Katina Washington-Levingston: Mammograms do save lives
My name is Katina R. Washington-Levingston. I’m married to my wonderful, loving and supportive husband Joe Levingston, Jr. and have been for 21 years. We have two beautiful, smart, loving and supportive daughters together — Nakina and Ashanti Levingston.
My journey stated January 2016. I went to my scheduled annual exam. When I got into my room I spoke to the nurse and told her that my husband had a concern about a lump in my left breast. The nurse told me not to tell the doctor, if it is anything he will find it. My doctor and nurse came into the room and started my exam. When my doctor was giving me a breast exam he felt the lump. His eyes got so big and he asked if had I noticed a change in my left breast. I told him no but my husband had noticed a lump. He asked how long it had been noticeable and we said not that long and then he asked why I didn’t make an appointment to come in sooner and I said because it is so hard to get in to see him.
As my doctor and nurse got on the phone to schedule my mammogram and biopsy, I felt like it was not anything because I have had mammograms before and I was told to stop drinking caffeine. Since I have done this before, I tried to think the best. But being human, my mind was racing. They entered back into the room and gave me appointment to go get a mammogram in two days. I got the mammogram and the next day I was having the needle biopsy done. I knew that wasn’t good. At this time, I was worried and not very hopeful.
It took five days for my worst fears to be confirmed — a horrible five days. I received a call from my doctor’s nurse to tell me to come in for an appointment because my doctor needed to speak to me and my husband. My husband and I were very afraid to hear the results but we prayed and turned it over to Jesus and went to our appointment. My doctor came into the room and he said to us the biopsy was positive. I had invasive ductal carcinoma. My doctor talk to us about our options and I asked him if I was his wife what would he tell me to do. He told me he’d tell her to have surgery here in Texarkana. My doctor said that his wife just went through what I’m about to experience so he understood.
My doctor made me appointment to go see a surgeon in Texarkana. My husband, my sister-in-law and I went in to see him one week after my appointment with my OBGYN doctor. At our first appointment with the surgeon he went over the slides and mammogram and confirmed that I had Stage I invasive ductal carcinoma. He felt my lymph nodes and did not feel any swelling, so he felt there was no lymph node involvement. We scheduled the lumpectomy six days after my visit.
Everything went as planned. The border came through clear and the lymph node was negative. However, even though my cancer was Stage I, it fell toward the aggressive side.
The best decision that was made from my family and my internal medicine was to go to MD Anderson in Houston, Texas, for a second opinion. We had our first appointment at MD Anderson in April, 2019. At MD Anderson my family and I were introduced to our team. My doctor, my nurse practitioner, my nurse, my counselor, my scheduler and the chemotherapy team. My doctor went over all test results and explained what would happen next. My doctor told me to get up every morning, put on my best clothes, make myself up and go do whatever I could do. He told me to keep doing what I was doing. He told me if my body let me do it then keep doing it. The only thing he told me not to do is run. Swinging my arms was not a good idea right now. My doctor told me that my treatment plan would include chemo and radiation and that I would lose my hair, have some nausea and may have some vomiting.
I lost my hair but my wonderful, beautiful and praying older friends bought me my first wig and my sister-in-law and friend bought me my second wig (which, unfortunately, I could never get used to wearing.) My daughter told me that I was so beautiful without hair and that I should embrace that, so I did. I had to take chemo for one year and while I was still taking chemo I started my radiation treatment. My radiation got very painful after the four week. I also started to get tired and weak at different times of the day. After my radiation treatment I still had five months left of chemo treatment.
My faith and strength in God is what kept me going strong each day. Everyone that was a part of my team from the beginning until now has faith in Jesus Christ. My husband and daughters are the reason I fought each day. They were prayerful and supportive. I have two really good older friends that always prayed for me and were very supportive in every step of my journey. My letter carrier gave me a get well card and said I was a Tough Cookie and that name stuck with me and I made that my Race for the Cure team name. I do feel I am a very “Tough Cookie.”
My journey is never over. It’s a new beginning. My message is that mammograms save lives.