BREAST CANCER AWARENESS SERIES
LIKE A WARRIOR David O’Neill doneill@joplinglobe.com
The writing hadn’t only been on the wall for Marilyn Marshall-Miller. Rather, it had blazed brightly, in clearly marked letters, like a neon sign. First had come the news, late in 2014, that Marshall-Miller’s cousin Susan had been diagnosed with breast cancer in St. Louis. One year later, a second of her first cousins, Kristin, was stunned to receive the same diagnosis in Atlanta. Prior to 2014, Marshall-Miller was unaware of a family history of breast cancer. “We had none. Zero. Then, out of the blue, three of us on the maternal line were diagnosed within two years,” she said. Still, it wasn’t her cousins’ diagnoses that compelled Marshall-Miller to schedule a mammogram in the spring of 2016. “I honestly thought I was fine. But they urged me to get an up-to-date screening. They said they’d drive down here and take me,” Marshall-Miller said. So she complied, scheduling the necessary appointments.
A Difficult Truth Marshall-Miller’s last mammogram had occurred just prior to the May 2011 tornado, which destroyed St. John’s Hospital and its records, including Marshall-Miller’s information and X-rays. “So we had nothing to go on,” she said. Due to the sudden appearance of cancer in her cousins, however, Marshall-Miller’s primary care physician and best friend, Dr. Karen Porte, insisted on immediate diagnostic testing. “That was the urgency of it,” she said. Those tests first included a diagnostic mammogram and then an ultrasound, the results of which Marshall-Miller said were “curious.” Even then, she remained impervious to her potential reality. “I thought nothing would come of it,” she said. A CT scan with dye then revealed cancerous tumors in both breasts, or bilaterally. “The tumors on that CT scan just lit up,” she said. Marshall-Miller’s good friend and fellow performer Ricardo Field accompanied her to hear her results. “He brought me a hot dog from Instant Karma and off we went,” she said. “I still thought nothing would come of it.”
Breast cancer-survivor Marilyn Marshall-Miller at her Joplin home, on Sept. 28.
Moments later, Freeman Health Systems surgeon Dr. Alan Buchele gave her the diagnosis — bilateral Stage 1C invasive ductile carcinoma, a rare breast cancer to have in both breasts. “He looked at me and said, ‘it’s more challenging than we thought. And I’m just going to be straight with you.’ And I said, ‘That’s what I want. I want the truth.’ He said, ‘you have tumors and we need to get them out. We’re going to do what we need to do, in the time frame we need to do it. We’ve got this.’” The evening of her diagnosis, Marshall-Miller said she felt numb. “I didn’t even process it at the time.” But on day two, “I was in full combat mode.” She soon shared the very difficult news with family members, including husband Mike and adult son Christopher, who responded supportively. “He said, ‘We’re going to beat it. You’re my mom, and my mom can do anything.’”
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2017 | THE JOPLIN GLOBE
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Joplin breast cancer survivor urges others to be proactive with their health.
myriad of doctors, specialists and other medical professionals whose business cards now fill the front and back of a clear plastic card keeper in Marshall-Miller’s pink binder. It didn’t take Marshall-Miller long to realize that effectively treating cancer is often as treacherous as the disease itself. She underwent two surgeries, including a bilateral lumpectomy to remove two tumors, and began radiation five days a week for three months. “After you’re finished with radiation, you’re so exhausted, and your body feels like it’s on fire, so it’s very painful.” An unexpected and more loathsome side effect from the radiation was an outside infection on her right side that ran from her armpit down to her waist. Additionally, she still sees a pulmonologist for lung-related side effects with her breathing caused by the radiation. She will also take Tamoxifen daily for 10 years; side effects from that drug alone include fatigue, bone pain and hair and nail thinning. Marshall-Miller credits her surgeon, Dr. Buchele, with alleviating any pre-surgery fears. “He has a caring bedside manner and a strong intellect, so I felt safe,” she said. She also credits Freeman’s cancer resources with making her often-challenging treatment process more livable: The Wes & Jan Houser Women’s Pavilion, where she received cancer treatment and support, and the Pink Boutique, which offers cancer and post-mastectomy support products such as wigs and prostheses.
What You Don’t Want
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She also wants both women and men — who also can develop breast cancer — to be proactive and participate in their own health by staying up to date on screenings. “And make sure all generations are tested,” she said. “It’s not just walks and runs and pink ribbons,” she continued. “It really can be very ugly. So if you don’t want radiation, surgeries or the side effects, go and get tested. Do it on the regular. Don’t let it get to the point that I did. If you have enough time to shop or get your nails done, you have time to get checked.” A realistic yet upbeat stance, Marshall-Miller said, is her only option. “I don’t want my life and my home to be defined by cancer. So my family and I define life with other things like happiness, walks, special dinners, and hanging out. Outside her Joplin family, yet very much still in Marshall-Miller’s orbit, are her cousins Kristin and Susan. The trio refer to themselves as warriors, and another warrior emerged nearly two weeks ago, on Sept. 19, when Marshall-Miller’s aunt was diagnosed with stage II breast cancer. “So our fight continues, but we’re survivors,” she said. “We become survivors the moment we receive that diagnosis. I’ve gone through radiation, surgery and all the treatments, and that makes me and my family survivors.” “This is important,” she continued, “because sometimes cancer is a war. We fight our way through breast cancer. You may not get that cancer-free card right away, because I still haven’t after a year. But you continue to take a breath, allow yourself to feel those feels, put on your armor and fight like mad.”
Breast cancer awareness, education and prevention loom large for Marshall-Miller. “I just want people to take this seriously,” she said.
Treatment’s Brutal Nature It’s that intrepid disposition that’s long driven Marshall-Miller, who’s already lived through some tragedy and heartbreak. At age 5, her own daughter Stephanie died as the result of a degenerative brain disease. Prior to that, in 1992, her mother had died from juvenile diabetes. Marshall-Miller, who works as an endocrinology research coordinator, said life before breast cancer was “extremely active. I hiked seven miles a day and I was in great health.” Both community theater and community service punctuated her spare time, as well as close friendships and weekends spent with family. Now, Marshall-Miller was walking through a life she sometimes didn’t recognize. Mostly, that life revolved around appointments with the
“I just want people to take this seriously,” Marshall-Miller keeps notes and self-education in a pink binder. In the sleeve at the right are business cards for about half of the doctors and other specialists she’s seen.