Brenda Farris twice survived breast cancer. A mastectomy followed her first diagnosis.

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In a most unusual way, Brenda Farris of Yuma, Arizona learned she had breast cancer.  She went to Palm Springs, California to visit a friend’s breast cancer clinic.  The clinic had a thermography machine, a relatively new device in 2005.  Brenda thought she would give it a try. 

She said one strips from the waist up and when the device is activated, it acts like a powerful air conditioner.  The parts of the body that remain warmer will show up in the thermogram.  Brenda wasn’t anticipating any problems, but when the clinic’s surgeon entered the room, he had an ashen look on his face and told Brenda she had breast cancer.

While at the surgeon’s office, Brenda also underwent an ultrasound, and the surgeon said before any surgery could be done, she needed to undergo a mammogram, which revealed not one but two masses.  Knowing how large the masses were, Brenda felt her only option was to have the cancer removed.  So, she underwent a left side mastectomy with reconstructive surgery.

Brenda Farris said the physical part of her recovery was tough, but the emotional piece was even tougher.  She felt like she had lost a part of her identity, but she would have to live with the results of this surgery for the rest of her life.  Brenda adds that today, there are other non-surgical options for those with her diagnosis, and she urges to thoroughly research all their options. 

As a post-surgery option, chemotherapy was considered and rejected.  That’s because chemo works on fast-growing cancers and Brenda’s was a slow-growing cancer. 

She began to feel close to normal after about ten weeks.  At that time, Brenda thought not only about herself, but about how she could be a source of encouragement for other women diagnosed with breast cancer. 

While her path trended in a positive direction, incredibly, six years later, Brenda noticed a lump in the area of her first diagnosis, between her left breast and her armpit  As the lump grew, Brenda thought the reconstructive bag that was part of her reconstructive surgery had been tweaked.  It didn’t bother her, which is why she didn’t act on it right away.  It evolved into a red mark sticking out of her body. 

She went to a plastic surgeon in Yuma.  He looked at it and immediately sought a biopsy, which showed that the cancer had returned to the area of the first diagnosis, but right on top of her ribcage.  There was concern that it might have metastasized into her ribs or her lungs.  Multiple tests followed, MRIs, CT scans and PET scans.  The good news was that in six years, the scan had not spread anywhere else and that it was operable.

It also turned to be good news that during those six years, Brenda had led a healthy lifestyle where diet, exercise and sleep are concerned.  She believes that because of her healthy lifestyle, it played a major role I her second cancer diagnosis being limited to one area. 

It was depressing after her second surgery, but she felt she had overcome cancer once and she could do it again.

By way of advice, Brenda Farris is convinced that just as a healthy lifestyle with respect to diet, exercise and sleep helped her, it can help anyone diagnosed with cancer. 

Additional Resources:

Kickin’ Cancer: www.kicking-cancer.org

TRANSCRIPT

Bruce Morton: Greetings, this is the Cancer Interviews podcast, and I’m your host, Bruce Morton.  It is a daunting part of a cancer journey anytime one thinks they have survived the disease only to learn it has come back.  Our guest on this episode is going through that experience.  She is Brenda Farris of Yuma, Arizona.  Brenda survived breast cancer, but now is battling it again.  Here she is, Brenda Farris and Brenda, welcome to Cancer Interviews.

Brenda Farris: Thank you, I appreciate that.  I am always happy to share my story.

BM: For all of we cancer survivors, there was a time in which our health appeared to change, getting our attention, and next thing we know, we have been diagnosed with cancer.  In your case, what was the chain of events?

BF: It started out with my husband and I independently researching breast cancer.  It had nothing to do with me.  As part of his research, my husband was fundraising for a breast cancer surgeon in California to get some new equipment for his clinic.  So, my husband was learning about the needed equipment.  At that point, we drove over to Palm Springs to meet with this breast cancer surgeon to find out about the equipment, make sure it was viable before my husband went through with the fundraising.  One item was a thermography machine to show people how it worked.  I thought I should personally check it out.  You go into a room and undress from the waist up.  It’s like an air conditioner that cools down your body a lot.  Whichever areas are warmer show up in the thermogram after your body has been cooled down.  It’s not painful.  It takes just a few minutes.  I figured the surgeon was going to come in and say everything was okay; instead he entered with an ashen look on his face.  He said, “Wow.  You have breast cancer.”  That was how we found out about it.  We were shocked and surprised.

