BREAST CANCER
KNOWING IT EXISTS IS NOT ENOUGH GET THE INFORMATION AND PASS IT ON
ROCKY MOUNT, NORTH CAROLINA • SUNDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2019
Awareness Month
Susan New a decade of
Courage Story by Kesha Williams • Photos by Sarah Louya
In a few months, Susan D. New will observe a special 10-year mark of time. It was time she once took for granted but that is no longer the case. Time, she now celebrates — time with family, friends, church members. New celebrates time to witness all that is beautiful in a community, Nash County, she’s called home 30 years. In March 2010, she was diagnosed with cancer and wondered how much time she had to bypass her fears. Fear grips when a diagnosis you never anticipated arises and threatens your future. With three kids and a husband standing nearby, the future suddenly seemed foggy. They were accustomed to her active role in the family. A serious health problem such as cancer, she reasoned, could change so much that appeared normal one week prior to her diagnosis. “It takes a lot of courage to face it, but once I realized the seriousness of the situation, I thought let’s get this going. What are the next steps before any more time passes,’” New said. A routine mammogram at age 40 led to her diagnosis of breast cancer. Unfortunately, Susan’s mother also had been diagnosed with breast cancer one month prior to her mammogram. Her mother’s diagnosis reminded Susan that she had been lax about her own health care. She hadn’t completed a mammogram since 2004. The 2010 screening reminded her of the importance of preventative health care. Now, she reminds other women to simply schedule the appointment and keep it. “The self exams are important and the mammograms are important. Women find it easy to put them off because they are so busy caring for their families, busy working,” New said. “I think sometimes folks want to avoid something bad happening or potentially having bad test results. Maybe it’s the fear that something could be wrong. You should face a possible problem before time passes and the problem gets any worse,” New said. For much of the year, New endured the battle of her life. After a lumpectomy at Nash Day Hospital, she traveled to Duke University Hospital for rounds of chemotherapy, hormone therapy injections, doctor appointments. New recalls an unfortunate, fearful visit to the emergency room once because she wasn’t feeling well — her white blood cell count was low. She had bouts with nausea, weakness, loss of appetite. She lost her hair.
New decided to complete radiation with a local radiation oncologist so there was less time on the highway by that stage of the treatment plan. Her radiation appointments occurred five days a week for six weeks. New tried to work as much as possible to keep her mind occupied and to remain productive. Thinking about your illness day and night will take a toll on your mind as your body struggles to deal with the treatments. New had been with her employer, a bank, for 23 years and doing something that familiar made her feel productive. She needed a sense of productivity
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New gets emotional when she reflects on a journal she wrote during her illness. Prior to the diagnosis, she had not steadily written a journal. Journal writing was a useful means of coping. She also maintained a caringbridge.org website to keep her network of supporters informed. Eventually, New reported that treatments were over and she had returned to an active lifestyle. Her hair returned and she agreed to participate in a hair study at Duke University Hospital to help researchers determine how a patient’s hair changes after treatment. That’s one more way to
All she need do is flip the pages of her journal to recall the progress she made. “It helps you remember. The 10-year reflection is special — 10 years from the time I was diagnosed. The kids are now grown and we have our first grandbaby. I am so blessed with my family, my church family. I had no reservations about sharing my story in the newspaper when someone suggested it. I’m thankful I am able to share this story,” New said.
It takes a lot of courage to face it, but once I realized the seriousness of the situation, I thought let’s get this going. What are the next steps before any more time passes. - S u s an N e w because her health altered the family schedule. New recalls missing her kids’ sporting and school events. For 12 weeks, she was advised to limit her activities outside the home because cancer and cancer treatments can weaken the immune system and increase the risk of infection. It was difficult knowing her mother also was enduring many of the same challenges, but visitation was not an option. Her mother was homebound trying to prevent exposure to harmful germs that can be numerous in public settings. They communicated by phone. New said her support network was essential because there were days when those restrictions were overwhelming. It was a long, difficult journey toward better health. Her last radiation treatment occurred on her 41st birthday. “I had my faith to get me through it, my family, friends. You need a strong support group because you will have days that you want to give up. You have to have them to find the strength to keep going,” New said. “I got information from organizations like the American Cancer Society so I could learn about this. I reached out to people who had been through it. I’ve been able to answer questions when other women ask after their diagnosis. This is the first time I have ever spoken in public but I hope my story will lift someone else. The diagnosis doesn’t mean people should assume the worst or assume this is the end,” New said.
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contribute to the knowledge base of patients pondering their future. New said her mother also recovered and lived nine years before dying recently in a manner not related to her breast cancer. Over the past nine years, her calendar included new activities — a Susan G. Komen walk in Raleigh and she supports Relay for Life events. New boldly wears c a n c e r awareness ribbons or lapel buttons. She is sympathetic w h e n women ask how they will handle s u c h a lifechanging illness.