Mary

Makeup: Natosha Cooke | Photography: Cheryl Ungar

“It is my goal to stay healthy for the rest of my life”

Mary was relieved and excited when her annual mammogram came back clear in March of 2012. However, in April, she found a lump in her left breast. She was quickly sent for a biopsy which unfortunately came back cancerous. An MRI showed that she had cancer in both breasts. She made the decision to have a double mastectomy in July. Based on the MRI results, Mary’s doctors knew the lymph nodes on her right side were positive. After her surgery, Mary found out that the lymph nodes on her left side were cancerous as well. In August, Mary had to go back for another surgery to have more lymph nodes removed.

Following surgery, Mary has undergone chemotherapy. Her last session is December 27th. Mary will then follow with five weeks of radiation and a minimum of five years of hormone therapy. She hopes to have reconstruction in 2014.

Mary attributes her survival to self-breast exams. She believes that it is so important for everyone to do their self-exams, and not just rely on mammograms. Mary’s life has changed in that she has to be very aware of what she puts into her body. With everything she does, she makes sure to do it well because she never knows if it will be her last chance. She is extremely happy to be able to spend time with her first grandson and it is her goal is to stay healthy for the rest of her life.

Laura

Makeup: Natosha Cooke | Photography: Cheryl Ungar

“I Rocked the Bald Look!”

Laura was 35 years old and recovering from a tonsillectomy when her husband noticed a strange lump in her breast. She originally thought nothing of it until it drastically changed in size and shooting pains began in her right breast. Laura finally made an appointment with her doctor, who ultimately referred her for a mammogram and ultrasound. The doctor at the imaging center asked Laura to come back the next day for a biopsy. Even after the biopsy, Laura didn’t think anything was wrong. She was caught off guard when her primary care physician called her the very next day, choking back tears, and explained to Laura that she had grade 3, triple negative breast cancer.

What followed next were many follow-up tests and appointments with oncologists, general surgeons and plastic surgeons. Laura began her journey with neoadjuvant (before surgery) chemotherapy, enduring eight rounds of treatments every other week. Five weeks after Laura was finished with chemo, she checked into the hospital for her double mastectomy. She had an adverse reaction to the pain medication, and had to stay in the hospital longer than anticipated.

After her surgery, Laura learned that she had three positive lymph nodes affected by her cancer. Because of this, Laura then endured twenty-five radiation treatments. She went every day (Monday through Friday) for a month straight. Laura was then given the opportunity to join a clinical trial. She debated whether or not she should participate, but ultimately decided to join, knowing that she wanted to do everything in her power to fight this disease. Once again, Laura found herself back in the chemo suite, receiving 4 treatments of additional chemotherapy, attending once every three weeks. She liked to think of this drug as her golden healing fluid, destroying the cancer, rather than a poison killing healthy cells.

Finally, three months after her second bout with chemo, Laura had her 2nd stage reconstruction surgery. After being knocked down and building back up several times, she is happy to be done with treatments. She does visit her oncologist every three months, and she is choosing not to have any follow up surgeries for the time being.

Before being diagnosed with cancer, Laura wasn't sure about the direction of her career path. Of course, Laura is not glad she got cancer, yet this journey helped firm her resolve to focus her life on what makes her happy and enthusiastic. Laura has learned valuable life lessons through her experience with cancer. She’s learned to simplify her life and now focuses on eating organic and mostly vegetarian meals. She has found joy and peace in yoga, and is now proud to announce she can once again do downward facing dog – a pose she never thought she’d be able to do after her surgeries. Laura does not consider her journey over, and probable never will. Every morning she wakes up and has a daily reminder that she is a cancer survivor as she performs her daily self massages. By focusing on the positive, pursuing her interests and networking with other survivors, she hopes she’ll be able to overcome the hurdles and struggles that go along with being a survivor.  

Bridgette

Makeup: Natosha Cooke | Photography: Cheryl Ungar

“I can’t change this. Being upset isn’t going to do me any good. You just deal with it.”

Bridgette recently moved from Wisconsin to Colorado with her husband for his job transfer. Being new to a city where you don’t know anyone can be a scary thing. Throw in a breast cancer diagnosis and it’s downright terrifying.

Bridgette found her own lump on December 17th and immediately made a doctor appointment. Her doctor, feeling the lump, told her “80% of the time, these things are nothing, but let’s get it checked out just in case.” Bridgette was then scheduled for a mammogram and ultrasound. The first time Bridgette had a feeling something might be wrong was when she was lying on the ultrasound table. The tech came back into the exam room and told Bridgette that the doctor wanted to talk to her. The doctor showed Bridgette all the results of her scans and suggested a biopsy of the lump. The phone call she had been dreading came the Thursday before Christmas. Merry Christmas, you have breast cancer.

Bridgette was facing so many uncertainties. She didn’t know anyone; didn’t have any friends in Colorado. She didn’t even know how her husband’s insurance at his new job would handle the diagnosis. She started her journey by meeting with a surgeon. As is the case with most women diagnosed with breast cancer, Bridgette was asked to go off her birth control. However, she was on a continual flow birth control for an unrelated heath issue. Because of that, Bridgette’s surgeon decided to perform a lumpectomy and a full hysterectomy on January 21. Thankfully, Bridgette’s recovery from her double surgery wasn’t as bad as she expected. She then endured six rounds of TC chemo, which came with nausea, loss of appetite, exhaustion and horrible bone pain. She then started a regiment of once-a-day radiation treatments for 20 days. She only has 6 more treatments left and then radiation is over! Bridgette then plans on participating in a drug trial to help researchers study if the diabetes drug Metformin also decreases the risk of breast cancer recurrence.

