One Woman’s Story

ONE WOMAN’S STORY: CLAUDIA CHIMALE

My name is Claudia and I am a cancer survivor. Writing this still feels surreal to me, to be totally honest, but here I am, a little over a year after the completion of treatment, happy to share my story and beyond grateful for all the people who helped me get to this point.

November 29, 2020 started off as a regular day (well, as regular as any day during a global pandemic.) Everything changed in the shower that morning, when I noticed a lump in my breast. I was of course a bit concerned, but with no history of breast cancer in my family, I was hopeful it would be nothing to worry about. I made an appointment with my gynecologist anyway, just to be certain. She recommended I get a mammogram and an ultrasound as soon as possible. A few days later, my world was turned upside down after hearing “you have cancer.” How could this possibly be? I didn’t have any pain or any discomfort; I didn’t feel any different. In fact, I was in the best shape of my life! To anybody else, I probably looked like the picture of good health. I felt like my body had betrayed me but I didn’t have much time to feel sorry for myself. There were many important decisions that needed to be made, and quickly. I was diagnosed with triple negative invasive ductal carcinoma, a particularly aggressive type of breast cancer for which treatment options are limited.

The following week was filled with doctor’s appointments, second and third opinions, a port implantation procedure, and a lot of phone calls. I think the word “trust” has a different meaning when you have to choose doctors under these circumstances. After meeting with Dr. Hollister and then Dr. Ward, however, the decision became very clear: I wanted to be treated at Smilow Cancer Hospital in Greenwich. Their experience, kindness and knowledge were only matched by their compassion and understanding. I truly felt like I could put my life in their hands. Now that we had a plan, it was time to fight. The course of treatment suggested by Dr. Hollister was two rounds of chemotherapy (four biweekly infusions of AC followed by 12 weekly infusions of either Taxol or Taxol and Carboplatin) and surgery. I chose to have a lumpectomy, which meant that four weeks of radiation were needed as well (that’s when I met Dr. Campbell, who was as kind as she was skilled.) I also elected to do cold capping to try to save some of my hair. If you don’t know what that is, imagine having a really tight helmet that is connected to an ice machine. The goal is to freeze hair follicles, so the chemo drugs do not reach and destroy them. In order for this treatment to work, the “helmet” or cap must freeze your wet hair for an hour before, during, and after each chemotherapy infusion. I am not going to lie, I thought about quitting that and going bald more than once. As difficult as all of this was, it was also quite easy to realize how lucky I was.

I have often said that for me, being diagnosed with breast cancer felt like somebody grabbed me and threw me into a moving train. Destination: unknown. The train felt dark and cold, and there were too many bumps and turns for my taste. But what was amazing to me was that so many people chose to jump on that train with me. From near and far, they held my hand every step of the way, did countless hours of research, made meals, sent flowers, cards, covered some of my classes, came to visit, FacedTimed, cried with me, made me laugh: and all while caring for their own families as well. I have yet to meet some of these incredible people, and some are survivors themselves. Friends of friends who heard about me and immediately jumped into action. I found myself supported by a community I never knew existed. One source of support was Mary Jeffery, former Greenwich Academy mother and BCA president. At the time, I was really struggling to decide whether to have a mastectomy or lumpectomy. Within hours, Mary connected me with several women who were more than happy to speak to me and share their stories. Now I want to do for others what they did for me. I was fortunate to have the support system I needed, and to be able to afford costly items insurance did not cover. These are only two of a million reasons why I am so grateful to BCA and wholeheartedly believe in their cause. Because of Covid, I had to walk into every appointment and chemo infusion on my own but I never felt alone. Steve, my partner of 14 years, became an expert in all things breast cancer. Most importantly, he loved and cared for me through the most difficult times, even when I could not recognize the person staring back at me in the mirror. We became stronger as a couple because of having been through this experience together. You know how people say that friends are family you choose? Well, that’s true! Nothing lets you see that more clearly than being in a situation like mine. There are too many people to list, and too few words to express my gratitude, but I must mention my best friend, Maureen. She did everything a sister would do and I am forever grateful. I am from Argentina, so my family was physically far away, but we became closer than ever. Greenwich Academy, the school where I work, was so supportive. I knew from the start that I wanted to continue teaching through chemo, but I also needed some days to recover from infusion days. My superiors gave me every available option and made sure I was ok. It was important to me to be able to show my students that people can get through this. As I write this, I am one year and four months cancer free. Not everything is easy. You don’t just flip a switch and make your life go back to the way it used to be. I have a new life now, and I am still scared sometimes, but I am doing my best to live this life with a higher purpose and appreciate every moment.

“ONE SOURCE OF SUPPORT WAS MARY JEFFERY, FORMER GREENWICH ACADEMY MOTHER AND BCA PRESIDENT. AT THE TIME, I WAS REALLY STRUGGLING TO DECIDE WHETHER TO HAVE A MASTECTOMY OR LUMPECTOMY. WITHIN HOURS, MARY CONNECTED ME WITH SEVERAL WOMEN WHO WERE MORE THAN HAPPY TO SPEAK TO ME AND SHARE THEIR STORIES.”