STEPHANIE IS A BREAST CANCER SURVIVOR
I do not define myself as a breast cancer survivor – this is my journey – my story. It is not a sad tale – it is a joyous occasion. I was diagnosed with breast cancer in August 2005.
I am sharing this story to help others as they face this challenging time and hopefully, encourage them to help other people in all walks of life have the strength to meet their own challenges head on.
In 2006, more than 200,000 women were diagnosed with breast cancer – and over 44,000 lost their battle. Statistically speaking – 1 in 8 women will get breast cancer – if not you, then it will be someone you know.
My breast cancer was diagnosed early – during an annual mammorgram. I was fortunate to have begun my screenings at the recommended age of 40 and it was discovered – less than 2 cm at the largest side. Surgery was successful, my lymph nodes were clear, recovery was a breeze with breast conserving surgery.
A week after my annual exam, I received a call from my son’s pediatrician as my physician was on vacation and I could hear it in his voice as he said “You have breast cancer.“ I was sitting in my living room, surrounded by boxes as I was moving into my new home in Portland Oregon from the Bay area and had 11 days before my move. They wanted to set up the surgery right away. So, I moved to Oregon, flew home and my DD took me to surgery on 1 Sept 2005 and then to dinner later that afternoon as I was so hungry. He was a champ and got us a nice hotel that we had stayed at before with a in-room hot tub bathtub for a few nights before returning back to Oregon (1,000 miles away).
It was a good thing to have work, and the new house to keep me busy. Moving into a new house, one that was built in the 40’s comes with a lot of work. Over the coming months, I spent a great deal of time painting, staining, and working on the yard. It was a labor of love…. and one that my Oncology doctor at OHSU in Portland worried about.
I started my Chemo in late September 2005 and as they will warn you, your hair starts to fall out after the second treatment. As you can see from my photos, I had my hair cut off. We made it a family affair as my son went with me to the salon to cut my hair and photograph me while it was happening. He compared my shaved head to a “hedgehog” foot scraper, but the donation I was able to make to “Locks of Love” was worth losing my hair to – something that my brother has done twice – just for the love of it, as he puts it “for the cancer kids.”
After my second treatment I was outside and happened to start scratching my head, well, my hand came back with hair, lots of it. I thought I would have a few days but that proved to be a misconception. The next morning I woke up and took a shower that lasted over 1.5 hours. I tried to wash all the stubble away and thinking I could shave later. Well, I finally gave up and got the disposable shavers out – 9 shavers later, I was bald. Smooth and bald.
I decided not to use the prescription for a wig and go “au natural” – if men can walk around bald, so could I.
I was asked on the way to a business meeting in Seattle, was I making a fashion statement? I laughed and said, if only I could draw my eyebrows on evenly. That is what I missed most, my eyelashes and eyebrows – but that was just another temporary thing to deal with…. I did not need to be that vain, right? It was great to be in Portland during this time as there are bumper stickers that say “Keep Portland Weird” and I did not stick out. Of course, I learned early on, if you act like you are trying to hide something, then that is the first place people will look.
The nurses at OHSU (where Lance Armstrong was cured of cancer) were awesome. They were a lot of fun – considering the somber mood of some of the patients. They were impressed that I embraced my journey head on and went bald. It made me sad to see the women being treated still holding on to the little hair they had left and covering it up with scarves or hats. My hair style (and covering the gray) was important to me so, I know how a woman feels about her hair, the treatment and prognosis was more important to me. Initially, my belief was that by eliminating the added stress and sadness of looking at the mirror every day and seeing the few remaining hairs on my head trying to keep my dignity by covering it up, it was uplifting to not worry one bit about the hair loss- I did not even have to shave my legs (for a while) and that was awesome! No hair, anywhere can be liberating. I say, let’s get liberated!!!
My last chemo treatment was in January 2006. I was given a total of 8 rounds of chemo (4 rounds of two different cocktails) due to my age (pre-menopause) and let me say when they tell you to get Senokot-S® – get it! Stay on it and keep things moving otherwise you will be miserable and the headaches that come with holding that chemo filled waste in your system are horrible. The quickest cure to getting through this is reading, renting movies, having time to be by yourself and veg out. I did. It was easier for me to disappear for a few days and do nothing but watch the SCI-FI channel than to deal with people in my house.
