Breast Cancer Awareness • 9A
www.crossville-chronicle.com • Friday, October 31, 2014
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‘I’m a survivor’ Terpening: Never give up because there’s always hope
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By Rebekah K. Bohannon-Beeler
Chronicle correspondent
Now in her sixth year of remission, Karrie Terpening is still dealing with the after effects of her aggressive cancer. As a nurse, she conducted a self-breast exam and found a lump, and, at the age of 34, Terpening was diagnosed with breast cancer in November 2008. Though it was not in her lymph nodes, she went through a rigorous regimen that included five months of chemo and 34 rounds of radiation. Even with all the chemotherapy and radiation treatments, doctors were not convinced Terpening would still be there the following year. So, she also went through a series of indication tests. Based on those results, her doctors and her surgeon concluded she would have a seventy-five percent chance of the cancer returning if she didn’t have a double mastectomy. “Cancer can cause a lot of emotional pain. It goes on for years. It’s not just when you have cancer and then you’re clear and it’s over. Cancer is something that never fully goes away,” Terpening explained regarding the effects of cancer and how they are not just physical. “You don’t plan to have cancer at 34 years old.” She is the mother of two daughters who, at the time of her diagnosis were 18 and 11 years old. Her older daughter had just found out she was not only pregnant, but was having twins. And it seems that when life decides to slap you across the face, you don’t see the
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Kerrie Terpening was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2008 at the age of 34. She leaned on the support of her father, Doug Sullivan, pictured above, aunt, children and friends throughout her illness to stay positive. round-house kick coming. After the news that would make Terpening a grandmother and the subsequent diagnosis that could take that title away from her, she and her husband separated and divorced, hurling her into single-parenthood. But Karrie Terpening was unshaken in her resolve. “I couldn’t go anywhere. I needed to be here for my daughters and my grandchildren,” she said. Terpening and her oldest daughter took turns going to each other’s doctor appointments, holding each other’s hands and supporting each other. Contending with body image issues, relationship struggles, and the long-term effects of the chemo and radiation, Terpening constantly deals with ailments and daily reminders of her cancer. Several problematic conditions such as arthritis, neuropathy, weight-gain, and dental issues, still plague
her. “It’s an everyday battle,” she said, “no matter how much I hurt every day, I am still thankful that I’m here. I thank God that I’m still here and that He gave me the opportunity to raise my children and to help raise my grandchildren. And gave me the second chance to have time with my children that I needed.” Breast cancer doesn’t just physically attack, but it also flanks your mind, faith and finances, the strain of which can take its toll on an already exhausted body. “It changed my perspective a whole lot on life. I’ve always been a workaholic, but after I got slapped with reality, I realized I could not be here tomorrow,” Terpening said. She began to work less than seven days a week, was encouraged to vacation more and spent more quality time with her family. Her father and aunt were especially support-
ance of the breast: A lump or thickening in the breast may affect the appearance of the breast. Another visible symptom of breast cancer is a change in the skin texture or an enlargement of pores in the skin of the breast, which may appear similar to dimpling,
not unlike an orange peel. Swelling or shrinking of the breast, especially when such symptoms appear on just one breast, may also indicate breast cancer. In addition, some women with breast cancer notice a sudSee alert page 10A
ive throughout her illness and that, combined with her own strength, kept her positive. Terpening is living proof that a positive attitude is very important. The struggle can be overwhelming, but she reminds us that you can’t let cancer take over your whole life. Terpening encouraged, “Never give up. There are set-backs. You will have good days and bad days. But, never give up because there’s always hope.”
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Be alert for symptoms, signs of breast cancer As with many types of cancer, breast cancer is most successfully treated when it is detected early. Over the previous quarter century, death rates for breast cancer have been on the decline, a positive development that Breastcancer.org, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing reliable, complete and up-to-date information about breast cancer, suggests is a byproduct of the heightened awareness of breast cancer over the last 25 years and the increasing emphasis placed on breast cancer screening. Understanding the symptoms of breast cancer also can help women battle and defeat this potentially deadly disease. While the presence of any of the following symptoms does not necessarily mean breast cancer is present, the appearance of the following should be enough to inspire women and even men to visit their physicians for thorough examinations and screenings. * Changes in the feeling of the breast or nipple: A change in how the breast or nipple feels could be indicative of a larger problem. If the nipple is especially tender and this persists for an extended period of time, exercise caution and discuss this change with your physician. Similarly, if a lump or thickening develops on or near the breast or underarms, speak with your physician. * Changes in appear-
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10A • Breast Cancer Awareness
www.crossville-chronicle.com • Friday, October 31, 2014
Against the odds — again Enriquez battled breast cancer twice By Rebekah K. Bohannon-Beeler
Chronicle correspondent
Vickey Enriquez was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 1999, while living in Michigan. She led a wonderful life. She had three teenage daughters, two of whom were still at home, a grandson, her husband, her job, and her friends. Because she was only 39, she had never had a mammogram. While conducting a self-exam, she found a lump in her left breast and it was completely unexpected. She went to the cancer center at St. Jones in Ann Arbor, where the staff was incredible and she loved her oncologist. Her husband and friends were the best support system and were more than encouraging. They were her shoulders to lean on, her beating heart when hers was too tired and her mindset when she needed a fresh outlook. She took her chemotherapy and radiation treatments and had her left breast removed. She had battled and she had won. Or so she thought. Her husband passed away in 2004, and when her dad became ill, she came to Tennessee in 2009. It was then that she began to have pains in her chest. She went for a mammogram and they found another tumor. She was diagnosed for the second time with breast cancer in 2010. She was sent to the Breast Center in Knoxville and she was told she was a stage three DCI, a very aggressive cancer, and she had limited options because the nature of her cancer.
