HEIDELBERG, Germany -- "I didn't think I would be alive to see this day," said Sonja Draught, who marched across the stage with her husband, Damon, to receive their master's degrees together at University of Maryland University College Europe's commencement ceremony May 9.
"It was very emotional, almost spiritual for me because I was so grateful to be alive and healthy. I had worked so hard to reach my goal and to then be faced with death is overwhelming beyond belief."
As many people know, graduating from university is a great accomplishment. Graduating from university with your spouse, juggling the responsibility of two full-time careers, and raising three boys - ages 2, 9 and 15 - is an even greater accomplishment. It was perhaps a miracle then that Sonja Draught was able to graduate at all, albeit a year late.
Sonja actually graduated last year as a member of the class of 2008. She had just completed her degree requirements for a master's in public administration when, on her birthday, Feb. 4, 2008, she was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer.
"I concluded that I was going to die," Sonja said. "I felt sorry for myself for a while then decided that I had too much to fight for and that early detection through self-breast exams had given me a fighting chance to beat this. Many triple negative survivors do beat this and go on to live life to the fullest. I would ask myself, 'Why can't I be one of the ones that make it''"
Technically speaking, "breast cancer (is) generally diagnosed based upon the presence, or lack of, three receptors known to fuel most breast cancers: estrogen receptors, progesterone receptors and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2. The most successful treatments for breast cancer target these receptors," according to the TNBC Foundation.
"Unfortunately, none of these receptors are found in women with triple negative breast cancer," the TNBC Web site said. "In other words, a triple negative breast cancer diagnosis means that the offending tumor is estrogen receptor-negative, progesterone receptor-negative and HER2-negative, thus giving rise to the name triple negative breast cancer."
For that reason, although TNBC usually responds to chemotherapy, the cancerous tumors do not respond to "receptor targeted treatment," making it much more difficult to treat. If that weren't bad enough, TNBC is more aggressive and "more likely to recur than other subtypes of breast cancer."
With that information, Sonja and her family had a choice to make. With her children and husband in mind, Sonja fought back. With a mental, emotional and spiritual tenacity to counter the aggressive TNBC, she fought the cancer with her husband of 16 years and their three boys by her side, as well as with help from her friends, coworkers, and church.
First, she had to get the cancer out of her body. "My husband and I made the personal choice to have a simple mastectomy with no reconstruction and four rounds of (chemotherapy)," she said.
But her battle didn't end there. Although the cancer is now in remission, she continues to have regular checkups, she has completely altered her diet, and she continues to exercise and run.
"I've always exercised, however, in hindsight, my diet was very poor. I was not eating the right foods. It's not about staying slim but about being healthy. "
The boundaries of her battle don't stop with her and her family, though. She started a Web site - www.pinkribbonavenue.com - to help educate women on the importance of early detection of breast cancer and to educate breast cancer survivors on methods to lower the risk of recurrence.
Why a Web site' "Being thousands of miles away from home ...women on breast cancer Web sites are how I gathered the strength to keep going," she said. "Women I never set eyes on gave me encouragement on days I felt I couldn't go on. That solidifies how important these Web sites are for people."
If working full time as a plans specialist for the U.S. Army Garrison Baden-WAfA1/4rttemberg; raising her three boys with her husband, an active-duty Army first sergeant in Mannheim; training for marathons (also with her husband); and starting and maintaining a Web site weren't enough work for a cancer survivor, Sonja also recently completed a novel, "The Changing Season," which will be published soon.
"After having this huge obstacle placed before me, I could give up or get focused," she said. "I decided the latter and, being anointed by my higher power, I have decided to share my story as encouragement for all those interested. Breast cancer will always be a part of my life. The pain and fear are with me every day as I pray to God it does not return."
(Editor's Note: Eric O'Leary works for UMUC Europe).
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