Paul's Heart

Breast Cancer Awareness Month

This photo of me with my grandmother comes from 1989, both of us cancer survivors at the time, she from breast cancer, me from Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. I had just completed six weeks of radiation therapy. My grandmother had been diagnosed in the Fall of 1985. Having undergone a double mastectomy, she joked with me, “I will be able to wear your shirts now.”

It was her bravery, her outlook, her stoicism that served as my first ever example of someone having faced cancer, and survived. Up until this point, all I ever knew about cancer was “everybody died” from it, a statement I would soon learn could be no further from the truth. Because of the way my grandmother handled her cancer fight, I cannot really go into details, as she did not discuss them, her way of protecting me from all of that “bad stuff”, yet at the same time denying me the ability to truly understand what she was going through.

It was her success in beating breast cancer that put me on the path to selecting my oncolgogist when I was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s in 1988 at the age of 22. My grandmother, small but mighty at a height of 4’11”, I considered one of the strongest people I knew. And if she could get through her cancer, so would I.

My experience was a bit more physically traumatic as far as surgeries go, and the toxicity of my treatments, unbeknownst to me, really posed the risk of killing me, instead of the cancer doing it. Mirroring her stamina and determination, I got through the next year and a half.

Our paths would take different turns a few years later, as she would pass at the age of 83 from her second battle with cancer, this time ovarian. I was crushed not by the fact that her not living forever after cancer did not happen and what that meant to me, but I lost one of the most influencial people in my life. Ten years later, I would begin a new chapter with my Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, not with a recurrence, but late side effects that would develop, caused by my treatments. But that is another post.

As I said, I am not very knowledgable when it comes to breast cancer. Sure, I know there are many types of breast cancers, staging, and a variety of treatment options, all similar to my experience with Hodgkin’s. And from what research I have done over the years, there is a similiarity to Hodgkin’s in that I saw that same “five year average” survival for breast cancer as we have for Hodgkin’s. Survival rates for both cancers do have one of the higher rates above 90% depending on the type and staging.

In fairness, my knowledge is still limited when it comes to breast cancer, though there are many in my personal circle who have been diagnosed, all with different situations, all with different treatment options. Regardless of their paths, all remain hopeful and positive in their battles.

Where my personal involvement comes in with breast cancer, is twofold, and actually has an impact on others as well. For anyone who has undergone “upper mantle” (the chest area) radiation therapy, there is an increased risk of developing breast cancer, even if a male, though it is not as common as females, it can happen, and self-screening is always recommended.

The second thing, and very important, because as Hodgkin’s survivors are all too aware of, the drug Adriamycin (also known as doxorubicin), is an anthracycline drug that damages cells to prevent them from growing and multiplying. This is good for destroying cancer cells, but bad for healthy normal cells. This drug is also notorious for being referred to as the “red devil,” noted for its color and the one truly evil and potential side effect, heart damage. And the bad thing is, despite the technology being available, and I know this personally as I have researched it and wrote about it here, to discover this damage before it becomes a problem. The bad thing is, it does not get used because it is “not cost effective.” So unless you complain about the symptoms, which by then the damage is likely quite bad already, you will never know until it is too late. A simple 2D echocardiogram after treatments can determine if any damage has begun, and if so, change treatment course before too late. But you need to advocate for yourself and demand this echo to be done. It will not be volunteered to you.

Here is the link to the interview I did with researcher Bill Shirkey to back this up:

Of course, I recommend reading the other three parts to that story for the full context and what it means to me and others.

Last month for me was personal about Hodgkin’s Lymphoma awareness. This month for breast cancer, it is also personal. And next month will be no different when it comes to lung cancer. More on that one later.

(photo courtesty of Premier Family Medical)