The decision changed her life forever
Like so many of us with the start of the New Year, Tracey Van kerkoerle made a decision to get back into shape. She joined Weight Watchers, started running again, and looked forward the results.
The decision has changed her life forever.
Starting a running routine, meant a return to her running clothes and it was then that she noticed some abnormalities in her left breast. It was tender, there was a rash and there was a lot of pain. As the pain increased, she feared the worst and booked an appointment with her family doctor.
Two days later she found herself at St. Joseph’s Breast Care Centre, having a mammogram, ultrasound and biopsy. Two days after that, she had an appointment for a magnetic resonance imaging test. The very next day, her family doctor called her. With her husband Ed by her side, she learned that she had inflammatory breast cancer.
With three young and very active daughters aged 9 and 11 years, a career as a teacher, a full and happy life with her husband and an ailing mother for whom she was helping to care, the news was devastating.
“My mind was consumed with what ifs?” she says.
Despite the diagnosis, Tracey feels blessed for the care that she has received. “Everyone was very compassionate and sympathetic. I was treated like I was an old friend.”
She recalls how thoughtful Dr. Taves was when it was determined she needed a biopsy. “He came in to talk to me about a biopsy, he asked me if I was alone, and explained the whole process to me, even mimicking the sound that the needle makes, so that I would be familiar with it when it happened. He even offered to stay late to do it for me.”
Although Tracey was on her own, she opted to have the biopsy. Understanding the anxiety Tracey was experiencing, she was given the names of St. Joseph’s nurse navigators, Gillian and Linda, who would be there to answer any of her questions.
She called them the very next morning.
“I love Linda, she is a fantastic woman. She spent a lot of time with me and told me to call whenever I needed. She also urged me to be cautious with my own online research and offered some reputable sites for me to access.”
The next few weeks following Tracey’s diagnosis brought with it a whirl wind of tests and activity. “It was a speedy process, “says Tracey. And within three week of receiving her diagnosis, Tracey had her first chemo therapy session. Her chemotherapy ended in September and in late October Tracey received a mastectomy. Once again, the compassion and concern shown to her by her anesthesiologist, her surgeon and the entire care team – made such an important difference.
Through it all, Tracey’s family and friends have been by her side. From offering play dates for the kids, making meals, to entering teams for the CIBC Run for the Cure and hosting a special “pink martini” night to raise awareness about breast cancer they were right by her side.
Created in the fall of 2010, St. Joseph’s Breast Care Centre brought together all screening, assessment and diagnosis breast care services to St. Joseph’s Hospital. This change is helping to reduce wait times, offer increased support and education from nurse navigators, and provide access to digital imaging equipment. For patients like Tracey, this means less waiting, quicker answers and better care.
Tracey is relieved that her care plan advanced so quickly. She still worries however. “Inflammatory breast cancer has a very low survival rate, and the thought of death always in the back of my mind is extremely difficult,” she says.
Tracey wants to ensure that people become more aware of inflammatory breast cancer, and learn the signs. She believes that knowing what to look out for will make a difference and save lives.
An optimistic spirit along with the tremendous support from her family has made a huge difference in Tracey’s recovery. She continues to be positive about the future.
Your donations in support of the Breast Care Centre, through the Season of Celebration campaign will be used to fund renovations for the centre and be used to purchase the best digital imaging equipment that identifies breast abnormalities, including cancer in their earliest form.
