I was asked to write this blog months ago, but I honestly could never find the words. Now, I think I’m finally ready to share.
11 months ago I was at Dr. Ann Lafranca for a routine annual exam, completely oblivious to the illness that was about to rock my world. Last year Dr. LaFranca mentioned that she would like me to schedule a mammogram with my next annual appointment as I was about to turn 35. I went for the initial mammogram and nothing has been the same since.
Within a few days I received a phone call that they wanted additional imaging. Again, I wasn’t too worried because I felt fine and just figured they wanted to do a good baseline scan. It wasn’t until the ultrasound tech measured a spot over and over that I had a bad feeling. When the radiologist, Dr. Ruiz came in to talk to me, I asked him categorically if it was bad. His exact words were “it’s small, but it doesn’t look good.” From that moment on, my life would never be the same.
I left the ultrasound room, immediately picked my breast surgeon, Dr. Cecelia Cuntz, visited her, and returned for a biopsy. All on the same day! Single.
When I chose Dr. Cuntz I didn’t realize how important that decision really was. My choice of surgeon basically looked at the rest of my team of doctors. It’s important to note that I could have chosen anyone I wanted and/or gotten multiple opinions, but at the time my mind was in such a fog and I was alone (due to COVID). Needless to say, I absolutely love my team of doctors.
The care I received during my stay at the Woman’s and the Breast and GYN Cancer Pavilion was incredible. From my amazing OB-GYN Dr. LaFranca who advocates for early mammograms, the nurses in the biopsy room who pray for me and cry with me, Dr. Cuntz for explaining everything to me in great detail, my nurses before and after surgery making sure she was comfortable and had everything I needed, Mrs. Di greeted me at the front door with a smile every day, Dr. Zatarain listened to all my fears about chemo, all the nurses were going into full nurse mode as I had a reaction to the last chemo, dr. Castle and my amazing radiation technicians – Jessica, Jourdan and Yolanda, Chalisse and all the staff at the Woman’s Center for Wellness. I could go on and on about all the wonderful care I have received. You are really looked after when you come to Woman’s and I would highly recommend it Stand for breast and female body cancera collaboration with Mary Bird Perkins – Panagia tis Limni Cancer center for all and sundry.
siBeing able to treat in one location made the process much easier. I’m a mom to two young girls, ages 4 and 8, so being with my kids and keeping their lives as normal as possible has been extremely important to me.
I didn’t want my girls to fear what I was going through and I wanted to be around for all their daily activities as much as possible. This was another reason I decided to try cold cap. When I first found out I needed chemotherapy, the first thought that crossed my mind was “I’m going to lose my hair.” I mentioned this to a few of my friends over the next few weeks and a couple mentioned that they have friends who didn’t lose their hair with cold cap. I immediately started doing my research and started talking to women from all over the country who had done it.
Cold capping involves freezing your scalp to reduce the amount of chemotherapy reaching the hair follicles. There are some chemotherapy regimens where the cold pack works better than others, but I’m very happy with my results. Most people look at me now and can’t believe I had chemotherapy.
There are times when I feel guilty for having hair when others don’t, but I did decision to save my hair because I wanted life to remain as normal as possible for my family.
The cold cap wasn’t easy and was definitely a commitment for much longer than chemo, but it’s a decision I would make 100 times over and recommend to anyone willing to give it a try. I’m also very happy to talk about the process with anyone who wants to save their hair. I believe it helped me recover and maintain a sense of normalcy in my life because I didn’t look like a cancer patient to the outside world. For more information on cold coverage, visit www.rapunzelproject.org.
I am now four and a half months PFC (Post Final Chemo), 2 months out of radiation and preparing for my implant exchange surgery in August. When I was told on August 5th, 2020 “it’s cancer” and given the “My Journey” notebook, I didn’t really understand how much of a journey I was about to take. I knew I wanted this cancer out of me as soon as possible, but it’s really been a long journey and it’s not over yet. To anyone just starting your journey, breathe, pray and believe. You are in the best hands here and they will guide you!
