{"id":208705,"date":"2026-03-17T19:56:13","date_gmt":"2026-03-17T19:56:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/208705\/"},"modified":"2026-03-17T19:56:13","modified_gmt":"2026-03-17T19:56:13","slug":"stage-iii-triple-negative-breast-cancer-survivor-pay-attention-to-your-body","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/208705\/","title":{"rendered":"Stage III triple-negative breast cancer survivor: Pay attention to your body"},"content":{"rendered":"

I exercise<\/a> regularly, eat<\/a> pretty well and maintain a healthy body weight<\/a>. With the possible exception of 2020 \u2014 that first awful year<\/a> of the COVID-19 pandemic \u2014 I also get annual mammograms<\/a>. I started doing that as soon as I was eligible at age 40, and I have gotten one exactly when I\u2019m supposed to ever since.<\/p>\n

So, I was in total shock when I was diagnosed with stage III<\/a> triple-negative breast cancer<\/a> in November 2023.<\/p>\n

My triple-negative breast cancer diagnosis\u00a0<\/p>\n

I discovered I had breast cancer almost by chance. I frequently listen to podcasts on health and fitness, and I was listening to one about breast cancer prevention<\/a> during a walk in September 2023. The featured experts that day were discussing breast awareness<\/a>.\u00a0When I got home, I decided to examine my own breasts.<\/p>\n

Much to my surprise, I\u00a0felt\u00a0a lump<\/a>\u00a0on\u00a0the left side<\/a>.\u00a0I had just had a screening mammogram<\/a> not six months earlier, and it detected nothing. Cancer doesn\u2019t run in my family<\/a>, and I had no other symptoms<\/a>.\u00a0So,\u00a0I thought it\u00a0was\u00a0just\u00a0a cyst<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But a couple of weeks later, the lump was still there. My husband could feel it, too. I was starting to get worried<\/a>, so I went to a doctor. She recommended a diagnostic mammogram<\/a>, which revealed an abnormality<\/a>. Next, she recommended a breast biopsy<\/a>. The results showed it was cancer<\/a>. Further testing revealed that it was triple-negative.\u00a0<\/p>\n

That\u2019s\u00a0when\u00a0I turned to UT\u00a0MD Anderson.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Finding hope at UT\u00a0MD Anderson<\/p>\n

I chose UT MD Anderson for my breast cancer treatment strictly for\u00a0its reputation<\/a>.\u00a0With\u00a0a\u00a0rare cancer,<\/a> I knew it was more important than ever to go to a facility that encountered this type of cancer<\/a> frequently. I also knew several people who had been treated there and were very happy with their care.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Even so,\u00a0I have never been more anxious than I was\u00a0that\u00a0first week. UT\u00a0MD Anderson does\u00a0its\u00a0own testing to\u00a0confirm your diagnosis<\/a>\u00a0before starting\u00a0treatment<\/a>. Mine revealed that the cancer had already spread<\/a> to five nearby lymph nodes<\/a> \u2014 four in my armpit and one in my chest. That meant the cancer could be in other places, too. I was trying very hard not to panic.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Fortunately,\u00a0breast\u00a0medical oncologist\u00a0Dr. Oluchi Oke<\/a>\u00a0told me\u00a0that the cancer did not appear to be anywhere else. The cancer was also in a small enough area that her ultimate goal was to cure me. Hearing that gave me such a sense of hope. I was incredibly relieved.<\/p>\n

My triple-negative breast cancer treatment<\/p>\n

Because my breast cancer was triple-negative, Dr. Oke recommended starting treatment with a combination of chemotherapy<\/a> and immunotherapy<\/a>. After that, I\u2019d need a mastectomy<\/a> and finally, a course of radiation therapy<\/a>.<\/p>\n

I\u00a0didn\u2019t\u00a0want to\u00a0lose my\u00a0left\u00a0breast\u00a0entirely<\/a>, so\u00a0I asked if I could have\u00a0a\u00a0lumpectomy<\/a>\u00a0instead.\u00a0Surgical oncologist\u00a0Dr.\u00a0Matthew Piotrowski<\/a>\u00a0and I discussed it, and he agreed, as long as I responded well to the initial treatment.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

I started\u00a0receiving the\u00a0chemo\/immunotherapy combination at UT\u00a0MD Anderson The Woodlands<\/a> in December 2023.\u00a0By the time I finished in May 2024, only 1% of the cancer was left alive. But because I hadn\u2019t had a complete pathological response, Dr. Oke ordered a different chemotherapy agent called capecitabine<\/a> added to the immunotherapy. I took those for about six more months.<\/p>\n

Dr. Piotrowski\u00a0performed the lumpectomy\u00a0and\u00a0flap reconstruction<\/a>\u00a0in July\u00a0at UT\u00a0MD Anderson\u2019s\u00a0Texas Medical Center Campus<\/a>.\u00a0Plastic surgeon Dr. Jonathon Olenczak<\/a> did a lymphovenous bypass<\/a> at the same time to reduce my chances of lymphedema<\/a>. After that, I completed five weeks of radiation at UT\u00a0MD Anderson West Houston<\/a> under Dr. Elizabeth Bloom<\/a>.<\/p>\n

What I tell my\u00a0friends now<\/p>\n

Today, I am doing really well.\u00a0I still have a little tightness in my left arm, but no lymphedema. And the scans at my last checkup were\u00a0all\u00a0clear.\u00a0Now, the\u00a0only real\u00a0side effect<\/a>\u00a0I\u00a0have\u00a0left to deal with is the constant fear of recurrence<\/a>.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m a little haunted by the fact that my last mammogram was clear, just six months before my diagnosis. I live a healthy lifestyle and got all my screenings when I was supposed to, yet I still developed a stage III tumor in a very short time. The only thing that prompted me to see a doctor was the lump \u2014 and that, I only detected because of a podcast I happened to listen to.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why I tell my friends now to pay close attention to their bodies \u2014 and not wait to seek help if they notice anything unusual. If you\u2019re questioning something, go ahead and get it checked out. As I learned, you can still get cancer, even if you are otherwise healthy.<\/p>\n

Request an appointment at UT\u00a0MD Anderson online<\/a>\u00a0or\u00a0call 1-877-632-6789.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"I exercise regularly, eat pretty well and maintain a healthy body weight. With the possible exception of 2020…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":208706,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[4120,81845,1145,1142,56,58,57,81846,81844,75671,1148,2822,81843],"class_list":["post-208705","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-houston","tag-breast","tag-breast-reconstruction","tag-caregivers","tag-family-friends","tag-houston","tag-houston-headlines","tag-houston-news","tag-md-anderson-the-woodlands","tag-md-anderson-west-houston","tag-patient-caregiver-stories","tag-patients","tag-survivors","tag-triple-negative-breast-cancer"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/208705","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=208705"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/208705\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/208706"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=208705"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=208705"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=208705"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}