Bridgette started applying and interviewing for jobs while she has been going through radiation. Getting back to work makes her feel normal again. She knows surviving breast cancer has changed her, but she can’t wrap her mind around how it’s changed her quite yet. One thing she knows is that she doesn’t want to waste time. The things in the back of her mind that she’s always wanted to do are suddenly becoming a priority.

Mica

Makeup: Natosha Cooke | Photography: Cheryl Ungar

"I’m a fighter – Always have been!"

Mica found her own lump last November. It scared her so much that she pushed off going to the doctor. Knowing she couldn’t have a mammogram until she was 35, she waited until shortly after her 35th birthday in January to schedule her mammogram. Mica remembers everything happening so fast after that. The doctors quickly called her back after the mammogram for a biopsy.

On February 7th, Mica was waiting to go in for an MRI when her doctor sat her down and gave her the results of the biopsy. Mica had breast cancer. The MRI then showed a tumor measuring 2.8 centimeters in her right breast. When Mica heard the news, she partly already knew what the doctors were going to say. Her mother passed away from breast cancer in 2000. Mica believes she was expecting this news her whole life. Mica believes it’s because she was prepared, that the news didn’t make her breakdown. She’s been incredibly strong throughout this whole experience.

Mica was immediately set up with an oncologist and surgeons. Her mind was reeling with all the options being explained to her; surgeries, chemotherapy, port, genetic testing, radiation. It was all enough to make her sick. Mica was shocked and relieved to find out she did not have the breast cancer gene. She then had the tough decision to make about her treatments.

Mica remembers watching chemotherapy eat her mother alive so she has made the brave decision not to undergo that treatment. A recent PET scan shows great results. The cancer had not spread to other parts of her body. She is confident she has made the right decision to forego chemo, instead, turning to alternative methods of healing. She is currently taking Chinese medicines, undergoing acupuncture, and has totally changed her diet. She admits that her journey has been an enlightening experience although it makes her somewhat sad that she didn’t pay more attention to her health 10 years ago. Mica has decided to have a single mastectomy on her right side to remove the tumor on May 4th. She is looking forward to the day when she is in full recovery and she can start to give back to other young women going through a tough time with a cancer diagnosis.

Christina

Makeup: Natosha Cooke | Photography: Cheryl Ungar

“This Can’t Knock Me Down!”

From a young age, Christina knew what it meant to be a survivor.  Diagnosed with scoliosis at the age of 9, she was no stranger to doctors’ offices.  In 2010 she also faced a very serious staph infection in her abdomen which required emergency surgery and a wound vac to heal the wound from the inside out.

After Christina’s traumatic experience with her infection and months of healing, she and her family decided to take a rejuvenating trip to Florida.  During her trip, Christina became very tired and developed a sharp stabbing pain on her left side.  She thought perhaps she was having a mild heart attack but eventually decided to go in for her routine mammogram.  A biopsy was recommended.  While she was at work, Christina’s doctor called and dropped the bomb that she had breast cancer.  Her boss was very kind and let her go be with her husband.  Christina is the 7th woman on her mother’s side to be diagnosed with cancer.  She was aware of changes going on with her breast tissue since 1999 which resulted in frequent mammograms and biopsies to monitor calcifications and fibroids.  Despite that, she never believed cancer would happen to her.

Christina has an incredibly close and beautiful relationship with her entire family.  Her wonderful husband, three daughters and son were instrumental in getting Christina through this journey.  She was having a difficult time deciding on the route of treatment she would take.  So, she went shopping to buy a fancy “decision shirt” to wear on the day she called her doctors.  Christina put on her beautiful new shirt.  Feeling gorgeous, she got on the phone and made the decision to have a double mastectomy.

Christina’s surgery was scheduled for May 13th.  As she was being prepped for surgery, 15 friends and family members were in the waiting room to support her.  Christina promised that she would come out right before surgery to give everyone a hug and say goodbye.  The nurses in the hospital told her she was not allowed to leave but Christina wouldn’t take “no” for an answer.  To the surprise of the crowd, Christina came flying out to the waiting room in her surgery gown, ready to assure everyone that she would be okay.  Her daughters called it her “waiting room waltz.”  Christina also defied the nurses when she went into surgery with the handkerchief of her dearly departed grandmother tied around her wrist.  Christina was determined to “make it work” so she could be protected by her grandmother during surgery.

Christina was blessed that she didn’t need chemotherapy, radiation or hormone therapy.  She is now cancer free and will have her final reconstruction surgery in eight months.  Christina admits this cancer diagnosis has changed her life. She was always a very busy woman, sometimes double booking her commitments.  She was just going through the motions not finding the fun and joy in life.  She is now finding time to slow down and be good to herself.  Her positive attitude shares an incredible opportunity to shine through.  She is currently developing a 365-day photo journal in which she plans to turn into a photo book on May 13th (anniversary date) just another way of celebrating the simple things in life that give her joy.