MY HEALTH EXPERIENCE:Having being diagnosed with breast cancer Mary Taylortook part in a clinical trial of Herceptin
”I WAS diagnosed with breast cancer when I was 35. I had gone with a lump in my right breast to the doctor but they thought it was too soft to be anything to worry about.
Then about a year later I found that the lump was still there and it was getting harder and more obvious. I was quite upset and I went back.
The GP still thought it was relatively soft, but I got a referral to see Prof Niall O’Higgins in the breast cancer clinic at St Vincent’s University Hospital, and he was able to say straight away that this was something that needed further investigation.
So they did a needle biopsy and when I went back in to get the results my mother came with me. She volunteered.
I was not expecting to have a negative result so I was quite jolly about the whole thing. But in hindsight I was so glad she was there because it was not a nice experience; it was quite shocking.
Prof O’Higgins essentially said that this was malignant and they would have to organise for it to be surgically removed.
At the time I was working with British Airways in account management. It was just after 9/11 and business had gone down, so they were giving people unpaid leave and I had organised a job in a ski resort for six months. I had been so excited about that, but I had to cancel it.
They removed the tumour and took out a margin and checked that for cells, and they did a full clearance of the lymph nodes under the armpit.
They also did a test to see if the tumour was ‘her-2’ positive. Mine was, and that’s one of the reasons why I was asked to take part in a trial to see whether using the drug Herceptin after surgery could prevent recurrence in people with her-2-positive tumours.
My oncologist was Prof John Crown. He told me this was a very exciting trial but as in any trial they would ensure that it was safe, and that it would be a good treatment option for me, regardless.
But you don’t know what branch of the trial you will be on, and that’s the big concern, because if you don’t get the wonder drug they are testing, you are possibly left with an alternative that wouldn’t be as attractive. Still, you hope for the best.
During chemotherapy I did reflexology and juicing twice a day and I cut out dairy – anything I could do to make it better for myself.
So at the end of the treatment I said I had done everything I could. And for me Herceptin was a very good, very positive trial.
The trial lasts for 10 years so I am still effectively on it. And the positive to a trial is that the follow-up is excellent – you have an annual mammogram and for the first year you have check-ups with the oncologist every three months, the next few years every six months and now I’m on one check-up a year.
That’s important, because once you leave the chemotherapy room and you finish your treatment you are on your own, which is a big loss; your security blanket has been taken away.
After the treatment I went back to work with BA. They were very good to me. But eventually I left and started my own business as an interior designer because I decided what I wanted for my future was something creative that I enjoyed doing.
Then along came Evan eight months ago. It was an excellent pregnancy and birth and he’s really good natured, he’s a wonderful baby. I’m enjoying being a mum.
I’m very conscious now of ensuring that I have enough sleep and eating well and getting exercise – I have to look after myself because now I have a baby to look after and I want to be around as long as I can.
And I work as a volunteer with Reach to Recovery where I talk to women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer.
I’d never give people any medical advice but I think sharing your experience is important. I get a lot of queries in relation to fertility after cancer treatment, and a lot of people just want to know if you experienced this or that, or if you had a similar side effect, or how you managed Tamoxifen.
It’s great to be able to talk to somebody and give them my experience, and hopefully they will find some comfort in it.
In conversation with
CLAIRE O'CONNELL
The Irish Cancer Society’s Reach to Recovery programme provides practical and emotional support for women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer through contact with trained volunteers. Contact Freefone 1800 30 90 40
