Wife, mother learns to live with breast cancer, continues service

Wife, mother learns to live with breast cancer, continues service

A lump. That’s usually how it makes itself known. Mirta Vazquez discovered her lump in the shower. Nah, must be something else, she told herself. After all, only a few months earlier her annual mammogram checked out OK. Her mother, Malwina, struggled with breast cancer, so Mirta knew the risks. She began annual mammograms and sonograms at age 40. Four years later, during a normal everyday activity, Mirta’s whole life changed with a lump. Mirta’s denial crashed up against reality when a biopsy confirmed her suspicion and fear — breast cancer.

Now what? Generally, treatment for breast cancer includes a combination of surgery, radiation, chemotherapy or hormone therapy. Mirta opted for a lumpectomy and radiation.

The week between the biopsy and lumpectomy all sorts of dark thoughts invaded Mirta’s mind. “Every afternoon I would go into the living room and thank God that our two sons, Andres and Sebastian, were in college because they didn’t need me as much anymore. I thought a lot about my funeral and worried about my husband, Raul. I was depressed,” she confessed.

After days of overwhelming negative thoughts and images, Mirta decided she’d had enough. “I asked the Lord to control my mind,” Mirta explained. “The Lord is not going to give you negative thoughts. I gave control to Him and things changed radically. I was ready to face the battle with the Lord. It was my time to fight!”

Following the lumpectomy and radiation treatments, the doctors appeared optimistic, and Mirta began to recover.

Six months later her other breast began to bleed. Cancer had invaded it also. This time Mirta opted for a double mastectomy and chemotherapy. She endured nine-hour and 10-hour surgeries that included breast reconstruction. Several months of chemotherapy followed the surgeries.

As her New Year’s resolution in 1994, Mirta casually committed to follow a “read-the-Bible-in-a-year” plan. After her diagnosis later that year, every Scripture passage became a source of inspiration and comfort. “Driving in my car, I would be bombarded with Scriptures. They were constantly working in my mind. The power of the Word of God is a seed that has its own life. When you have that Word inside you, it’s amazing!” exclaimed Mirta.

“The Lord is a great Psychologist. He listened to me and gave me comfort through His Word and through godly people. I only needed to be open to Him,” she said.

Throughout the entire ordeal, Mirta was determined to function in a normal way. “My goal was to go to church and continue volunteering with the Florida Baptist Convention no matter what,” she confessed. “I needed to be surrounded by Christians and feel God smiling down on me through the godly people in my life.”

“I looked beyond what was happening to me. I knew a couple of days after a chemo treatment that I would feel better. I pointed my mind in the right direction. If my thoughts and feelings were the Lord’s, then I could overcome adversity. I needed to reach and look for that peace first. The Lord is always there, everywhere.”

Breast cancer attacked not only Mirta’s body but it invaded her entire family.

Mirta’s husband, Raul (director of the language missions division of the Florida Baptist Convention), tried hard to make sure she was well. “He asked me over and over again: ‘Are you okay? Are you okay?’ ” explained Mirta. “When you are the patient you know how you feel. I think sometimes it’s harder for the husband.”

The second time Mirta was diagnosed was an especially scary time for Raul. Mirta said, “We always had the same attitude — we worried about what was going to happen; we talked to the Lord about our fears; and then we were OK. You read in the Bible that if you let the Lord be in control, He will give you peace. I didn’t really experience that until I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I don’t naturally have that peace. I am impulsive and reactionary, but the Lord gave us His peace.”

For some women, losing their breasts can be as psychologically traumatic as the cancer itself, but not for Mirta. “Raul made me feel like I was the most beautiful woman in the world.” Intimacy with your spouse means much more than just a physical relationship.

Mirta and Raul were open with their sons about the cancer. Each reacted differently. “Andres is a lot like me,” explained Mirta. “The first time I had a chemotherapy treatment he came home with tickets for that night’s symphony concert. ‘OK, Mom you’re going to beat it,’ ” he said diligently. Andres didn’t treat her like she was sick. Sebastian reacted more quietly. He needed time alone to process what was happening. While Mirta underwent treatment, the Baptist Student Union at her sons’ college greatly supported Andres and Sebastian.

