The mammogram that saved her life
Annual breast cancer fundraiser this Sunday at City Park
It was the most important mammogram of her life – and one Sharon Leveque could easily have skipped.
“I had mammograms for years,” she said, “but in 1999, at the age of 57, I was about to retire so I delayed my mammogram because I was so busy finishing things up at the office.”
As the director of volunteer services at Kelowna General Hospital, Leveque knew all about the medical world of bad news so when she was called back for a second mammogram, she knew there was an issue.
“I wasn’t terrified, but I was ticked off,” she said with a small smile. “I was getting ready for retirement, and there was the call. They don’t ask you to come back for a second mammogram for no reason. So I thought, oh gosh, here it comes.”
Leveque’s results revealed three lumps in her right breast; three lumps, three different types of cancer. Today she credits that mammogram for saving her life.
“Even when I went to see the surgeon after the diagnosis, he could barely feel the lumps because they were so deeply imbedded in my right breast,” she said, knowing she would never have found the lumps herself. “So thank goodness for mammograms.”
Leveque is part of the Bust n’ Loose dragon boat team, a group of breast cancer survivors that each year raises money for the CIBC Run for the Cure. The Run for the Cure is Canada’s largest single-day, volunteer-led event dedicated to raising funds for breast cancer research, education, and advocacy programs.
Last year in 66 communities across Canada, 130,000 participants raised $27 million for the breast cancer cause.
“After you get over the announcement that you have the C word, then you have to move on,” she said. “I had a lumpectomy, but they found some cancer in my lymph nodes so I needed chemotherapy.”
Leveque’s cancer story doesn’t end there. Ten years later, she was diagnosed with endometrial cancer.
“It was absolutely devastating to me,” she said. “I had to have a hysterectomy, but they didn’t do that surgery here so I went to Vancouver, and was the first woman in Western Canada to have robotic surgery. It’s a great big machine with seven arms on it and it’s called Jack (after the late B.C. philanthropist Jack Poole).”
Leveque said through the whole process of being treated for her two different types of cancer, she always tried to keep a sense of humour and a positive attitude. Her advice to all new cancer patients is to demand information, and keep asking questions.
“You really have to be aware of everything around you. Attitude is huge,” she said adamantly. “I had three different types of cancer in my breast so I demanded some education about it, and I got it.”
She also advises patients to lean on their support team.
“Your loved ones, friends and family are very important, but they often cannot accept your diagnosis, so help them,” she smiled. “If you need a meal, ask for it. If you need a ride, ask for it. If you want to go for coffee, ask them to meet you. They will be so happy they can help.”
She added that her Bust n’ Loose teammates were a big boost.
“Those ladies are just fantastic – so many who have had different types of breast cancer, so many different types of treatments, and different types of reconstruction. There is always someone to talk to about it.”
The breast cancer statistics are scary: one in nine Canadian women will develop breast cancer and one in 29 will die of it.
This year, the CIBC Run for the Cure will be held on Sunday at Kelowna City Park.
“There’s no excuse for not knowing about this event,” says Leveque. “It’s so important. Participate and raise as much as you can. Or simply support it.”
You can register, donate or read more information about the event at runforthecure.com.
Celebrating her 49th wedding anniversary this month at the age of 72, Leveque says she counts each day as a blessing.
“I pray that we will find a cure soon,” she says seriously. “I’m not sure that it will happen in my lifetime, but I pray we will find a cure soon.”