Not a survivor; a fighter

By Ms. Brandy C Ostanik (Army Medicine)October 27, 2017

A fighter
Jennifer Spencer, a nurse at Bassett Army Community Hospital, was diagnosed in 2009 with lobular breast cancer in her left breast. After a mastectomy to remove the cancer, Spencer made the decision to not have reconstructive surgery, and removes her ... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

FT. WAINWRIGHT, Alaska -- In Jan. 2009 Jennifer Spencer was getting ready for bed, putting on her pajamas, when her hand felt a strange, small lump near the top of her left breast.

"I thought it felt funny,' said Spencer, a nurse at Bassett Army Community Hospital, "but it didn't feel like the typical lump like you might think."

A week later, Spencer became a statistic. She became one of eight women who will be diagnosed with breast cancer over the course of their lifetime.

At 37, with no family history of breast cancer, Spencer really wasn't too concerned about the abnormality she felt, especially since she had just had her annual woman's exam, complete with a manual breast exam, four months earlier. Yet, she found herself in her doctor's office later the same day.

Within two days she was in radiology getting a mammogram and an ultrasound with a needle guided biopsy.

"Everything happened so fast," said Spencer. "I'm not sure how much I was processing at that point, but Dr. McWilliams told me something I still hold onto today, 'you prepare for the worst and you hope for the best.'"

Eight years later those words still bring tears to Spencer's eyes.

With the biopsy unclear, later that week Spencer was in surgery to have the mass removed. To this point, Spencer's husband, who was deployed to Iraq at the time, I had no idea what his wife was going through back at home.

"My husband Tim knew nothing," said Spencer. "I didn't want to worry him until it was all done."

At 11 a.m. the next day Spencer heard the words, 'it's breast cancer.'

"For about two weeks I was kind of numb," said Spencer. "I didn't want to talk to anyone, I just needed to process it." She waited and processed while her husband received a Red Cross message and came home on emergency leave.

"Tim wasn't even home yet, he was stateside, but not here when he called the Cancer Center in Seattle to start arranging my care," said Spencer. The Center collected her tissue samples and a 'Tumor Board' of 30 or so doctors met to discuss her cancer, and her treatment.

"They tried to promote conservative surgery," said Spencer, "but there was no doubt in mind. I had my babies, I just wanted it done. In my head, I was fine with a mastectomy."

"While I was in Seattle they did several biopsies on my other breast and took some blood work," said Spencer, and after talking with her doctor's she agreed to a lumpectomy, which would remove only the tumor and some surrounding tissue, which would take place in two weeks.

In the meantime, Spencer and her husband prepared to fly home to wait for her father to come and help take care of kids, who at the time were ages 3, 9 and 12.

On the way back to Fairbanks Spencer received a call from her head surgeon who gave them more bad news, telling her there was another spot on the effected breast that they wanted to biopsy.

"I said no. No more biopsies, just take the whole breast."

Spencer was scheduled for a mastectomy to remove her left breast in lieu of the lumpectomy. When Spencer's breast was removed, it came back as lobular, meaning the cancer was found in the lobes of the breasts as opposed to the ducts, which is a little more difficult to diagnose, and is generally not detected until it's more advanced.

Two days after her mastectomy Spencer received a call from her surgeon.

"She said, Jennifer, I'm sorry to tell you, but your lymph nodes came back from pathology and they have cancer in them, so we have to take you back into surgery."

Four days after her mastectomy Spencer was back in surgery where 12 lymph nodes were removed. Upon further testing all 12 of those nodes came back with negative results.

"It was probably the best news through the whole cycle," said Spencer.

With the cancer removed, Spencer's treatment was just beginning.

Physical therapy came first, then oral chemotherapy every day along with weekly chemotherapy infusions, and then six-weeks of radiation.

The last piece of treatment was to take an estrogen inhibitor. Because Spencer's cancer came back estrogen positive, meaning her estrogen was causing her cancer to grow, the last piece of treatment was to take an estrogen inhibitor in the form of a pill called Fenara.

"I took that beautiful, yellow pill for five years," said Spencer. "Truth be known, that was the hardest part. Bone pain, joint pain, I did good with it. I felt like I was in control, but the last three months of that treatment physically and mentally it was just too much. I couldn't go outside and play with my kids. I was in tremendous pain. Those last three months I just kind of folded."

Spencer considers herself blessed to have the support of her husband and the love of her children throughout the ordeal.

"He went to every appointment, sat with me through every surgery, learned lymphedema massage, and was my strength while my kids were my light at the end of the tunnel."

Spencer knows her fight is not over. She goes down to Seattle annually for a mammogram and to check her tumor markers. She remains constantly vigilant, listening to her body and reporting any abnormalities to her doctors.

While Spencer does not talk about her cancer journey often, she does make a point every October to not 'hide behind her scars' but to let those around her see the truth of what she went through.

"Every year in October I take off my prosthetic to show the reality of breast cancer and open a dialogue," said Spencer. "It's just my way of promoting breast cancer awareness. People may look at me funny, but if it opens up a conversation, I will tell my story."

"I tell women to know your body, to follow your gut and if you sense something is wrong, follow up," said Spencer.

Spencer does not consider herself a breast cancer survivor.

"There is no cure for breast cancer. There is never 100% remission. I don't consider myself a survivor, or having beat cancer, every year I go down to there [Seattle] I have to prepare myself."

"I am not a survivor. I am a fighter."