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Saturday, October 11, 2008
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It doesn't define me' Local woman not playing part of victim in breast-cancer battle Staff Writer THINK PINK WEEK
Sue Beck is not yet considered a breast cancer survivor - but please don't call her a breast cancer victim.
Beck, director for Crow Wing County Social Services, was diagnosed with breast cancer less than three months ago. But she isn't letting the disease define who she is - even though her bi-monthly chemotherapy treatments have robbed her of her hair and leave her feeling quite ill and fatigued.
Instead, Beck hopes that by sharing her personal and current battle with breast cancer it will motivate other women to schedule that mammogram that they've been putting off, particularly during October, which is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
"I am the poster child for getting an annual mammogram," Beck said.
Beck, 58, has been getting regular mammograms since she was 40 and has no known history of breast cancer in her family, much less any form of cancer. In early July after she had her annual mammogram she got a form letter back, requesting her to schedule another mammogram. The follow-up mammogram and an ultrasound taken the same day revealed that Beck had two small spots within the same breast that her doctors felt should be biopsied. On July 17, those two small tumors were biopsied. Beck waited through the weekend until three days later when she was told she had breast cancer.
But Beck said she felt she already knew the diagnosis.
"There's a piece of it I sort of knew, that intuitive, Oh, I don't think this is going to be good,'" Beck said.
Beck was told she has two slightly different forms of invasive ductal breast cancer. She had a couple of options on how to fight the cancer, a lumpectomy or mastectomy. On Aug. 1, she underwent a mastectomy.
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If you have a story to share about your mom, your sister, a co-worker or a friend - or your own personal journey, write to me: Kathi Nagorski, Brainerd Dispatch, P.O. Box 974, Brainerd, MN 56401 or e-mail kathi.nagorski@brainerddispatch.com.
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"For me, it was really a response of, Get it out. I'm fine with a mastectomy, just get it out,'" Beck explained.
Fortunately the Stage 1 breast cancer had not spread to her lymph nodes but her chemotherapy regimen is a bit more aggressive because of the two different kinds of breast cancer she had. She started chemotherapy six weeks after her surgery and the plan is for her to undergo chemotherapy once a week every two weeks for four doses. Each treatment takes about two to three hours, which is administered through a port in her chest. She underwent her third round on Thursday.
Then she'll endure a different type of chemotherapy drug once a week for 12 weeks. She's then looking at about a year of taking oral chemotherapy medication.
On day 15 of chemo, she began losing her hair in clumps and decided to just go to The Fine Line and have them shave it off. She now wears a wig.
"It wasn't as hard as I thought it was going to be," Beck said of losing her hair. "But it was still a shock."
Beck, who has worked within the county social services department for the past 32 years, said the response from people in the community, her friends, family and co-workers has been overwhelming. People she didn't know or haven't known very well, many of whom who are breast cancer survivors themselves, have called to offer their support. She's also been showered with gifts and offers of help if she needs it. Her co-workers bought a reclining lawn chair for her to use in her office on the third floor of the Crow Wing County Community Services Building whenever she needs to rest.
Her daughter, Megan, 25, lives in the Twin Cities and has done an "amazing job" dealing with her cancer diagnosis, said Beck.
"I have an incredible support system and a strong faith," she said. "And there is an amazing sisterhood of people who have gone through breast cancer."
Beck continues to keep working, but will take time off now and then after her chemotherapy treatments when she feels sick. She will sometimes work from home, too. While Beck is not private about her battle, she doesn't often bring it up in casual conversation because it often seems awkward to do so. She is upbeat about her prognosis and believes the cancer was caught early because she was so diligent about undergoing annual mammograms.
"Yes, I've got breast cancer but it doesn't define me," she said. "I'm not a breast cancer victim. I want to be the person who gets others in for mammograms. It rewards me when someone comes up to me and says, I'm scheduled for one next week.'"
One in eight women born in the United States will develop breast cancer in their lifetimes, according to the National Cancer Institute. Hearing statistics like this, said Beck, made her not question, "Why me?" but rather, "Why not me?"
"What makes me special that I wouldn't get breast cancer?" said Beck. "I'm not big on pity, what's the point? It's just going to bring you down and everyone with you. ... I shed tears, of course. But there was a sense when I got the diagnosis, it was almost a serenity with saying, OK, now I know what I'm in for and what I need to focus on. I can't explain that. For me, my faith was a piece of this."
"There is a reason for this," Beck said of her battle with breast cancer. "And maybe someday I'll figure that out."
JODIE TWEED may be reached at jodie.tweed@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5858.
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