Vickey Enriquez tells women it is important to know your bodies, educate yourselves and ask a lot of questions. This was not her first diagnosis with this disease, so she knew more about what to expect and what to ask. Her mom, who wasn’t able to be with her during her first fight with breast cancer, was able to be with her through her second diagnosis and treatment. Enriquez observed, “The technology is so different from where it was 15 years ago. [The treatments] are so much better. And this may sound weird, but I was so much more comfortable the second time around.” During her first battle with breast cancer, Enriquez would get up, work a half-day, get a chemo treatment for lunch, and was getting radiation a few hours later, five times
a week. Now the technology and treatments have changed where the treatments are separated and give the patient time to heal between them. She attended cancer support group meetings, that and her mom and her friends were a great help. She coped by reading, listening to all kinds of music and writing in her journal every night. Humor was a huge part of her treatment and healing. “My sense of humor is kind of morbid anyways and going through the cancer just made it worse,” Enriquez laughed. In between surgery and radiation and chemo, she had to have hernia surgery. Because of the after effects of the radiation, though,
Alcohol, breast cancer link Research has consistently shown that consuming alcoholic beverages increases a woman’s risk of hormone-receptor-positive breast cancer. According to the American Cancer Society, a woman’s risk of developing breast cancer increases with the amount of alcohol she consumes. When compared with nondrinkers, women who consume one alcoholic beverage per day have
a slightly higher risk of developing breast cancer. But the risk of developing breast cancer is roughly one and a half times greater for those women who consume between two and five alcoholic beverages per day when compared to nondrinkers. Breastcancer. org notes that experts estimate that a woman’s risk of developing breast cancer increases by 10 percent
for each additional drink she consumes each day. The risk is considerable for young girls who consume alcohol as well, as teen and tween girls between the ages of nine and 15 who drink three to five drinks per week have three times the risk of developing benign breastlumps, which have been linked to a higher risk of breast cancer later in life.
W E SUPPORT BREAST CAN CER AW AREN ESS!
ALERT
• Continued from 9A den asymmetry with their breasts despite their breasts previously being symmetrical, and such a development should immediately be brought to the attention of a physician. * Changes in the appearance of the nipple: A nipple that appears different also may be a sign of breast cancer. Some women with breast cancer have noticed a nipple turned slightly inward or inverted prior to their breast cancer diagnosis. Skin of the nipple, as well as that of the breast and areola, which is the dark circle of skin around the nipple, may also become red, scaly or swollen when breast cancer is present. * Clear or bloody discharge from the nipple: Women who are breastfeeding often notice a milky discharge from their nipple after breastfeeding. Such discharges are normal. However, when a woman who is not breastfeeding notices the presence of a clear or bloody discharge from her nipple, such a development should be brought to the attention of a physician. Any of the aforementioned signs and symptoms may be a sign of infection or the presence of a cyst, both of which are less severe than the presence of breast cancer. But the success rates of treating cancers that are detected early is such that any potential symptom of breast cancer warrants an immediate discussion with a physician.
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she was not a potential candidate for reconstructive surgery and she had to cope with the realization that she no longer had breasts. She decidedly said, “My boobs are not who I was or who I am.” She is refreshingly upbeat, incredibly candid and has a practicality about cancer that makes it easier to digest. “I did a lot of reading, a lot of writing and a lot of dancing by myself,” she explains. “There were a lot of times I was like, leave me alone. I’m on the pity pot, and I want to be on the pity pot for a while. But those days are far and few between now.” Going on four years in remission, she had her check-up in May and jokingly said, “I had to have the ultrasound because I don’t have the boobies they can smash anymore.” “You have to look inside yourself. Nobody else can make those decisions or decide what needs to be done or feel the way you feel. You have a life, don’t leave that life,” she encouraged. “You have to dig deep and don’t be afraid to talk about it. You have to pull those boot straps up a lot farther than you ever thought you were going to have to.” Vickey Enriquez learned how important it was to know her body, to educate herself, ask a million questions, and the fact that it made a big difference if she liked the medical professionals around her. But the biggest thing she learned was to, as she said, “Just dance in the rain like nobody’s watching.”
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