BM: We’re confident you will be able to learn some tips and tools to help you through your personal cancer journey, but first we’d like to invite you to give is a ‘like,’ leave a comment or review below and share this story with your friends.  Kindly click on the Subscribe button below, then click on the bell icon, so you’ll be notified when we post our next interview.  And if you or a loved one are facing a cancer diagnosis, please click on the link in the Description and Show Notes below to check out our free guide, “The Top Ten Things I Wish I Knew When I First Got Cancer.”

So, you went to Palm Springs and got this horrific news.  Now you had to act on it.  So, what was next?

BF: The surgeon did do an ultrasound while I was there, so I got a thermography and an ultrasound.  Both of them convinced the surgeon that I had cancer.  He went on to say I would need a mammogram before anything could happen.  I hadn’t had one before, and to be honest, if this discovery in Palm Springs hadn’t been made, I would have waited a few years before my first mammogram.  It was a couple months before I went in to get that mammogram.  They did the mammogram and the tech showed me the results, which was kind of unusual.  Because of my visit to Palm Springs and the research that preceded it, I had a pretty good idea of what I was seeing.  I was shocked at the size of how the lump had splintered out. 

BM: Each type of cancer is different, each diagnosis is different, and in some cases, one has treatment options, something there are not options.  How about you?  Did you have options?

BF: At that point I realized I was going to have to have the cancer removed.  We did start looking around the Phoenix area, where I lived at the time.  I explored several of them to see which could be a good fit for me.  That said, knowing how large the masses were, the only sound option was to get the cancer removed.  Looking back I think I made the right decision. 

BM: What was the toughest part of your treatment, because there is a physical piece, a mental piece and an emotional piece?

BF: Of course, the physical.  The recovery was challenging, but the emotional part was the toughest.  I felt like I had lost a part of my identity, and that I would always have to live with that loss.  I tell people to do their research.  You have to be sure that surgery is the right option because once you do it, you cannot un-do it.  In the long run, the emotional part was toughest.  My husband, my family and my friends were a tremendous source of support.  It made a huge difference.

BM: Did your treatment include chemotherapy?

BF: Thankfully, no, because my cancer was very slow-growing and chemo best addresses fast-moving cancers.

BM: Regarding your first cancer journey, did you recall when you felt you were turning the corner and that survivorship was near?

BF: That’s a good question because it is nice to think of something positive.  Within about ten weeks, I began to accept the idea that going forward there would be a new me.  I also felt I could be of help, I could be a catalyst for others diagnosed with breast cancer.  At that point I could see a shining light. 

BM: But just when things seemed to be headed in a good direction, they took a turn for the worse, Brenda.  What happened?

BF: It had been six years since my original diagnosis.  I had the tumor removed, then I had reconstructive surgery.  About three years later, I noticed a lump between my left breast and my armpit.  My husband thought this was a piece of the reconstructive bag and it gotten flipped a little bit.  It didn’t bother me, it wasn’t really in the way, it wasn’t hurting me.  It had grown larger, but if you had scar tissue, it might get bigger.  That was my thinking.  I just let it go.  I didn’t think much of it, and I didn’t think a doctor looking at it would think much of it, either.  I didn’t give it a second thought.  This had gone on for three years.  It was sticking right out of my body, as big as the end of my thumb.  Just a big red marker sticking out of my body.  But eventually I was at my primary doctor, and asked him to take a look at it.  He sent me to a plastic surgeon here in Yuma, Arizona.  The surgeon looked at what I was showing him, and immediately knew what it was.  He was ready to get it biopsied.  I was back in a couple days for the biopsy. 

BM: What happened next?

