A breast cancer expert and three local cancer survivors, who have had recurrences, share their stories and advice. For them, keeping positive and keeping things normal are keys to winning the fight again.
From the expert
Even as women cross the finish line of successful breast cancer treatment, the fear of recurrence can be overwhelming.
They hold their breath during every mammogram, waiting to hear that everything is clear – until the next mammogram, when the anxiety bubbles up again.
“For many women, that first mammogram they have is a very emotional experience, because, it’s just reliving all of the things that they’ve already been through the first time around,’’ said Amy McKenna, breast cancer coordinator and registered nurse at Miami Valley Hospital. “So, when they do hear they have a recurrence, I think it’s their worst fear coming true, because they know what they’ve gone through already, and they may be facing it again.”
Those women already know what treatment is like, McKenna said, but the emotions of a recurrence make it more challenging to reassure them that they can do it again.
Area support groups and programs are available to women on a new or recurrent diagnosis.
“We highly recommend that they reach out to other women who may be going through something similar, because we have women in our support groups who have had a recurrence, and have fought that recurrence and who are doing well,” she said.
She also encourages family and friends to reach out to loved ones of other women dealing with a recurrence. They are the only ones who really know what you’re going through. Cancer is not an easy topic. Some family and friends may avoid the subject with cancer patients, because they don’t know what to say or fear saying the wrong thing.
“Oftentimes, a spouse, or a very close relative who’s really being there by that woman’s side through her recurrence, may want to try to stay strong and keep their feelings to themselves. Oftentimes, the women do the same thing, because they don’t want their family members to worry about them,” McKenna said. “But, in all honesty, being open and honest and sharing your feelings and sharing your fears is actually going to help all of them through it. So, definitely keep the communication open and share feelings, versus trying to keep them in.”
The biggest thing is just being a positive support and encouraging her and letting her know she’s not alone.
“A positive attitude and support go a long way through a diagnosis,” McKenna said.
From the survivors
Kristie Talley, Springfield:
Kristie Talley was diagnosed with breast cancer just a week shy of her 39th birthday. Months later, after treatment, it was discovered the cancer had metastasized. Talley, 43, is a guidance counselor at Tecumseh High School in New Carlisle. The Springfield woman is divorced and has a 17-year-old son and 14-year-old daughter.
Her first round of cancer: She discovered a lump in her right breast on Jan. 10, 2008. On Jan. 29, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. It was Stage 3, because some cancer was in her lymph nodes. She had three lumpectomies, chemotherapy and radiation.
Her second round of cancer: Talley had finished chemotherapy for breast cancer when, in late November 2008, she learned the cancer had spread to her liver. She was in Stage 4. She began chemotherapy again.
Her treatment had started for her breast cancer in March 2008. She got the news in December 2009 that she was cancer-free, but continued treatment, because she had triple negative breast cancer, which is one of the most aggressive forms. She finished treatment in August 2011.
How she coped the second time around: "I was devastated. My mother had melanoma and it reoccurred in her liver. She passed away, so that's what I was thinking, that that was going to be it for me.
“I had a lot of people supporting me and praying for me. Somebody at work, who’s a friend of mine, gave me a bracelet that said, ‘Expect Miracles.’ That kind of became my mantra. My kids are young, so I wasn’t ready to give up my fight.”
Her son’s sixth-grade teacher, who had breast cancer, told her this was going to be the best and worst year of her life.
“It ended up being 3 ½ years, but some of the greatest things happened to me during that time – people stepping up and doing things for me.”
For two years, Talley’s co-workers cleaned her house once a week and brought food every other week. A stranger at the Indianapolis airport, seeing her wearing a bandanna, bought her and her boyfriend dinner and said, “Keep fighting.”
On whether it's harder to hear the word, cancer, the first for second time: "For me, personally, it was harder the second time. The first time, we shaved my head, it was kind of, "Hey, we're shaving my head. No big deal.' The second time I bawled, because I knew what I was getting into."
Advice to others battling cancer the second time around: "Keep cancer in perspective. It's about continuing to do what you need to do in your life."
Feeling down during her second battle with cancer, Talley told her doctor, Dr. Daljeet Singh at the Springfield Regional Cancer Center, that she wanted to stay home.
“He said, ‘You can’t do that. You’ve got to keep going. You’ve got to keep going to work, whether you like it or not, because that’s your normal life. You can’t let cancer completely take over things,’ ” she recalled. “I have two teenage kids. I didn’t want cancer to be in the way of the things that they were doing. I made a point to make sure I was there, because I didn’t want to miss things because of cancer.”
Tina Revelos, Middletown:
Tina Revelos’ hair is growing back. She considers that a sign of hope, since she just finished treatment for her second round of breast cancer. The 73-year-old retired travel agent from Middletown has been married for 46 years and has three children and three grandchildren.
