Teresa's journey in surviving breast cancer

Here's my PSA: Get your mammogram, don't put it off any longer!!!  Hey GUYS.... Sorry but you're not in the clear, Male Breast is a REAL THING!

 

I just turned 40 in January, I know right... hard to believe I'm not 30 anymore!

 

My health provider sent a lovely card wishing me a happy birthday and a gentle reminder that I have joined the 40/40 club, which means I was now going to be a lucky recipient of a mammogram....yey!!! I was officially a geriatric patient in their eyes... woo hoo!!!

 

Some of you might recall how this all came about, if not, here goes the story. Both my husband and I agreed that I would quit my job and be a stay at home mom with the boys until our late bloomer Miles, started kindergarten next year since he didn't meet the age requirement to start this year. Oh man, was I looking forward to all the field trips around the Puget Sound and the unlimited days we could spend with friends and family in Cali. I was so excited to get the opportunity to spend time with the boys going on weekday adventures and camping near the ocean. Trust me when I say... I was ready!!!

 

After fulfilling my last 8 hour shift at work on July 30th, I felt relieved, free and super excited - yet nervous about how this would all play out. Did we make the right decision? Will the boys enjoy their time with me? Was I ready to be a full time school teacher and professional backyard explorer extraordinare??? No one had the answer in that moment, except God. So I did what I do best, put my trust and faith with Him and gave it all I had (in my Teresa fashion) .

 

With just one month (August) of health benefits remaining and before switching over to my hubby's insurance, I knew the first thing I had to do was get myself and the boys checked out for our clean bill of health. Miles and Nate both had milestone appointments scheduled. Momma had put her "Welcome to the 40/40 club" invitation off long enough.... it was time for my very first mammogram. How difficult could it be, plop my boobs on a tray, they'll get smushed during the imaging and voila - easy peasy, as Miles would say!

 

Lucky me, I was asked to come in again to have another round of images taken of my breasts. The doctor detected a small mass and wanted to be certain before jumping to any conclusions. So off I went, another photo op, and confirmation that it in fact was a mass, which needed to be biopsied. That lead to an MRI, which detected a swollen lymph node in my armpit, also needing a biopsy. The results for those biopsies seemed like an eternity! Sure enough, about three looooong weeks later - the lump in my left breast came back as positive for cancer.... WAIT, WHAT!?!?!?!? HUH!?!?!? SURELY THESE WERE SOMEONE ELSE'S RESULTS BY MISTAKE, RIGHT??? WRONG!

 

So here we are, or should I say... here I am almost two months later. Today is October 14th, 2021, two biopsies later along with two surgeries and now prepping for my first round of chemo in 7 days. This is the part that I'm least looking forward to!

 

If you ask me, I'm ALREADY a breast cancer survivor! The surgeon, Dr. Maestas and her team were able to grace me with the ability to keep both breasts and two very clean incisions on the side of my left breast. What a medical journey thus far, and to think it's just getting started! The road ahead is much more daunting to me than the two surgeries completed. The first, was to install my port so I could easily be hooked up to my IV for chemo, thus avoid rupturing a vein in my arm. The other surgery was to remove the actual tumor itself. So again, if you ask me the cancer is technically removed, sooooo..... technically I'm cancer free!

 

The name of my cancer was Triple Negative Cancer and we caught it nice and early while it was small... 18mm to be exact! This was not your everyday common breast cancer, it was deemed as an aggressive cancer, so I'll be undergoing chemotherapy as a treatment plan to combat any residual traces of the disease. The first four treatments will be once every two weeks, and then 12 weekly treatments thereafter. The treatment is referred to as ACT, which is similar to my initials, TAC... seems somewhat fitting right?

 

Many of you have asked, how can you help?  Donations can help us pay for daycare costs, medical expenses, prepared family meals, sweet treats for my in home care team, etc.

 

You can also follow along with me and my journey, by visiting: https://www.caringbridge.org/visit/teresacooper

 

This site lists other ways in which you can help. Ultimately, the best gift I can receive is someone who is inspired by my story to get their mammogram test done to rule out breast cancer! This is one of those instances where you don't want to be apart of the club!

 

With sincere gratitude, love and happiness, I thank you for being in my life and supporting my family and I through this "lump in the road," pun intended!

Take care, be well and stay safe my friends!

 

 

With love,

~T ❤️‍