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Mother and daughter team up to fight breast cancer

Handout Jeanette Harris and daughter, Michelle Thomas, work together at Richard Allen Schools.

ENLARGE PHOTO

Contributed photo by Andy Snow/Andy Snow Jeanette Harris in the 2009 'Celebrating the Arts' Crown Jewels calendar.

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By Lauren Beach, Staff Writer Updated 4:00 PM Sunday, September 26, 2010

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. This article is part of our month-long focus on breast cancer. To learn more or find ways to help, go to our Pink Edition Page.

DAYTON — Jeanette Harris, president and CEO of Richard Allen Schools, listens to her dreams. When her daughter, Michelle Thomas, was diagnosed with breast cancer, her first question was, “Mom, did you have a dream?”

It turns out that the year before, Harris says, she did dream that her daughter should have a mammogram. Although she never told her daughter about the dream, she constantly urged her to schedule an appointment for a mammogram.

Thomas, 36 at the time, didn’t feel it was necessary. She had two children and a busy work schedule. On top of that, Thomas knew that a mammogram was recommended for women 40 and above unless they had a history of breast cancer in the family, and she didn’t.

In 2007, Harris went to have her regularly scheduled mammogram. She couldn’t forget about her dream and knew her daughter still hadn’t scheduled a mammogram. So she scheduled one for her.

“As Mother directed, I went,” said Thomas, who said her mother is her best friend.

Although she was reluctant at first, Thomas is thankful she went to that appointment. The following Monday, she received a call from the hospital saying she needed to return. The spots on her mammogram, the doctor told her, were probably not cancer but he recommended a biopsy.

When Thomas’ doctor called with the results, he asked whether she wanted to hear the good or the bad news first. Always wanting to end on a positive note, Thomas said she wanted the bad news first.

The bad news, he said, was that she had cancer. The good news was that it was treatable and she wasn’t going to die.

After Thomas got over the initial fact that she had cancer, she fought one of life’s toughest battles. Her family did a lot of research and interviewed many doctors along the way to ensure that she got the best support and treatment available. Support also came from a husband who assured her he hadn’t married her for her breasts and would love her no matter what.

Thomas had five tumors in her right breast. Though she was diagnosed with Stage 1 breast cancer, she required a mastectomy. She knew she wanted breast reconstruction surgery but did not want any foreign products in her body. She decided to have a DIEP flap breast reconstruction, an advanced procedure which creates a natural breast from tissue taken from the abdomen.

For this procedure, Thomas and her family went to the James Cancer Hospital at Ohio State University. Recognized for its microsurgical capabilities, the hospital is one of the nation’s leaders in cancer research.

“They know your name. They know who you are,” said Harris who traveled to Columbus with her family for the surgery and reconstruction. The procedure, scheduled for eight hours, took 18 due to complications.

Thomas spent the next two days in intensive care on a respirator. For the next two months she struggled with a raspy voice, and spent her time sitting upright in a recliner. During her recovery, Thomas attended the University of Phoenix and will receive her doctorate degree in educational leadership next July.

“It was a blessing because it kept her busy,” Harris said.

Thomas was the first black woman to have a DIEP flap breast reconstruction surgery at The James. She has been cancer-free ever since.

“She’s my miracle child,” said Harris. “I think she has embraced this with the spirit of ‘I’m not dying’.”

Aside from working as interim superintendent for Richard Allen Schools, Thomas volunteers at The James. She knows the power of friendship and support and offers her advice to women who have just been diagnosed.

“It’s hard when you don’t have anyone to talk to,” Thomas said.

Since her diagnosis, Thomas and her mother have approached the situation with an unwavering spirit and now use their experiences to raise awareness in the community. Harris is a part of the Crown Jewels Fashion Show and Calendar, a project founded by Sharon D. Howard, executive director of community & public relations at WDTN-TV. The project has raised almost $70,000, all of which have been donated to the Kettering Medical Center Foundation Women’s Wellness Fund, which provides free mammograms to under served men and women.

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-0633 or lbeach@DaytonDailyNews.com.

Crown Jewels

What: 2010 Crown Jewels Calendar, photos by Andy Snow of well-known Miami Valley women modeling hats in settings that Celebrate the Arts.

Where: The calendar will be available at the Ribbon of Hope luncheon and can also be purchased at Books and Company, (Town and Country Shopping Center and The Greene) as well as at the Kettering Medical Center, Kettering Medical Center-Sycamore, Southview Hospital, Grandview Hospital, the Kettering Breast Evaluation Centers, and WDTN-TV