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I live on the southernmost tip of Texas in the Rio Grande Valley. That¡¯s about 300 miles from MD Anderson. But when I was diagnosed with stage III invasive lobular carcinoma in July 2024, I didn¡¯t hesitate. I reached out to them right away for a second opinion.  

One reason was that I didn¡¯t have a lot of faith in my original care team. They¡¯d been telling me for more than a year by then that the ¡°²õ³ó²¹»å´Ç·É¡± a routine mammogram had revealed in my left breast only needed to be monitored.  

Even when I started noticing changes in the way my breast felt and looked, I was told it was probably just a cyst, and the soonest I could expect to schedule a breast biopsy was still months away. I had to call in a favor with a relative at another local hospital system to even get a preliminary diagnosis. 

Another reason I went to MD Anderson was because I know two people who have been successfully treated there for cancer. Both are now long-term survivors. 

And the final ¡ª but maybe most important ¡ª reason was that I knew MD Anderson is the nation¡¯s leading hospital for cancer treatment and research. If it turned out that I needed something special, that¡¯s where I was going to find it. 

MD Anderson The Woodlands yields quickest appointment

I ended up getting an appointment at MD Anderson The Woodlands, one of the hospital¡¯s many Houston-area locations. It¡¯s about 25 miles north of downtown Houston, so it¡¯s actually the furthest one away from me. But since that¡¯s where I could be seen the quickest, I didn¡¯t mind. 

During my first visit, I met with breast medical oncologist , surgical oncologist , radiation oncologist and plastic surgeon . They did their own tests and scans to confirm my diagnosis.  

By then, the cancer was about 5¡± wide; it stretched across my entire left breast. Hearing that was pretty terrifying, but at the same time, at least I was finally getting some answers.  

I asked the doctors what I should do. They recommended five months of chemotherapy, which I could have close to home. But I also needed surgery and radiation therapy. They asked if I¡¯d be interested in joining the TOPAz clinical trial. 

TOPAz clinical trial offered me the same outcome in less time

Normally, an advanced lobular carcinoma like mine is treated with chemotherapy, followed by a mastectomy, then radiation therapy and reconstructive surgery. In that scenario, you¡¯re looking at about a year and a half to finish all your treatments.  

With TOPAz, though, you do the chemo, then radiation, and then both surgeries together, about three to five weeks later. After that, you¡¯re done. That¡¯s it. All in less than a year.  

Once my doctors explained this to me, I told them to sign me up. I said, ¡°If you have something you¡¯re working on, then I want to be a part of it. You help me get better faster. And, I¡¯ll help you with the research.¡±  

Why I opted for a double mastectomy

I completed 16 rounds of chemotherapy near my home in Edinburg, Texas, in December 2024. Then, I went back to MD Anderson for 25 rounds of radiation therapy. I had a double mastectomy there with immediate DIEP flap reconstruction on April 1, 2025. 

Genetic testing revealed no inherited mutations that might make me more likely to develop cancer in my other breast. But I didn¡¯t want to go through this ever again. I also didn¡¯t want anything artificial in my body, even temporarily. And, I didn¡¯t want the process to take that long. So, tissue expanders were out. I¡¯m glad now that I joined the TOPAz trial. 

Feeling like I can breathe again

It¡¯s been a wild ride, and I am still processing everything that¡¯s happened. I also know it¡¯s not over yet. I had to have some additional lymph nodes removed for biopsy in mid-April to make sure we got all the cancer.  

To reduce my chances of the cancer coming back, I¡¯ll be taking a targeted therapy drug called abemaciclib for the next two years, along with a hormone therapy drug called tamoxifen for the next 10 years. But as for the cancer itself, it¡¯s gone. Dr. Piotrowski was very confident that he removed it all. 

Now that the worst is behind me, I feel like I can finally breathe again. I also appreciate just how wonderful MD Anderson is. Everybody there is so professional and caring. I never felt scared, even when I was so anemic I needed a blood transfusion, because every time I stood up, my heart raced. Dr. Schlembach asked me if I needed anything every single time she saw me. And, I never felt rushed.  

I knew I was in the right place the very first day I got to MD Anderson. The cancer was so advanced by then that I asked my doctors, ¡°Am I a lost cause?¡± They replied, ¡°Of course not. Don¡¯t worry. We are going to take care of you.¡± That¡¯s exactly what they did.  

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