WOMEN OVER 40 ROCK!

October was breast cancer awareness month. October, 2006 was significant for me because it was when I joined the ranks of the 178,480 women who received a diagnosis of breast cancer that year.  Every 3 minutes a woman in the United States is diagnosed with breast cancer and in 2006 my alarm went off.  My specific diagnosis was Stage 1, estrogen positive.  I shouldn’t have been surprised to hear the news - invasive breast cancer.  Two of my 3 sisters have had breast cancer.  Nevertheless, I dropped the phone when the radiologist called with the biopsy report.  I thought “invasive” meant that the cancer had hop-scotched all over my body.  But luckily I was wrong.  At www.breastcancer.org I found a medical definition:  “The single most important factor in the personality of any breast cancer is whether it is non-invasive (”in situ,” which means “in the same place”) or invasive. Invasive cancer has spread outside the milk duct or milk-making glands and has grown into normal tissue inside the breast.” Most importantly, invasive breast cancer doesn’t mean a death sentence.

The diagnosis was something I’ve feared for 30 years, when a female doctor tersely told me I had very diseased breasts and should have them immediately removed. I had dense breasts with many small benign lumps.  But these lumpy breasts stayed with me for another 31 years.  Through frequent self exams I got used to the feel of my lumps and bumps.  In June of 2006, I detected something new – it was very small and hard.  I made a mental note of it and checked on it weekly, but sometimes I couldn’t re-locate it.  Then, other minor symptoms began to occur.  There was a tugging in that breast and also the outside of the breast felt slightly itchy.  Finally I made an appointment to see my radiologist.  The mammogram showed nothing, but this doctor knew my history and immediately did an ultra sound which picked up a small mass.  He did a biopsy that day in the office.  A few days later I got his phone call.

I went to the Revlon Breast Cancer Center at UCLA for treatment. The excellent care I received was only possible because of the many women and men who have tirelessly raised money to fight for the cure.  The breast cancer movement began in 1982 with the launch of the foundation, Susan G. Komen for the Cure.  You’ve probably heard the story of its origin – how Susan’s sister, Nancy, began the foundation to fulfill her sister’s dying wish to fight for a cure to spare other women her fate.  Nancy started a revolution in women’s health.  Since 1982, the Komen foundation has invested more than $1 billion dollars to find a cure.  From this one group, many organizations have sprung up, all fighting for the cure.  A dear friend of mine who has lymphoma said, “All the other cancers are jealous of breast cancer because of the amazing amount of dollars raised each year.” It is true that more money is raised for breast cancer than for any other cancer and more money is spent per breast cancer patient.

In 1982 there was nothing like the Revlon Breast Cancer Clinic. I found it with the click of the mouse, after my physician referred me to the surgeon who’d just performed my husband’s hernia operation!  “Shouldn’t I see a breast cancer surgeon,” I asked?  He waved aside my concerns.  “Oh no, not necessary at all,” he said.  I raced home and went on-line to find out what other doctors were covered under my plan. And there it was – The Revlon Breast Cancer Clinic at UCLA – totally covered by my plan.

My treatment at The Revlon Breast Cancer Center was one-stop shopping. I had an entire team working on my case:  a female breast cancer surgeon, a plastic surgeon for re-construction and not only my own oncologist but a team that she consulted with to determine a course of treatment.  Every doctor was a specialist in their field.  Dr. Sara Hurvitz, my oncologist, whom I deeply admire, is a young woman who is very warm and accessible   Dr. Hurvitz is also a rising star in breast cancer research and is currently overseeing 5 clinical trials for new breast cancer drugs.

Before a course of treatment was determined for me, I had a blood test to determine if I carried the BRCA 2 gene as my sister, Eileen, does. The genetic testing was available at the UCLA campus.  You could’ve knocked me over with a feather when I learned that I am part of 5% of the population that carries this gene, and no, it didn’t make me feel special.   We think the mutation came from my father’s side of the family – the Bina wing.  But it’s not as though breast or ovarian cancer ran rampant through his family.  One of my father’s sisters, my beloved godmother, was diagnosed with breast cancer at age 55, but that’s it.  Yet our immediate family has 3 out of 4 women with breast cancer and two of us have the BRCA 2 gene.  I asked the genetic counselor if this mutation might have been caused by my father’s work on radar at Bell Labs during WWII.  She told me these mutations go back hundreds, if not thousands of years.  I found that information fascinating and one day may trace Bina family records.

In the 2 years since my diagnosis, I have felt an even deeper gratitude to everyone who has run, walked, marched or made a contribution for a cure. You are all my heroes! Every time you make an outright donation or buy a product with the pink ribbon, your money impacts the lives of millions of women. I just happen to be one of them. Thank you.

Jan Bina, Blogger for In The Trenches Productions.com. The First Entertainment Website for Women Over 40 On The Web.