Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Race for the Cure’s Honorary Survivor still in for the fight of her life
Nicole Bagley has long been aware of the dangers of breast cancer.
When she was 15 years old, her mother, then just 36, was diagnosed with inflammatory breast cancer. A high school sophomore at the time, Bagley witnessed first-hand the toll this deadly disease can take on a victim and a family. Her mother passed away at the age of 40.
Fast forward two decades, the Bentonville resident is now on the verge of her 40th birthday, and also in a fight for her life.
In March of 2012, while watching television with her husband, she simply stretched out her arm. In the process she felt an unusual “tight, pulling sensation” under her arm.
“It just felt like a thickening or a hardening,” Bagley recalls. “It wasn’t like a pea or marble, like sometimes you hear, and I had no pain.”
Although she immediately became concerned, she kept the discovery to herself for a couple of days, hoping that was nothing, and would simply go away. When it remained, she began to ask questions.
“Then I told my husband and he could feel it,” Bagley said. “Then I went to the doctor and he could feel it. Then I was like, oh no. At that point I knew it wasn’t just in my head, but it was real.”
When she went in for a mammogram, she wasn’t expecting to get any immediate feedback.
“They had told me that they would do an ultrasound if they saw something on my mammogram,” she said. “Then, right after the appointment they told me that they needed to do an ultrasound. Again, I was like, oh no.”
She was informed that the mammogram results were “highly suspicious” for cancer. A following biopsy confirmed the diagnosis: Stage 3 breast cancer.
The emotional roller-coaster then ensued for the entire Bagley family, fluctuating between fear and hope.
At first, the hope was that the cancer could be removed with surgery, but it had spread to her lymph nodes, which would ultimately require chemotherapy, radiation and a double
“There were definitely some bumps along the road,” Bagley said. “It just seemed like it was getting worse and worse.”
But the procedures were seemingly successful, as Bagley appeared free of cancer after her final reconstructive surgery in May of 2013.
“They don’t actually consider you to be cancer-free until you hit your five-year mark, and my five-year mark would have been earlier this month,” Bagley said. “I thought it was going to be like a big celebration, but I didn’t quite make it to five years.”
Bagley began participating in the Race for the Cure the following spring of 2014, grateful to be a survivor and help raise money and bring awareness to the cause. For the next three years, she went to her doctor for regular six-month checkups. Everything seemed to be clear until last October.
After a routine blood test, her doctor informed her that the results showed irregularities. A scan of her body then revealed Stage 4 cancer on her spine (L-1).
Another scan in January showed something on her left lung, although that remains undetermined at this time. She is currently getting monthly injections and taking an an oral chemotherapy treatment, called Ibrance, which is three weeks on treatment, then one week off of it. She will have another scan in May that should be more conclusive as to what the prognosis is.
With her cancer being estrogen positive, hopes are that the medication will “starve” it and put it into remission.
“When the Komen ladies asked me to be this year’s honorary survivor, I didn’t even have to think about it, I let them know that whatever they needed I was willing to help.”
“Stage 4 breast cancer means it has metastasized to the bone, so this next scan should tell us if it is shrinking, acting up, or what the situation is,” Bagley said. “If it is growing again, there are several other treatment options available. Possibly trying other medications to see if one can stop the growth.”
For her valiant battle, the Susan G. Komen Foundation has asked Bagley to be the 2017 “Survivor of the Year” at the upcoming Race for the Cure. It is a honor she truly cherishes.
“When the Komen ladies asked me to be this year’s honorary survivor, I didn’t even have to think about it,” she said with a big smile. “I let them know that whatever they needed I was willing to help, because if it helps somebody else become aware, then I’m doing my duty.
“Obviously I am worried about my children and the gene being passed on to them. There is a dire need for more research.”
The Bagley children — daughter, McKenna, 14, and two sons, Kyler, 11, and Koen, 8 — have all been tested and show no signs of the cancer gene so far.
Bagley still tries to live an normal life, working part-time and staying active in an number of cancer-fighting organizations. She is involved in programs through Cancer Resources, The Buddy Project through Highlands Oncology, and the Young Survival Coalition, which is for patients under 40.
She tries to stay positive everyday, which has been a big help to her family, especially Mike, her husband of 14 years.
“It’s obviously challenging, but Nicole’s positive approach to it has definitely helped the entire family deal with it,” Mike Bagley said. “Seeing how strong she has been definitely gives us strength as well. It’s just an everyday battle, but she truly is amazing.”
Statistically, those with Stage 4 breast cancer have a 30 percent chance of surviving more that three years, with an average life expectancy of around 33 months. Bagley makes an effort to to think about those numbers and continue concentration of the positive facts of life.
But things can always be worse, and I never doubt that,” Bagley said. “It’s all about your attitude. If you want to lay in bed and feel sorry for yourself, it will just keep dragging you down.
“We are just rolling with the punches and seeing what comes our way. Now, we are just making memories and living life to the fullest. And we are making 2017 the best year yet.”
And the conversation ends with a broad, genuine smile.