If detected early, breast cancer has a five-year survival rate of more than 95 percent.
Each morning, Mirta wakes up and hears the Lord say: “I am giving you another day. What are you going to do with it?”

Mirta values everything that happens to her. Every day since her discovery in 1994 is a gift.

If you have breast cancer, Mirta urges you to “let the Lord be in control of you. He will always give you positive thoughts. Don’t let this crush you. The Lord is the most important thing in your life, but you are the one who has to make the decision and take the steps in your control to get better. Don’t be scared. Face reality.

“You are going to be fine if you survive this, and you are going to be fine if you die. This is what Christians live for: to be with the Lord” whether on earth or in heaven.

In January, Mirta received her last chemotherapy treatment. So far, the doctors say everything is clear and declared her cancer to be in remission. (This article appeared in the October 1999 Missions Mosaic, WMU’s adult magazine.)

Children’s director dies of breast cancer

Regina Gober died March 10 at Regional Medical Center in Anniston after a long fight with breast cancer. She was 45.

Mrs. Gober served as director of children’s ministries at Parker Memorial Baptist Church, Anniston, where her husband Don is minister of music.

A graduate of Jacksonville State University, Southern Seminary in Louisville, Ky., and East Carolina University, Mrs. Gober was an accomplished pianist and vocalist. Her ministry with children was one of the great joys of her life.

Along with her husband Don, she is survived by a son, Nathan, 15, and a daughter, Melissa, 9, and her parents Mr. and Mrs. L.E. Rampley of Trion, Ga.

Mrs. Gober is one of an estimated 600 Alabama women and 40,800 women nationwide who will die of breast cancer this year, according to the American Cancer Society (ACS).

The ACS also estimates 2,700 new female cases will occur in Alabama this year, as well as 182,800 new cases in the United States. (TAB)

Prevention tips help in fight

Ten years ago breast cancer was considered virtually unpreventable by experts, but researchers today believe the risks can be reduced.

Suggested prevention tips:

  • Do monthly self-exams.
  • Get yearly expert exam.
  • Have yearly mammograms after age 40.
  • Exercise regularly.
  • Exchange saturated fats for monosaturated fats, and take in omega-3 fatty acids.
  • Eat more fruits and vegetables.
  • Take an antioxidant supplement.
  • Eat more fiber.
  • Eat more tofu and soy foods.
  • Eat more beans.
  • Cut down, or out, alcohol.
  • Maintain your weight.
  • Get some sun, but don’t sunburn.
  • Don’t smoke.
  • Breast-feed your babies.
  • Educate yourself on hormone replacement therapy.
  • Know family’s health history.
  • Manage stress levels.

For women at high risk, the medication tamoxifen is available. Tamoxifen is a weak estrogen that binds to estrogen receptors in breast tissue and locks out the woman’s own much stronger estrogen.

The National Cancer Institute sponsored a six-year study of 13,388 high-risk women. Compared with those who did not take tamoxifen, those who did were 45 percent less likely to develop breast cancer.

Still, the study also showed tamoxifen can slightly raise the risk for endometrial cancer, stroke and deep vein blood clots in the legs. (www.planetrx.com/ecenter/breast_cancer/features/castleman.html)

Women find varying risk factors

I am 27 years old, and I have breast cancer. The doctors haven’t found any indication that I have it, but I know I do. It just hasn’t made itself known.

I don’t doubt my doctor’s expertise, but, you see, my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer when she was only 36. I literally watched her die six years later from the disease. I am what the doctor’s call “high risk,” but every woman is at risk. Eighty percent of the 175,000 women diagnosed with breast cancer in 1999 have no known risk factors.

What are risk factors?

  • Age. As women age, the risk of developing breast cancer increases. On average, a woman’s chances of getting breast cancer is about one in 200 by age 40, one in 50 by age 50, and one in 25 by age 60.
  • Family history. Having a mother, sister or daughter who has had breast cancer increases risk.
  • Some studies indicate diet and exercise play a part in breast cancer risks. Truth be told doctors don’t really know what causes it. Your best defense is early detection.