Her first round of cancer: A routine mammogram in 2008 revealed two spots on her right breast, resulting in a complete mastectomy. "I was lucky enough that it was just at the beginning stages, so I didn't have to go through chemo or radiation." She took an Arimidex pill daily, until the new cancer was discovered. "It was supposed to prevent any other cancer, but it didn't work."
Her second round of cancer: Tests on a lump removed from underneath her left breast came back positive for cancer in September 2011. "I had had a mammogram two weeks beforehand, and it showed nothing. The problem is with the density of the breast, the type of cancer that I had would not show up unless I did an ultrasound."
This cancer was a more advanced Stage 3-4. Revelos had another complete mastectomy last October. She went through 12 weeks of chemotherapy and 25 days of radiation, finishing treatment a month and half ago.
Doctors had also discovered thyroid cancer. After radiation was completed for breast cancer, she had her thyroid removed and is taking Synthroid pills.
Revelos expects more tests to see if there’s cancer elsewhere.
How she coped the second time around: "Once you've had breast cancer, you always worry about the other breast. My first reaction was, 'I was so stupid. I should have had them both removed at the same time, so I didn't have to worry.' But I was upset with the second one, especially since it was a stronger cancer."
Her medical team at Atrium Medical Center in Middletown has kept her spirits up, along with a lot of support from family and friends. It helps to have a new grandchild to keep things positive.
“I have a couple of friends who have had breast cancer,” she said. “A lot of times just talking with them, that helps.”
On whether it's harder to her the word, cancer, the first or second time: "The second time, because the first time I just wasn't that knowledgeable. It was very non-invasive. I knew it had to come off because of the two spots, and I knew that I could get reconstruction. I figured that it's just a little milestone that you have to go through.
“The second time, that’s when it really hurt … I didn’t know if could even have any reconstruction done. I knew that I had to go through the chemo and radiation, which I was worried about, but working with everybody, it was very reassuring.”
Advice to others battling cancer the second time around: "The thing that is important to me is that you hear the success rate of curing breast cancer, the fact that it's not a death sentence. Years ago, when you had breast cancer, that was it. You knew that was the end of your life. Now, it's not. There are so many things that can be done to extend and to help your life, and give you quality of life."
Tina Layer, Springboro:
Tina Layer was just 43 when she was diagnosed with breast cancer and 44 when she got her second diagnosis. Now 50, she is living without cancer and working as an applications analyst in information systems for Kettering Health Network in Miamisburg. Layer, who is divorced, lives with her German Shepherd in Springboro.
Her first round of cancer: She was diagnosed with ductal carcinoma in situ, a non-invasive cancer, in August 2005 after a routine screening revealed some calcifications in her left breast. At that point, it was Stage 0, because it had not spread beyond the ducts. Following a lumpectomy, she had seven weeks of radiation and was considered cancer free.
Her second round of cancer: A different kind of cancer was found in her right breast in April 2006 while having a follow-up mammogram for the first cancer. An abnormality was found at the original cancer site, and she had a breast MRI that looked at both sides. The new cancer was invasive ductal carcinoma. It was Stage 1, slightly more advanced, because the cancer had spread beyond the ducts in her breast.
Layer had a lumpectomy and was trying to determine whether to have chemotherapy. “I wanted to do what my gut was telling me to do. I didn’t want to have any regrets if a year from now my cancer recurred.” She decided to fight it with four rounds of chemotherapy over 12 weeks.
After chemo, she went through another seven weeks of radiation, ending cancer treatment in December 2006. She took Tamoxifen for five years to further reduce her risk of getting cancer again.
How she coped the second time around: "I'm pretty much a fighter and, so, you just look at the characteristics of the cancer, and you decide what you're going to do. I take a positive attitude with most things, and I know that that also helps with cancer survival. Yeah, it was a bummer. I knew it was caught early. I was lucky it was caught at all. It might not have been caught for awhile if it had not been for the abnormality."
She talked to breast health coordinators at Kettering Health Network and attended some classes about navigating the breast cancer journey. She also joined online support groups and reached out to other cancer survivors, as well.
On whether it's harder to hear the word, cancer, the first or second time: "Probably the first time, because you're more afraid. You don't know as much about it. After the first diagnosis, I'm the type of person who goes out and does a lot of research, asks a lot of questions. You become more educated. Knowledge is power, and that helps you combat the fear."
Sometimes, she said she feels guilty that she’s had cancer twice and is doing so well.
“I feel guilty when I see people around me having a much harder time in their journey,” she said.
Advice to others battling cancer the second time around: "You have to be your own advocate. You have to find out as much as you can about your kind of cancer and the treatment. You have to stay positive, and you have to be diligent about monitoring your own health. Never be afraid to ask questions."
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