mammogram was performed, and it was clear. Instead of leaving it there, my doctor decided it was best to do an MRI. That showed I had a couple of spots that were concerning in both breasts. So now it is time to do an MRI assisted biopsy, which let me tell you, is not a fun thing to go through. Then began everyone's least favorite game, the waiting and what if game. Everyone tells you to stay positive, but it is hard to do when you have battled this before. It is even harder knowing in your head and heart that the cancer was back.

When I went to see my breast care navigator for the results, she informed me that it was invasive lobular carcinoma and HER2 positive in the right breast yet benign in the left. Everyone was shocked that I had made the decision immediately to do a double mastectomy. I already made this decision while battling breast cancer the first time in case it ever decided to rear its ugly head again in the future. So, in March, during the chaos of Covid-19, my surgery for the double mastectomy and reconstruction was scheduled. It was frightening to think my surgery could be cancelled at any time because of Covid-19.

Thankfully, it wasn’t canceled, and the surgery went well. However, after surgery I learned very quickly how moving, like laying down and sitting up affected your chest muscles. It got better little by little, day by day. This round of treatments, because it was HER2 positive, I will only take a prescription for the next five years. Radiation was out because I did the double mastectomy and again because it was HER2 positive, chemo wasn’t necessary. This particular cancer was a one out of ten on the tumor aggression scale.

My oncologist told me that although my biopsy was only positive in the right breast, when the pathology report from surgery came back, it stated that it was invasive lobular carcinoma in the right but also lobular carcinoma in situ in the left. He informed me that I had made the correct decision to do the double mastectomy. Because of this, we did tests to see if the cancers were genetic. It was important to be tested because I have children. I wanted to be assured that it wouldn’t be passed down and affect them. Thankfully, the tests came back with no predisposition of cancer, it was simply luck of the draw to have three separate types of cancer. If there has been one thing, I have learned throughout my crazy journey it is this: Always pay attention to your body, if something seems weird or different, get it checked. You are your best advocate.

​At the end of the day when it is all said and done, I am not just a unicorn, I am a Survivor!

Read Full Newsletter Here
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

CONTACT US

Beyond Pink TEAM
c/o Jeanne Olson, Treasurer
1407 Asbury Lane
Waterloo, IA 50701
​beyondpinkteam@gmail.com
(319) 239-3706
©2020 Beyond Pink TEAM
  • Home
  • About Us
    • Who We Are
    • Our Board
    • Annual Report
    • Contact Us
  • Support
    • Physical
    • Emotional
    • Community
    • Financial
    • Caregiver
    • Online
  • Education
    • Newsletter
    • Ignite the Cancer Conversation
    • Quality Care
    • Resources
    • Request Speaker
    • The Cancer Journey
  • Advocacy
    • What is Advocacy
    • National Breast Cancer Coalition
    • Iowa Stop Breast Cancer
    • Research
    • Influencing Policy
    • Access to Care
  • Join Us
    • Be an Advocate
    • Volunteer
    • Events >
      • 16th Annual Pink Ribbon Run
    • Membership
    • Donate to BPT
    • Follow Us