Indiana Woman Attributes Surviving Synchronous Bilateral Breast Cancer to Her Annual Mammogram
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month
It's October, which means it's Breast Cancer Awareness Month. I put a post on my personal Facebook page to see if any of my friends would like to be interviewed for an article to help remind ladies to get their mammograms.
And that's when Perri Huddleston entered the chat.
She has stared death in the face twice... and walked away a survivor.
She Had No Symptoms. Her Mammogram Found Cancer in Both Breasts
She walked out of her regularly scheduled mammogram just like she had done for years.
“See you ladies next year.”
Except this time, she wouldn't be waiting a year.
When my friend Perri got a call asking her to come back for another mammogram, followed by an ultrasound the same day, she knew something was wrong. When the radiologist told her he was 80% sure she had cancer, she knew a biopsy would be needed to know for sure.
The following week, she had the biopsy and found out through MyChart before she ever heard from her doctor.
She was sitting in a casino in French Lick when the message popped up on her phone.
“Talk about bad luck,” she said.
Except she had no idea how bad her luck would be that day.
Another message popped up on her phone as she was getting ready to walk into her grandson's soccer game. It was about her other breast. Perri tried to tell herself she wouldn't open it until after the game.
“But turns out I don't listen to myself too well, because, of course, I opened it.”
She walked into the game and tried to act normal. Her daughter was sitting right beside her, but she didn't tell her what she had just learned. Eventually, there was no avoiding the words. Perri had synchronous bilateral breast cancer.
Not only did she have breast cancer, but it was also in both breasts. Only 1% to 3% of breast cancer patients start off with cancer in both breasts at the same time.
“Even though I had already looked up every word practically of the diagnosis from MyChart, it was still surreal to hear over the phone.”
Perri's Breast Cancer Treatment
Perri's treatment was pretty cut and dried. Tests, biopsies, lumpectomies, and radiation awaited her, along with a giant stack of bills.
Luckily, Perri only needed to have radiation and no chemo, but after 21 rounds, it took its toll on her body.
She said that at her first appointment, she met her medical doctor, her oncology surgeon, her oncology radiologist, a physical therapist, the nutritionist, a doctor who prescribes and tracks her medicine, a doctor who follows her bone health, and a nurse navigator.
“It was a lot,” Perri said.
Perri said she got through it with the help of her friends and family.
“My kids and friends were there every step of the way, and sometimes tooooo much. I finally had to tell them I wanted to do some of this stuff myself and didn't need a posse to go with me to every appointment. About 20 of my friends purchased these rings and wore them. They still do.”
Perri Had Faced Death Before Her Cancer Diagnosis
When you are diagnosed with cancer, immediately your mind goes straight to, “How long do I have to live?” But Perri's perspective was a little bit different. You see, Perri has faced down death before... and won.
In 2011, Perri was canoeing with friends when her canoe was swept under a tree after getting caught in an underwater current. Perri drowned. She was resuscitated on shore and taken in the back of a pickup truck across a cornfield to a waiting ambulance.
From there, the ambulance took her to a fire station where she was picked up by a helicopter and flown to Louisville. After several surgeries for her injuries, Perri spends every day thankful for her time on Earth.
She calls it her bonus time.
“After drowning and having to be resuscitated, then life flighted, I have no fear of death. And I'm living in what I consider bonus time. I was a bit anxious while waiting on the Oncotype score, only because I really did not want to deal with chemo.”
Perri is seven months cancer free and still loving life. I've written about her and her fun-loving family before. These are the people who enjoy “eat like a pig” night and gift each other really terrible Nicolas Cage gifts for giggles.
Perri's Advice for Someone Newly Diagnosed With Breast Cancer
She has some advice for anyone who has just been diagnosed.
“DON'T even begin to try and read all the crap the doctors give you and mail you. It's too much, and a lot of it won't pertain to them. Just wait and get an official diagnosis and go from there. Otherwise, your brain is just on maximum overload, and it will shut down. And I also tell people to do their research about all the follow-up hormone blockers and shots they want you to take. Really look into it and not just blindly follow 'protocol.' Because those pills can do a lot of damage to other things."
And she is living proof that cancer isn't a death sentence. When it's caught early, many times it's curable.
“I constantly tell people to go get the mammogram. I had zero signs or symptoms, and it turned out I had developed different kinds of cancer in each breast.”
Breast Cancer Awareness Month Is a Reminder to Get Your Mammogram
My final question to Perri was, “If you could go back and talk to yourself the day you were diagnosed, what would you say?”
Her response was classic Perri.
“Well, this $*** sucks. It's gonna be OK in the end, but getting to the end is not gonna be fun. Hang in there.”
You heard her.
Get the mammogram. Schedule your appointment at Owensboro Health Mammography or another provider of your choice.
And if you have a few dollars to spare, consider donating to the American Cancer Society for research or Cancer Pathways Midwest to help those fighting the battle.
Identifying Fall Leaves
Gallery Credit: Ashley S.