In January 2024, Jennifer was watching an old episode of “Beverly Hills, 90210” when something caught her attention. “In the episode, Brenda Walsh found a lump during a breast self-exam. And over the next several days, I couldn’t stop thinking about it,” Jennifer recalled.
At the time, life was going great for Jennifer. She had just turned 40 and celebrated her 15th wedding anniversary with her husband on a Caribbean getaway. But after watching that episode of “90210,” she decided to do a breast self-exam and was shocked when she discovered a lump.
“At first, I didn’t tell anyone. I didn’t want to cause panic until I knew for sure what was happening,” Jennifer said. “I woke up every day hoping the lump would go away.”
But when it didn’t, Jennifer reached out to her gynecologist to schedule a check-up, and things moved fast. A diagnostic mammogram, breast ultrasound and breast biopsy would ultimately yield results that changed her life forever.
The Diagnosis
Jennifer was diagnosed with stage 1 mucinous carcinoma. Although she had no family history of breast cancer and genetic testing for an inherited mutation was negative, she chose to have a lumpectomy and lymph node removal. “Thankfully, everything came back with clear margins,” Jennifer said. “My breast surgeon was hopeful I would move on to radiation and hormone therapy, but my Oncotype DX test score came back as a 24 which is considered the ’gray area’ — intermediate high risk of recurrence. So, they recommended chemotherapy.”
The decision to move forward with chemotherapy was a tough one for Jennifer, but after careful consideration she agreed to undergo four rounds of chemotherapy, which included taxotere and cytoxan every 21 days. She began treatment in June, right when her children began summer break. “Chemotherapy was the most challenging part for me,” she said. “But I was determined to make sure my kids didn’t miss out on their summer. I had my ‘down days,’ but I pushed through, trying to enjoy summer as much as possible with my family.”
Coping With Change
At the time of her breast cancer diagnosis, Jennifer’s four children were ages 13, 12, 9 and 3. “It was a lot for them to process and hear all these scary words,” Jennifer explained. “I told them we caught it early and doctors were confident that I would be okay. But the older girls immediately started crying and saying, ‘you’re going to lose your hair.’ That’s what they associated cancer with.”
Before she started chemotherapy, Jennifer decided to try cold capping to help preserve her hair and keep things as normal as possible for her children. With her husband’s help, Jennifer was able to save about 70 percent of her hair. “The thought of losing my hair was the lowest blow for me,” Jennifer said. “It’s what I prided myself on the most and everyone always complimented my hair. It made me question everything; I remember thinking, ‘what did I do to deserve this?’” she said, fighting back tears.
After chemotherapy, Jennifer completed 20 rounds of radiation and ultimately decided to remove her ovaries and fallopian tubes, rather than getting monthly ovarian suppression shots. She will continue taking hormone therapy for the next five years.
Today, as she reflects on being a breast cancer survivor, she holds on to gratitude and urges people to be aware of their health.
“I am lucky to be where I am today,” Jennifer added. “I never thought this would happen to me. The biggest thing I want to share is that routine check-ups and knowing what is normal for you are so important. The sooner you find something, the better off you’re going to be.”
Statements and opinions expressed are that of the individual and do not express the views or opinions of Susan G. Komen. This information is being provided for educational purposes only and is not to be construed as medical advice. Persons with breast cancer should consult their health care provider with specific questions or concerns about their treatment.
