JERILYN’S STORY

Finding The Perfect Partner To Beat Breast Cancer

Words by Kim Tubbs | Photography by Mike Smith

“A spot was lighting up on my liver, which concerned my doctor,” Jerilyn says. “My doctor referred me to Mayo to handle this part of my care, as he wasn’t comfortable with issues involving the liver.”

After another biopsy and evaluation at Mayo, the biopsy showed no cancer, leaving Jerilyn and her physicians unsure of the current condition of her liver.

Now there are days the “C word” doesn’t even come up in Jerilyn Sellheim’s house. And before the West Fargo mother of two was diagnosed with breast cancer, it was almost obsolete from her family’s conversations.

“I had no family history, risk factors or genetic predisposition for breast cancer,” says Jerilyn. “But at 32, I was diagnosed, and was taken by surprise, to be honest.”

It all began with a tingling sensation in Jerilyn’s right breast that continued for a few weeks. Her initial response was to blame her bras.

“I thought I was wearing the wrong size,” she recalls. “So I was professionally fitted for new bras, thinking that would solve the problem.”

But the tingling turned to pain, and Jerilyn found a lump in her breast. After a mammogram, ultrasound, and finally a biopsy, Jerilyn discovered she did, indeed have breast cancer.

She had invasive ductal carcinoma, the most common form of breast cancer, representing 80 percent of all breast cancer diagnoses.

Surgery was the first step. After a lumpectomy and removal of lymph nodes, a PET scan was ordered to see if there were signs of cancer anywhere else in Jerilyn’s body.

“My doctors weren’t completely convinced any potential cancer wasn’t still there, “ Jerilyn says. “At that point, we were in a bit of a ‘wait and see’ situation where my liver was concerned.”

However, there were no questions regarding her breast cancer, and Jerilyn’s physician at Mayo suggested she go to a facility closer to her home that was equipped to handle her unique case of breast cancer.

“They recommended I go to Sanford Health, as they’ve had great success in coordinating care there,” Jerilyn says. “And I’m so glad I decided to see a specialist at Sanford.”

From the start, Jerilyn felt a great connection with her oncologist, Shelby Terstriep, MD, at Edith Sanford Breast Center. Through eight chemotherapy treatments and 33 radiation treatments, followed by three additional radiation treatments focused on the potential spot on her liver, Jerilyn felt like she was exactly where she was supposed to be for her care.

“Shelby understood what I needed to ensure my life continued as normally as possible,” Jerilyn says. “She worked with me and even modified my chemo treatments so I wouldn’t miss my son’s basketball and football games, and my daughter’s dance and gymnastics events that were very important to me.”

And Sanford also helped Jerilyn deal with the emotional issues that her children struggled with, knowing their mom had cancer.

“At the time my youngest was 4, and life was pretty much the same for her,” Jerilyn remembers. “But my older son, who was 9 at the time, understood what it meant to have cancer, and had experienced the loss that can happen from the disease.”

After some assistance from Sanford’s child psychologists, Jerilyn was able to help her son work through his fears and worry and just enjoy being a normal 9-year-old again.

After her treatment was over, Jerilyn knew her cancer journey wasn’t complete. She wanted to help others who were just beginning their journey and volunteered to be a mentor as part of the Cancer Survivorship Program at Sanford.

“Volunteers like me are there to help answer questions, direct patients to available resources and be a listening ear for those who just want to talk to someone who’s been through it,” says Jerilyn. “I was 32 when I was diagnosed and my network of friends had no idea about cancer. But my mentor was an amazing resource for me, and I wanted to return the favor to another woman going through the process.”

Because Jerilyn’s breast cancer was estrogen positive, she decided to have a hysterectomy and her ovaries removed, to ensure she wouldn’t have to be faced with this disease again. This was a decision she made, with the support of the entire team at Sanford.

“For anyone going through their own cancer journey, it’s essential you have a good working relationship with your oncologist — you need to like the person who’s giving you this kind of care,” Jerilyn says. “Be an advocate for yourself and what you want during this process. I did, and I found a true partner in care with Shelby and the rest of the team at Sanford.”

LEARN MORE ABOUT the Edith Sanford Breast Center at edithsanford.org.

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