Meet Our Survivors: Deborah Treadway

[Treads]

From MSAnderdon feature article, 10/18

BY: DEBORAH TREADWAY

“The key is early detection”

Last year, at age 65, I thought my world had stopped. Not me. No. Never. Not possible. I thought this could never happen to me. Hey wait, I’m planning to compete as a swimmer in the Texas Senior Games in April 2018. I’ve just retired so it’s my turn to exercise, travel and have fun. Since my mother didn’t have cancer and lived to the age of 90, I shouldn’t get cancer right?

Then it happened, four days before Christmas in 2017. My oncology team at MD Anderson confirmed my diagnosis: stage 1 invasive lobular breast cancer. Total disbelief. Now what? My life would never be the same.

Discovering my diagnosis

For twenty years, I faithfully got my annual 2D imaging mammograms in Houston. In 2017, I decided to get a 3D mammogram, which was available in Austin. Thank God I did. After a detailed review by their radiologist, she called me into her office. She told me that she saw something suspicious in the films.

“I was diagnosed with invasive lobular cancer”

Can you say rebellious disbelief? But, there’s no symptoms, no lump, no pain! After some discussion we agreed that the next step was to get an ultrasound as soon as possible. The ultrasound confirmed that there was a shadowy image on my right breast. They advised me to get an immediate biopsy. After a long anxious weekend in December, my internist gave me the bad news from the pathology report. It said I had invasive lobular cancer. Within hours, I contacted The University of Texas: MDAnderson in Houston.

I received “gold medal” care by all the staff at MD Anderson. They never lost hope and that helped keep my attitude strong to fight this dreadful disease. I am grateful to all of them.

Deborah Treadway

Breast Cancer Survivor- click on link for rest of article;

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