Breast cancer survivor
doesn’t slow down Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center doctors work together to treat aggressive breast cancer BY BRIAN SODOMA
C
rystal Reidy is no stranger to overcoming adversity. In youth, her family was poor and battled homelessness. Reidy worked her way out of poverty, earning a bachelor’s degree in human service and a master’s in counseling. She is even working on a doctoral dissertation focusing on the topic of teaching resilience. Today, the community outreach officer for the Maricopa County Attorney’s office and Army National Guard sergeant is grateful for many things, but perhaps even more so after recently winning a battle against a very aggressive form of breast cancer.
NO FAMILY HISTORY OF CANCER A lump found in March surprised both she and her doctors. Reidy has no family history of breast cancer and having her first baby before the age of 20 further reduced her chances of
Cancer survivor Crystal Reidy is thankful her Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center doctors encouraged her to keep active and stay positive while undergoing treatment. nothing unusual. Before telling her two teen-age sons about the diagnosis, Reidy established her treatment plan with doctors at Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center in Gilbert. “At first you don’t have any answers. You just have cancer,” she says. “I think it’s answers and information that is the most calming thing you can get to combat cancer.” Reidy was also fortunate to experience very few side effects from chemo-
I think it’s answers and information that is the most calming thing you can get to combat cancer. — Crystal Reidy, cancer survivor ever getting it. Even more, Reidy was diagnosed with the very fast-spreading Triple Negative form of breast cancer. She was at Stage 3 by the time she was diagnosed and prepping for chemotherapy treatment in April even though an October 2011 routine exam showed
therapy. Yes, she lost her hair and there was nausea and vomiting, but not to the extent she expected. The mom of three boys with ages ranging from 17 months to 17 years also chose not to slow down her daily life while undergoing treatment. She still worked
full time and even completed her annual Army basic training assignment, which includes firing an M-16 rifle.
MAKING THE RIGHT DECISIONS Reidy said her Banner MD Anderson doctors encouraged her to make the right decisions for herself when it came to everyday living while undergoing treatment. “For some people, working would stress them out. My goal was not to give up everything,” she says. “They didn’t pressure me either way. I didn’t feel like they said ‘Here are the rules of cancer.’” After finishing her last few rounds of radiation treatment, the now cancerfree Reidy has one thing on her mind. “I was always a real road tripper with my boys. We would always go out and take a trip in the car and go to places in and around Arizona,” she says. “I’m ready to get the hair growing and go on vacation.” BannerMDAnderson.com
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