Pre-diagnosis

Initial Symptoms

I found a small lump about a centimeter in size. I didn’t think much of it. I did some research and found out that if the lump was movable, it had a lower likelihood of being cancerous. At that time, mine was movable so I thought I had nothing to worry about.

I hadn’t been doing much cancer research yet. I was looking at obesity research and now I’m at a parallel where we’re looking at exercise and diet and how they can impact cancer outcomes. I was still a baby when it came to cancer research, so that’s a big reason I pushed it to the side.

When my PhD started, a lot was thrown at me at once. Anyone who has done any graduate degree knows. I wanted to be the best student that I could be and the best person I could be for the new lab that I was in, so I prioritized those.

Sadly, like a lot of us, health was put on the back burner, so I forgot about the lump. I’m also a powerlifter. I bench press close to 300 lbs, so if I feel any tension or pain in my chest area, I attribute it to that.

In late 2023, I felt a lump again and wondered if it was the same lump. To this day, I don’t know if it was, but it grew in size so I thought that something was wrong.

I felt pain and that was what alerted me. I scheduled a wellness exam, but I had to keep postponing it because I had a lot of things coming up for my degree. I finally got in to do it in early January 2024 at the student center.

Breast Ultrasound

I called to schedule my ultrasound and mammogram. The person on the phone said I was young to be scheduling a mammogram and ultrasound. She asked if I had any symptoms. When I listed them off, I mentioned that I had a palpable mass and pain. She said they were only going to schedule the ultrasound because I didn’t need a mammogram. I was too young.

I’m very persistent and cautious. At this point, I was taking this seriously. You might think that I’m wasting your time because I’m too young and you probably think I can’t get cancer, but I’m going to waste your time.

When I went in for my ultrasound, I was filling out a form and it asked if I was of Bahamian descent. Women from the Bahamas have a higher likelihood of getting breast cancer and having more aggressive cancers due to the BRCA mutation, among other mutations.

They said it would probably going to take about 15 minutes. When the tech started the ultrasound, the moment she put the wand on, her eyes became wide and the same with the person assisting her. I knew that there was something there because it was palpable, but what was going on?

Mammogram

I immediately got pushed to the top of the line and had a mammogram that same day. When I was done, I started gathering my things again and they said, “No! You can’t leave. The radiologist is going to talk to you right now. They’re going to talk to you today before you leave.”

They took me to a quiet room. The radiologist came in and said, “You have multiple calcifications throughout all four quadrants of your breast.”

I couldn’t believe what I heard. I started to get dizzy. I power lift daily. A couple of weeks prior, I bench-pressed 292 lbs, squatted 440 lbs, and deadlift almost 500 lbs that I had to get drug tested.

They start looking at you with that look of pity. After that, I asked what the next step was and they said I needed to do a biopsy.

Reaction to my Stage 2 Breast Cancer Diagnosis

When I found out the results, I felt a little better than having all of that anxiety trying to figure out what I had. Hearing that was a relief. After I got the phone call, the surgeon’s office called and I made an appointment.

Breast MRI

The breast MRI was very uncomfortable. Based on the results, they let me know that it was confirmed. I do have widespread, cancerous-looking things throughout my breast and in my lymph nodes.

Pre-surgery Tests

I did a chest X-ray, EKGs, blood work, blood typing and cross-matching, and other tests before surgery.

I also worked out a lot because I wanted to prepare my body for the battle. One of the things I learned is that as you go through treatment, your body goes through a lot and you can lose muscle, which is detrimental to your outcome. I kept powerlifting and retaining muscle right up to the surgery.

I had my mastectomy on my 27th birthday. At first, I was upset, but I think it’s good because I would always celebrate when they took the cancer out of my body. After the mastectomy, my surgeon came in and explained that she removed the cancer. Two lymph nodes were positive and from what I know, that’s a hit or miss. Based on the final pathology, I can either have chemo or not, but I would definitely need radiation.

Side Effects of Chemotherapy

Less than 24 hours after chemo, I went to the gym and power lifted because I wanted to keep doing what I do. I felt solid, but when I got home, that’s when the side effects kicked in. Fatigue was number one. I immediately had to shower and then I fell asleep for 18 hours. It was brutal.

I had GI side effects. It wasn’t good. I got a headache and my whole body felt sore. I work out a lot, so I know what soreness feels like, but it had nothing to do with my workouts. It was a general, full-body soreness that even my bones were hurting. I had to take Zoladex to preserve my ovaries so that I’m able to have children after this. A lot was going on.

The side effects lasted for about five days. Over a week after chemo, I feel great. I was able to do a workout and not crash afterward.

When you’re a young adult, you are just starting your life. When you go to the doctor’s office, you’re the youngest. When I went to one of my appointments, the medical assistant asked where the patient was. I was right there, but she didn’t expect me to be the patient. Sometimes I go with my mom and they think she’s the patient.

This is very emotional and very isolating. Cancer in itself is isolating, but you may also be the only one in your age bracket going through this. When you go to the doctor’s office, people feel sorry for you more because of your age.

My experience is going to make me a much better researcher. It’s going to make me more invested and make me an advocate. I used to want to be an advocate, but now I want to be a research advocate and living proof.

Cancer is very emotional from when you get the diagnosis and throughout the whole process. This is a journey. You go through different emotions. I deal with it by taking deep breaths. That helped a lot.

I joined my AYA support group. Joining support groups is vital because they are going through the same thing. They’re at different stages of the journey, so they’re able to guide you and help you get on track because you’re pulled in so many directions and it’s overwhelming.

Words of Advice

For patients undergoing chemotherapy, come in with an open mind. You’re going to be scared, but don’t stress out because stress is not good for you. It won’t help with your outcome.

Get some ice compression for your hands and feet to prevent neuropathy, depending on the type of chemotherapy that you’re going to have to get infused. Taxotere has been linked to neuropathy, so I did that.

Try to eat bland foods when you’re going through chemotherapy. If you don’t eat, you’re going to feel terrible. I know all these things are going on, but you’ve got to eat something. Whenever I didn’t eat, I would feel terrible. I started to feel better when I did. Nutrition is so important.