Statistics are necessary when
discussing cancer. But, I out of all people hate Statistics though relatively
speaking, I detest cancer much more.
From the age 30 to 39, there is a
0.44% or 1 in 227 chance for women to develop breast cancer.
From the age of 40 to 49, absolute
risk to develop breast cancer is 1 in 68, or 1.47%.
The day after my mother’s first
mastectomy was my 11th birthday and I remember being so surprised as
I received that happy birthday call from her hospital room as I got ready for
school. When we were finally allowed in to see her, she seemed so defeated- her
eyes would barely open. My mother had just turned 39 and was battling
stage two estrogen positive breast cancer.
After surgery, she underwent months of
chemotherapy treatment. She had a port installed to ease the pain of the needle
but the side-effects of chemotherapy and the other medications she had been
placed on still did their toll. She lost her nails and taste buds and knew her
hair was soon to fall out thereafter. While I myself cherish my long brown
hair, to this day, the toughest thing I’ve ever had to do was help my mother
shave her head. However, undergoing such things are necessary. My mother was
announced to be in remission.
The chance of a local recurrence in
five years is about 6% for women with negative lymph nodes (ie do not contain
cancer). For those with cancer in one to three nodes, the chance of local
recurrence in five years is about 16%.
The less time between when the cancer
was thought to be gone and the time it came back, the more serious the
situation.
18 months later, we had another family meeting- the cancer had come back. My
mother was 40 now and would undergo many more surgeries. This time around, she
underwent radiation treatments. My brother was learning to drive that summer
and those daily trips to the hospital that summer added up to complete his
required hours of driving. Radiation was easier on her spirit but just as tough
on her body. Radiation basically killed the skin on her chest but I can say
now, in a very creepy way it has begun to revive itself over time. She was
again announced to be in remission and my family planned a ‘Celebrate Life
Party’ in her honor as a way to declare the cancer gone for good.
It is not possible to guarantee that a
person who has completed cancer treatment will never have the cancer come back-
however, there is a 5-year survival rate that is used as a standard way to
discuss the prognosis(survival rate).
The cancer has not yet come back nor do we think it will. My mother is more
vibrant and full of life than ever and I cherish her as my true best friend.
However, as her daughter, my own chance of being diagnosed with breast cancer
is statistically different than others.
In the US, about 1 in 8 women will
develop invasive breast cancer over the course of her lifetime(just under 12%).
A woman’s risk of breast cancer approximately doubles if she has a first-degree
relative (ie mother, sister, daughter) who has been diagnosed with breast
cancer. If your relative was diagnosed with breast cancer at a young age(typically
under 45-50), your risk of developing breast cancer is increased further.
I started relaying in honor of my mother. I’ll admit that I still find it
extremely difficult to verbally share that part of my story without getting
overly-emotional, but my reasons to relay have since evolved. Now, I relay for
myself and in fear that those around me that I call my acquaintances,
neighbors, friends, best friends, roommates, and even sisters would have to go
through anything similar. Regardless of each of our specific chances of
developing cancer are, every dollar donated and every person who gains
awareness is one step closer to reducing each of our chances- to saving lives,
reducing heartache or grief, preserving childhoods, and most importantly, increasing
birthdays.
With RelayLove,
Logistics Chair
