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When I was diagnosed with stage II invasive ductal carcinoma in the spring of 2022, it came as a shock. It didn¡¯t seem possible ¡ª even as I was having the ultrasound and breast biopsy done to investigate the lime-sized lump in my left breast.  

I was only 32 at the time. There was no history of breast cancer in my family. And, I¡¯d only found the lump by chance, while drying off after a shower six months earlier. 

When I told my parents about my breast cancer diagnosis, the first thing my father said was, ¡°You are going straight to MD Anderson.¡± I didn¡¯t argue.  

I feel like anywhere you go, you¡¯re going to hear about MD Anderson. And, while every town has its own local oncologists and cancer hospital, nobody has nearly the same focus as MD Anderson. Luckily, I only live a few hours away, in the first town off I-10 in Louisiana.  

I called for an appointment. I figured, if you¡¯re looking for the best, why go anywhere else?  

A doctor for everything

When you¡¯re totally new to cancer ¡ª and you don¡¯t know anyone who¡¯s had it ¡ª the medical jargon people use can be strange. I didn¡¯t understand the difference at first between a medical oncologist, a surgical oncologist, a radiation oncologist and a plastic surgeon. So, when I saw all these titles pop up alongside my appointments in a few days before my first visit to MD Anderson, I was very confused. 

I reached out to my aunt, Millette DeVille, who works as a program director there in Surgical Oncology. I sent her a screenshot of my schedule and asked, ¡°Who are all these people? And why do I need to see so many of them?¡± 

She explained what each person did. Then, she told me this was totally normal. Once I got further into treatment, I understood why. I had a doctor for everything ¡ª and they all stayed connected to decide on the best possible care plan for me.  

It was amazing listening to them during my appointments that first day. Each one would lay out my options and make their recommendations. Then, they¡¯d say things like, ¡°But let¡¯s wait and see what your surgical oncologist says,¡± or ¡°Let me talk to your medical oncologist first, and then we¡¯ll decide.¡± 

That¡¯s when I realized that if one specialist is good, a whole team of them is even better. And that is precisely what I got at MD Anderson.  

My breast cancer treatment

The care I received at MD Anderson was above and beyond anything I ever could have imagined.  

It started with a mastectomy and lymph node dissection in June 2022, performed by surgical oncologist . Unfortunately, I developed an infection afterwards, and the tissue expander had to be removed. Once the pathology report came back, I learned I had stage II invasive ductal carcinoma. It had already spread to one of my lymph nodes. That meant I¡¯d need chemotherapy and radiation therapy. 

Breast medical oncologist told me I could have chemotherapy locally. But I felt more comfortable at MD Anderson, so I made the two-hour drive for each infusion. After that, I had 20 rounds of radiation therapy under and breast reconstruction using my own tissue under plastic surgeon .

I never thought I¡¯d feel normal again

When I look at my chest now and think back to what it looked like before reconstruction, it almost renders me speechless. After being totally flat on one side for more than a year, I never thought I¡¯d feel normal again. But I went from feeling ugly and abnormal to healthy and normal, practically overnight.  

Today, I can barely even see the scars. But Dr. Shay is such a perfectionist that during one of my first follow-up visits, he said, ¡°Look, if you¡¯re not happy with this down the road, I can still do this or that to make it look better.¡± And I was like, ¡°What are you talking about? It looks perfect!¡± 

Little things make a difference

Technically, I¡¯ve been cancer-free since my mastectomy three years ago. But I¡¯m on two types of hormone therapy now to reduce my chances of recurrence. I¡¯ll have to keep taking them for at least a couple more years before we reassess.  

I¡¯m hoping to take a break soon, though, so my husband and I can try for another baby. While I was still healing from the mastectomy, one of my doctors referred me to MD Anderson¡¯s Oncofertility Clinic. I met there with reproductive endocrinologist to explore my options. I ended up having enough time to retrieve and freeze three eggs. 

I also met with gynecologist for a routine check-up. She was so kind and friendly. It meant so much that she talked to me about all kinds of stuff during my visit, not just my disease. She treated me like a person, not just a patient.  

Little things like that really do matter ¡ª especially when taken all together. That¡¯s why I keep going back to MD Anderson.

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