Elaine Mielcarski: Breast Cancer Survivor

ELAINE MIELCARSKI Advocating for women's health

By Alyssa Dearborn

Elaine Mielcarski - Central New York’s first licensed midwife One thing about her story that Mielcarski wants women to and a gynecologic nurse practitioner - may not be practicing know is that even though she was able to survive her cancers at the level that she had once enjoyed, but she has been able and even manage a rewarding career and personal life, she also to continue helping Central New York women live healthier lives. experienced similar struggles that other cancer patients face She has been open about her cancer experience with very few people every day. When asked about how her life changed through her in the past. But as new information about women’s health issues diagnoses, she replied, has evolved, Mielcarski believes that she can help more women by “I was on call morning, noon, and night, weekends, holidays. talking about her cancer story. I delivered somewhere between 2,500 to 3,000 babies in my career.

“I was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 42.” Mielcarski [Dr. Waldman] took my calls when I was having radiation therapy said, “My second breast cancer was if I couldn’t, but I also took calls pre-menopausal. My third breast cancer delivering babies when I was was probably menopausal or almost having radiation therapy. menopausal. One of my two sisters But at the end of the was diagnosed with breast cancer treatment, it became and died of it. A cousin and exhausting.” aunt also died of it. I want “So many people women to be advocates feel that their body for themselves.” has failed them.” She continued, “So many people feel that their body doesn’t work because they were perfectly healthy and doing

everything right and all of a sudden, they have this cancer and they could die from it. I had a little bit of that. I didn’t have a lot, maybe because of my background. But I had it. My body didn’t work because my body didn’t fight this off. Getting through it I realized that my body was functioning just fine. I wasn’t dying of the flu as many people do. My immune system seemed to be working in every other way. And so, for me, [I ask] why? Why did I survive it and what can I do to help others survive it?”

Helping other women prevent cancer and survive diagnosed cancers became a mission for Elaine Mielcarski. According to Mielcarski, early detection is important for having a good chance at survival. It is important for women to get to know their own bodies as well as their family history.

“I had three primary breast cancers over 18 months. I discovered the first lump myself,” she said. “I think that’s important. Women should examine their breasts. Do breast exams. Do them every month. If you are still having periods, do it on the very last day of your period. Your hormones are the lowest, so you’re not going to have lumpy, bumpy breasts because of the hormone involvement. Just examine your breasts and if you find something, contact somebody who knows what to do.”

“And here’s the thing about doing your own breast exams and finding your own lump. I found my own lump and finding it saved my life. It was six months before it was diagnosed. Not by anybody’s fault. It felt like fibrocystic tissue, but it changed. It increased in size. You will know your breasts better than anybody because you’re with them and we’re only seeing you once a year.”

Family history and genetics have also been instrumental in early detection of cancer according to Mielcarski. When asked about the changes in cancer screenings over the years, she described recent research she and her colleagues published which made genetic testing more widely available.

“In the early 1980’s, before breast, ovarian and colon cancer genes were discovered, I sent patients home to ask family members if anyone had colon cancer, abnormal colon polyps, breast cancer or ovarian cancer. I did this with every patient coming in for their annual exam. Dr Waldman and I who cofounded the original practice that Associates for Women’s Medicine developed from, would then record that family history in the charts. Now there are 35 genes including BRCA that we can test, for hereditary cancer. Through our study involving 4,000 patients, published in November 2018, we found that one in four of our patients were eligible for genetic testing, through the National Cancer Network

Guidelines. These guidelines are the gold standard. It brought tears to my eyes to see that because I’ve been looking at women from high risk families all those years and sending them to specialists so that there was better surveillance. Women who are found with an inherited gene tend to get that cancer at a younger age be more aggressive. By knowing it and having heightened surveillance, you discover it early and save lives.Their lives can be saved. Typically, as explained by Mielcarski, many patients believe that they only have to worry about breast cancer when they’re over 50.

This is not the case.

“We feel infallible when we’re young.” Mielcarski explained.

“Young women get breast cancer. Young women have to examine their breasts. This is not to scare them but to make them aware.

In the US, 11% of diagnosed breast cancer is in the under 45 year old. They too need care and if they feel a lump, they need to report it to someone who can evaluate it.”

If there is something that we can all learn from Elaine Mielcarski, it is that no matter what challenges life and illness throw at us, survival is possible. When asked what helped her through her cancer treatment, she replied, “The first time, it was my children. They had just lost their grandfather to lung cancer. He died just the year before I was diagnosed. I couldn’t tell them. And I couldn’t tell my mother because she had just gone through it with my father. It was just not wanting to leave them and my patients. I was also helped by my faith.”

It is also important for women to remember to take care of themselves and to make their health a priority. When asked about the future of women’s health, she reminded us of an all too common issue in many women’s personal lives.

“Women take care of everyone else but themselves.” Mielcarski said, “They worry about everybody. They are the last that they worry about. Our organs are hidden. We often times don’t have symptoms until late in the game. So have your exams. Your family will love you for it.”

When it comes to the issues discussed every day in healthcare, she believes that having caring professions looking after patients can make all the difference.

“We need a unified method of addressing maternal mortality,” she said. “This can’t be a blame game. Those at risk need more care. Other countries don’t include statistics that we do. It has to be an effort out of love. We need to love women enough to care enough to change it.” SWM