That’s how I got through it. I did have several girlfriends checking up on me, one called me every morning, she was awesome. Michelle was my greatest friend during this time. She did not let me feel sorry for myself and we talked about everything during this time. I also got closer to my Aunt whom I grew up with and as a kid, thought she was the coolest! She got me to do her homework and I did it so I could “hang out with her” as she was 3 years older than me. We gained a closeness that we always had deep down, but now Jan is my closest friend and not an “aunt” but a sister!
Following Chemo comes the radiation. Fun stuff. Actually, I did not feel poorly during this time. I had 33 treatments straight with weekends off.
My Radiation team at OHSU was awesome. I love Dr. Marquez, she was very upbeat with an awesome bedside manner, the staff were also awesome. The treatments were quick and after a few weeks the burned tissue started peeling. Think of a sunburn that blisters and takes weeks to get rid of but you keep burning it every day. I was healed by Mid April 2006 and for me – I added Neosporin to the healing process – it worked great and my skin was not worse for the wear. Oh, no hair grew back under my arm, so only one underarm needs to be shaved – see, something positive from all that radiation.
During the time I was going through my treatment, Cheryl Crow announced she had BC. She did not have to go through Chemo and Radiation – but not everyone does. Each person’s treatment is different. I forgave her for not having to suffer – truly suffer with chemo as I did because awareness and early treatment will save more women!
New hair growth was the exciting thing – through radiation, I started sprouting hair on my head and wow was it different – curly. Did I say CURLY? Well, that is one of the fun side-effects of Chemo, your hair changes. 15 months later and my curly hair is still curly and when it get’s wet, well, it gets curlier! Now in June 2009, it is different again – the curl is gone and is a bit thinner in shaft size but that tells me the chemo is fully gone from my body…
How you embrace this experience can be life changing. For me, it was a walk in the park. I have had many challenges in my life, lost my mother to lung cancer right after my 18th birthday. She was 45, like Dana Reeves, she did not smoke. It was a shock that changed my family. I went on to college and then my first marriage to a man who I would divorce 3 years later after physical and mental abuse. But life goes on and if we rise up every time we fall, we will be higher a bit, each time. Then at 33 lost my father to cancer – skin cancer. Frightening.
Then my best friend, Kitty, was losing her battle to breast cancer and was leaving behind a 10 yr old daughter and as devastating as that was, we sent her off to heaven after raising $50,000 for a fund for her daughter and a glorious party for her family and friends at the Children’s Museum in San Jose Ca. It was a short 8 months later that I would find out I too had breast cancer…
Live, Laugh and Love every day.
- Let me know if you have any other questions as this is just a start to help you with going through what I went through -and really there were tough days that I was in so much pain nothing helped – but that was just a blink in the total time I was in treatment and not an every day event… it is what you make of it and you can make it worse than it needs to be… or you can embrace it and push through it….
Best,
Stephanie
Cassandra (7)
Liz (6)
Dawn (Painter Mommy) (5)
Heather (4)
K.O. (4)
I forgot I sent you those photos… just kidding, it brings me back to my time when I did not have to shave… anything! Truly humbled by you sharing my story and i pray for any woman who has to face this head on. But we can push through with support and love from friends like you!!
What an amazing post! Steph I love your au natural look! You are beautiful inside and out!
Bless you, Stephanie, for telling your story. I’m so glad to hear you made a full recovery. We need more ppl to bring light to this devastating disease like you have. Thanks
You know what I love about this story the most? I didn’t cry. Let me explain. Usually when we read someone’s cancer survival story it is ridden with depressing tails of how they endured so much. Your story was very uplifting and inspiring. I know that you must have gone through h*ll, but what you saw was only the positive. You truly are an inspiration, Stephanie! (and thank you for the reminder to make my mammogram appt.)
Steph! I love ya! You are such an example of faith, courage and conviction.
You have been a light for many of us and I am incredible honored to have met you!
You rock in all you have done, all you do, and all you will accomplish with the help and love of GOD!
We have got to meet soon!!!
Many blessings and thank you for sharing this beautiful story!
Liseth
When I was in high school my mom had to have masses removed from both breasts. Thankfully they were non-cancerous but it was still scary and I’m thankful that God’s angels were on my mom throughout.
Okay…my comment submitted on it’s own before I was done.
