SURVIVOR
Bouncing Back From Breast Cancer By Jennifer Brezina. Photo by Philip Murphy.
Cancer is never an easy journey, but one that some of us will inevitably face. However, regaining your health can be a whole lot easier if you go into diagnosis, treatment, and recovery already at a certain level of health. Christine Patterson, 48, received her positive diagnosis for late stage 2 HER2 breast cancer in the midst of moving to a new house and taking care of three children. Christine administered a self breast examination and noticed something was wrong. “I immediately felt something in my left breast,” she said. “It felt like a dense, thickened area, maybe one inch in size. I figured it must be a benign cyst, but I definitely wanted to check it out.” A mammogram revealed that she was already dealing with a more aggressive form of breast cancer, but thankfully it hadn’t yet spread.
“When you hear cancer, you immediately panic and think you’re going to die,” Christine says. “You don’t want to believe it at first.” Christine was able to work with Dr. Carlos Arteaga, head of HER2-positive breast cancer research and treatment for the Susan G. Komen Foundation at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. She underwent a whirlwind of exams, biopsies, consults —even genetic testing, which found she did not carry an identifiable inherited gene mutation that would increase her breast cancer risk. Before her diagnosis, Christine had a rigorous exercise schedule wither her fitness trainer Cheri Ganong-Robinson at Orangetheory. She made it a point to exercise, eat right, and make her health a priority. Christine’s surgeon, Dr. Alyssa Throckmorton of Baptist Medical Group says, ”While some of the factors associated with breast cancer can’t be changed, such as being a
woman, age, and genetics, there are things you can do to reduce your risk, such as exercising regularly, watching your weight, and limiting your alcohol use. We know about some breast cancer risk factors, but why some women develop breast cancer and others do not is sometimes unexplained.” Christine began chemotherapy treatment two weeks after her diagnosis in March 2015 and received six rounds of two chemotherapies and two monoclonal antibodies. A few months later, she underwent a double mastectomy followed by reconstructive surgery. During this time, Patterson says her oncologist Dr. Reed Baskin told her to put any intense workouts on hold. He recommended one complete year of rest after beginning chemotherapy, with the exception of walking and light yoga.
“I believe the better you can treat your body, the better you’re going to respond and get well.”
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