The American Cancer Society recommends women age 40 and older have an annual mammogram. Women who follow this recommendation are 30 percent less likely to die of breast cancer. Don’t let cost be an inhibitor. Many hospitals and clinics offer low-cost or free mammograms during the year.

Between the ages of 20 and 39, women should have a clinical breast examination by a doctor every three years. After age 40, women should have this annually. Women age 20 or older should perform breast self-examinations every month. Learn how your breasts normally feel and recognize change.

The incidence rate of female breast cancer is highest among white women (113.2 per 100,000) and lowest among American Indian women (33.9 per 100,000). Yet, black women are more likely to die of breast cancer (31.4 per 100,000) than are women of any other raical and ethnic group.

What does it feel like?

A lump. What exactly does that mean? Ninety percent of breast cancer is characterized by:

  • A distinct, hard lump that feels like a hardened pea.
  • Does not move freely.
  • Anchored in the surrounding tissues.
  • Doesn’t hurt.
  • Usually occurs as only one lump in one breast.

As women, we need to be responsible for our own health. We tend to be the caretakers of our families, but let’s not forget ourselves. If you find something unusual, call your doctor. Don’t wait. (This article appeared in the October 1999 Missions Mosaic, WMU’s adult magazine. American Cancer Society contributed.)

Breast cancer survivors rely on faith, find support among church family

By Bob Primm

In the 11th chapter of Hebrews, the writer begins by giving a good definition of what “faith” is. He says it is “the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen.”

He then continues by listing, in the succeeding verses, several Bible characters whose faith in God has seen them through some difficult times in their lives and how their faith serves as examples for people today.

Two modern-day warriors of faith attend First Baptist Church, Jasper, and both have had to cope with the ordeal of breast cancer. Each has relied on her faith in the Lord to see her through the dark times.

Phyllis Dotson is a single adult. She is director of the nursery and coordinator of special ministries for children and is actively involved in the sanctuary choir as both a member and a soloist. She plays handbells, works in the family life center as a recreation clerk, directs a children’s choir and teaches in the daily preschool program.

Betty Powell is the wife of Charlie Powell, who has served as associate pastor and minister to senior adults for the past 29 years. Mrs. Powell’s cancer was first discovered in 1990, when a single mastectomy was necessary.

Dotson’s cancer was discovered in July 1998 following a mammogram. During the past year, she has undergone a lumpectomy and a partial mastectomy. She has also had two rounds of chemotherapy and 33 radiation treatments.

But she was not in this alone. Along with her parents, James and Nell Dotson, who are retired Walker County director of missions and fifth-grade school teacher, respectively, she had her church family.

She was prayed for on a regular basis. Some gave anonymous monetary gifts to help with medical bills, others provided meals and several women drove Dotson the 45 miles to and from Birmingham for doctor’s visits.

Dotson said when she initially found out about the cancer she was “upset but not devastated.” And since that time she has had only a few really bad days when she has not felt well. Although the chemotherapy made her feel tired, she basically was able to keep up with her church activities. As with all chemotherapy patients, Dotson lost her hair twice and comments jokingly about her once-bald head.

Even though Dotson must constantly watch for anything that might indicate a recurrence of the cancer, her oncological doctors have put her on a schedule of seeing her every six months. To keep the cancer at bay, she must take “Tamoxifen” every day for five years.

Although breast cancer is generally detected in women in their 50s and 60s, Dotson said her discovery in her early 40s makes it quite certain she will have to be examined regularly. In spite of this reality, she said humor has always helped her and her family to deal with all of their various situations in life.

“Take the good with the bad, and don’t take yourself too seriously,” she said.

Dotson credits the Lord with being at the forefront of this entire problem.  “He has to be there at the start to see you through the whole ordeal,” she said.

Powell’s fight with cancer has been an ongoing one.

After her first occurrence of breast cancer, chemotherapy and radiation helped her to be free of the illness for two years. Then, in 1999, the cancer returned. Both occurrences came in February, so she is always anxious when that month rolls around.

Her latest involvement in a new government program known as “Protocol” caused no visible change in her health condition, so she had to return to chemotherapy. Following three treatments, Powell’s white blood count became extremely low and caused her to get a viral infection.