BF: We learned the cancer had returned in the exact same place.  He said that’s very unusual because there is no breast tissue left, as I had had a mastectomy.  The cancer had apparently attached itself to the breast implant.  The big concern was there was no extra fat there, there was no extra tissue there, there was no extra muscle there; it was growing right on top of my ribcage.  The big concern was that it had grown into the ribcage, into the lungs.  The surgeon said we needed to deal with this “soon.”  So, there were a lot of test.  There were MRIs, there was biopsy, there were CT scans, there were PET scans to see where in six years this cancer had migrated out to.  In six years, cancer could metastasize anywhere.  The amazing thing was the cancer was only in that one known and it was operable.  It not spread in six years, and that’s miraculous. 

BM: This development, it did mean that you had a second cancer battle ahead of you, and I am thinking that mentally and emotionally it put you at a crossroads of sorts.  You could have felt defeated, or you could have felt that you have survived once and you can it again.  How did you deal with that crossroads?

BF: When I was first diagnosed with cancer six years earlier, I thought I was living a pretty healthy lifestyle.  Once I knew about the cancer diagnosis, once I had the mastectomy and was involved in the healing process, I had changed so many things about my lifestyle at that point.  I made huge changes.  I honored sleep, I ate mindfully, I got sunshine, I did daily movement, I had a support system, all those things were super important to me.  I did all those for the six years after my initial treatment.  So, you can imagine how frustrated I was when this cancer had returned.  Here I am, advocating this healthy living lifestyle, and I’m the one with the cancer returning.  Where does that put me in relationship to all this?  I tell people my cancer came back, but because of my healthy habits, it came back to one and only one area.  So, I felt I survived this once and I can survive it again.

BM: Brenda, it’s time to wrap up and we are going to conclude the way we always do, with this question.  If you encountered someone who had just been diagnosed with breast cancer, they might have a lot of questions and you with a lot of answers; but if there was one point you wanted to make you wanted to make sure it sunk in, what would that point be?

BF: Let cancer change you.  That cancer is there to change you.  It is there to teach you a lesson.  It is there to teach the recipient that something is going to be different.  It has changed me in terms of how sleep, diet and exercise influence my life.  Those things will make all the difference in your life.  If you don’t change something in your life, that cancer can continue to grow.  Let cancer change you for the good.

BM: Excellent, Brenda.  Thanks so much for sharing a story with energy and information and passion.  So, on behalf of a bunch of people I have never met, thanks so much for being with us on Cancer Interviews.

BF: It was wonderful to have a chance to share my story.  I hope it helps someone.

BM: I am sure it will. Brenda.  As we always say when we finish up, if you or a loved one are on a cancer journey, you are not alone.  There are people out like Brenda who can be of tremendous assistance on one’s journey.  So, until next time, we’ll see you on down the road.

Additional Resources:

Support Group:

Kickin’ Cancer: www.kicking-cancer.org

SHOW NOTES

TITLE: Brenda Farris,  Breast Cancer Survivor – Yuma, Arizona, USA

In 2015, Brenda Farris was diagnosed with breast cancer.  After a mastectomy on her left breast and a powerful regimen of anti-cancer diet and exercise, she survived her diagnosis.  However, seven years later, she was again diagnosed with breast cancer.  Incredibly, the cancer was in the same area as her first diagnosis, had not spread, and was fully operable, a development she attributes to her anti-cancer regimen.  While continuing on her cancer journey, Brenda is a tireless advocate for others battling cancer.

Additional Resources:

Kickin’ Cancer Foundation: www.kicking-cancer.org

Time Stamps:

05:10 Unusual way in which she was told she had breast cancer.

10:15 Brenda learned she would have to undergo a mastectomy.

11:23 Toughest part of treatment.

13:18 How she kept her spirits up during treatment.

18:00 Recalls when her condition began to improve.

19:54 After recovery, Brenda noticed a lump between her left breast and armpit.

23:22 Lump turned out to be cancerous.

25:10 Her second cancer diagnosis was in the same place where the first diagnosis occurred.

27:15 Brenda says lifestyle changes made after her first diagnosis have helped her following treatment for her second diagnosis.

KEYWORDS: (tags)

breast cancer

cancer

thermography

cancer interviews

mammogram

bruce morton

chemo

cancerinterviews.com

reconstructive bag

brenda farris

mastectomy

chemotherapy