Claudia McConnell, a married mother of two girls, is a respiratory therapist. She was diagnosed with breast cancer after a routine mammogram, and further testing showed she has a BRCA2 gene mutation. This is her story in her own words.
I had my first mammogram two years ago, to get a baseline. It was fine. Then two years passed and even though my doctor said I didn’t really need to go again until I was 40, I went ahead and made an appointment. I was 37. I’ve worked in health care for almost 20 years, and it really makes you stay on top of your testing and your routine stuff.
I had just gone in purely for a routine mammogram, I didn’t have any symptoms or signs and I don’t have a family history. Something showed up on the mammogram, so I went back in for further testing. They did a breast ultrasound, and my heart sank. I knew something was not right.
They truly thought it wasn’t cancer, but we decided to go ahead and get a biopsy and sure enough it came back cancer. Those days of waiting were the worst days of my life. I think I got biopsied on a Tuesday and Thursday was when I got the results. I was diagnosed with estrogen and progesterone receptor-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer. It was so emotional. You think the worst automatically.
I got the call from the doctor’s office while I was in the car with my husband and my youngest daughter. I put it on speaker, and she said I’m sorry, you have breast cancer. That’s not how I wanted my younger daughter to hear, but it’s how it happened. I called my mom, we called our pastor and went and just gathered together. It was a really hard day.
It had not spread to my lymph nodes, so I didn’t need chemotherapy or radiation. I decided I wanted to do a double mastectomy, not a lumpectomy. I wanted the cancer out of me, as soon as possible. Waiting to get into doctors was frustrating because it takes time. You need a plastic surgeon, a surgical oncologist, a medical oncologist, etc. I didn’t know all of this.
You get really educated really quickly – you need to know what kind of breast cancer and your treatment options such as, do you need chemotherapy? It’s crazy how quickly you learn all of this. I was fortunate not to have to do chemotherapy, but also, it was hard, because you hear cancer, and you think don’t I need chemo? Between my age and the fact that my grandfather had prostate cancer, they did genetic testing and I have the BRCA2 gene mutation. It was a huge surprise.
I started with Lupron injections (a type of ovarian suppression) and had those monthly in my stomach. It was an easy process, but that put me directly into menopause, which has been a whole other game changer. The side effects from the injections and menopause are something.
I had my double mastectomy in October and then had a hysterectomy in February. This was an easy choice for me. I was already in menopause and with the BRCA2 gene mutation, it just made sense. Now I’m on tamoxifen, for probably 10 years.
For my daughters, my being positive for BRCA2 gene mutation is a huge concern. Passing something genetic on to your kids is terrifying. You feel guilty. But the girls, who are 10 and 15, can’t get tested until they’re 18 and they may choose not to know. But I feel like knowledge is power and I’m thankful to know I have a BRCA gene mutation. I’ve taken out a couple of cancer risks for me, but there’s still the chance of getting melanoma and pancreatic cancer. I’m at higher risk for those. But I know what I need to do, I go to my dermatologist. When I get older, I’ll have my pancreas checked.
I explain to my girls that they would be previvors if they test positive. I’ve tried to explain this to them, but it is scary to have this in your head. They have a 50% chance of having this gene mutation. But I am hopeful, too, because maybe there will be a cure. If they test positive someday, we will tackle it head on. This experience has taught me that I’m capable of really hard things. I want my daughters to remember mom did it and she was strong. We can get past it. I hope they’re negative for an inherited gene mutation, but if they test positive, we’ll tackle it together.
Statements and opinions expressed are that of the individual and do not express the views or opinions of Susan G. Komen. This information is being provided for educational purposes only and is not to be construed as medical advice. Persons with breast cancer should consult their health care provider with specific questions or concerns about their treatment.