Spending two-and-a-half weeks in the hospital, Powell said she could feel the prayers of local church members and of friends as far away as Colorado and Montana. Also, a deluge of 400 cards encouraged and sustained her and Charlie during her hospitalization.

Now at home, Powell is undergoing another round of chemotherapy but contends, “I’m doing quite well.” She credits a lot of her well-doing to Nadine Bullard, whose “servant’s heart,” spirit and attitude help her.

Friends say they are encouraged and inspired by Powell’s courage and positive attitude.

As with all the things Powell has experienced in her life, she said the Lord has taught her never to be afraid. She said she feels Him with her at all times.

Breast cancer hits ‘one in eight’

Breast cancer awareness is growing. Rosie O’Donnell and other celebrities are wearing pink ribbons in support of breast cancer survivors and to memorialize victims. Fund-raisers are ritzy and splashy. A postage stamp now commemorates the disease. Issued in July 1998, it reads: “Breast Cancer: Fund the Fight, Find a Cure.”

Most prominent of all, perhaps, is the “one in eight” statistic. But the statistic is not what it seems.

“Individual women often interpret this statistic to mean that their risk is one in eight right now, which causes panic and is not very helpful,” said Lisa Bailey, M.D., a Berkeley oncologist and past president of the California chapter of the American Cancer Society.

What the number refers to, said Bailey, is a woman’s chance of developing breast cancer over the course of her lifetime. But, she added, it leads women to dramatically overestimate their own risk of breast cancer.

One-in-eight means something  different from looking around at one’s eight closest women friends and figuring that one has breast cancer right now, she said.

“A woman’s true risk is getting older,” Bailey said, “because a woman’s chance of getting breast cancer rises steadily with age.”

Julia Knight, a Canadian researcher who has worked on developing a more realistic model for calculating breast cancer risk, said, “The one-in-eight statistic comes from looking at large groups of women over a lifetime … . It doesn’t say anything about any one woman’s specific situation right now, given her environment and personal risk factors.”

The other thing to remember is that one in eight refers to diagnosis, not death. So while many women will indeed develop breast cancer, the vast majority of those women, especially those who find the cancer early, will beat the disease and live on. The five-year survival rate for breast cancer found before it has spread outside the breast is 97 percent. The five-year survival rate for all breast cancers, including those found after they’ve spread throughout the body, is 85 percent.

A new study also reports that while older women have a better chance of developing breast cancer, they tend to have less aggressive breast cancers than younger women. And women with lymph-node negative breast cancer who are older than 70 survive as long as their contemporaries without breast cancer, according to the study.

Dr. Sami G. Diab of the Rocky Mountain Cancer Centers in Aurora, Colo., and colleagues report these findings in the April 5 issue of the “Journal of the National Cancer Institute.” “This study clearly demonstrates that breast cancer in the elderly has distinctive biologic and clinical characteristics,” the researchers wrote.

But whatever the age, early detection remains the best hope for women.

Mammography is currently the best detection tool, but it misses at least 10 percent of malignancies.

Digital mammograms, a self-mammogram machine and the use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are all possibilities looming for detection.

Officials at Baptist Medical Centers in Birmingham said they also have a breast cancer risk assessment model they are now using. (Compiled from the American Cancer Society, planetrx.com  and Baptist Medical Centers)

Mammo Mondays begin soon

Baptist Medical Centers (BMC) Montclair, Princeton and Walker, along with some area Baptist Health Centers will be offering discounted mammograms each Monday in May for $49. That is half the cost of a mammogram.

Officials at BMC stress the importance of mammograms by targeting May for Mother’s Day.

They noted the price comparison of the mammogram to a dozen long-stem, red roses — about the same — and are encouraging husbands, children and friends to give a mammogram as a gift.

Mammo Mondays will take place each Monday in May, except for Memorial Day. Because of the holiday, the final Mammo Monday will take place the Tuesday after Memorial Day, May 30.

For more information on Mammo Mondays or on breast cancer, contact Susan Driggers at Montclair BMC, 205-599-4926 or check out the BMC Web site at www.baptistmedical.org. (BMC)