Steph, I love read stories like this. Not because one has suffered – but because you triumphed. Even throughout you were able to “wear your scars” with pride!
You go girl
Steph,
I met you only months ago through our MomTV connection. I knew you were a hot shit right from the get go. Don’t know how I knew it – but I did and I have been telling my team that from the beginning.
So, now I know, and it isn’t because you had Breast Cancer and survived and that your story is inspiring and uplifting and true and honest.
You are a hot shit, because – well, you have always been, and always will be a hot shit. And I have a nose for hot shits. Thank you for sharing your story.
I send you love, big, fat, love. And although we have not yet met, we will.
Vicki
Stephanie,
What a remarkable story and such an inspiration to others. You are beautiful with no hair! Thank you for being so transparent with all of us, for the tremendous opportunities you allow us, and the freedom to express so many things at MomTv. You are a blessing and I am so thankful God has crossed our paths.
Blessings,
b†
Madre Minutes on MomTv
Stephanie…you are amazing! To go through something like you did and have the strength and courage you did I sure is something that helped you do as well as you did. Kudos to you!
Stephanie,
What an inspiration you are! You’re beautiful, inside and out. It’s a gift you’re giving to others when you share your story of struggle and triumph.
Thanks for sharing your story and showing others how sometimes tragedy/illness/trauma/crisis can sometimes be a blessing in disguise when it asks us to reevaluate our lives and make the changes we need to in order to heal and thrive!
Wishing you a lifetime of love, life and laughter,
Debi “The Mojo Coach”
Oh my goodness Stephanie…what a powerful story you have. You’ve clearly overcome a lot of heartache in your life. I, too, love the positive tone of your story. You set it out from the get go by saying, “I do not define myself as a breast cancer survivor.” Maybe not, but if I’ve ever seen a survivor-thriver, you most certainly are one.
Steph,
So glad you shared your story. I had NO idea. I will send this story to my sis who is having her 2nd round of chemo as I type this. You know how hard this is for me to see my little sis after the treatment – sick as a dog. I’m sure she will find this so helpful. Thank you for coming out and also letting us know how you are doing today. You look great bald – But then again gorgeous women look great no matter what they do!
Ahh, and this whole time I just thought you were a bad ass because of the hush hush stuff. (Microphones everywhere…) Love ya! Thanks for sharing
Steph~ Though you have shared much of this story with me, there is something special about reading your words….you are a remarkable woman, a wonderful friend and a courageous and inspiring example of triumph. I hope as people read your story, they find a pebble of courage within themselves – it is only fitting that someone like you be such an amazing source of inspiration.
You look gorgeous with and without hair!!
xoxo Danielle
Stephanie,
You are an amazing woman! The strength that you had during this time is a testimony for all woman! You never stopped even for a moment to feel pity. You are an inspiration for woman who are struggling with their own crisis!
It’s so beautiful that you share your story with us! I know that your story will have an impact on another person’s life! Your story will give strength to someone out there who can’t see the light through the darkness!
You are a very special person! Always giving of yourself! Full of love!
You have so much positive energy and you share it who cross your path! I am Blessed to be in your life!
Giving Thanks for you!
Jan
I am so very humbled by this and appreciate your love and support – new friends, old friends and family and those who are facing similar challenges, we can be strong, and with reinforcements like our friends and family we can be that much stronger.
Blessings to Shynea and her family for the passion she has to share with us both on the human side of life and to help us be better with her parenting tips!
Please feel free to connect with me if you need a friend, I’m here to listen and support you.
Much love and hugs for you all.
Stephanie AKA MomTV
Stephanie,
What an amazing post! A strong woman before BC proved even stronger after your battle. To be able to look back and reflect on your treatments with such a positive attitude is beyond amazing (and very educating)! I had never thought of having no hair as liberating, but you have opened my eyes. Remove the hair and not only does the beauty remain but perhaps even allowed your passion for life to shine even stronger! You are truly an inspiration and a beautiful woman!
this was a great post, thanks for sharing so much of yourself with us, I’ve met so many wonderful survivors through my work with relay for life and they all have the same wonderful attitude as yourself. Even though you don’t define yourself as a survivor, I celebrate with your beautiful lifes journey!
Thank you so much for sharing this!
I’m so glad I’ve been able to meet you online.
You are a strong women, thank you for sharing.