Getting in Survival Fight Mode with Breast Cancer

Donna Jo East’s treatment plan for her complicated form of breast cancer took her far from home. On November 19, 2015, at age 44, she was diagnosed with stage 2B triple positive invasive ductal cell carcinoma, leading her to seek treatment at the top-rated MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. “There I got my treatment plan. I did five months of chemo in Ft. Smith, then had surgery and radiation at MD Anderson.” Donna Jo, her husband, Barry, and daughter Jules, 13, lived in Ft. Smith at the time and now live in Van Buren. During Donna Jo’s six-weeks of radiation, the family rented an apartment in Houston. A triple positive means the breast cancer is estrogen-receptor-positive (ER+), progesterone-receptor-positive (PgR+) and HER2/neu-positive (HER2+). According to author Lynn Eldridge, MD, in her online article “An Overview of Triple-Positive Breast Cancer,” “these cancers appear to act differently than other breast cancers with regard to both cell behavior and the response to treatment.” Donna Jo faced another layer of complexity when she began chemotherapy under the care of Dr. Tony Flippin, her oncologist in Ft. Smith, now retired. He discovered she had a rare genetic disorder called the ATM mutation (Ataxia-Telangiesctasia), a condition that disrupts protein production and increases the risk of breast cancer. It can also cause hypersensitivity to radiation, “so I had to be monitored extra closely during my radiation treatment,” she explained. Jules and Donna Jo’s sister underwent genetic testing at MD Anderson to see if they had the ATM mutation, but fortunately they didn’t. “It can be passed down from father to daughter and can stay hidden throughout the generations.” Recalling the weeks before her diagnosis, Donna Jo says she was working on the computer and “felt a little itch. I scratched there on my chest and thought, ‘Oh, that doesn’t feel right.’ It was a lump.” She had her yearly checkup two weeks later and was told what she felt was a just a change of breast tissue, and “If you can, get a mammogram. There’s no rush.” “I’m a teacher, so I had wait to get an appointment after school.”’ Donna Jo teaches science at Kimmons Junior High in Ft. Smith. “I went for the mammogram and knew that day. I could tell from the reaction of the technician. They told me I needed to see my doctor the next day, and I did. I got a biopsy and my diagnosis. My husband and I were shocked, especially since I’d been told at first there was nothing to worry about! I cried in the doctor’s office, but then I made a decision—OK, we can’t change it so we just have to get in survival fight mode and find out what we need to do, how best we can beat this and keep the most positive mindset that we can.” Donna Jo’s surgeon at MD Anderson, Dr. Barry Feig, did a segmental mastectomy of her right breast, followed by two reconstructive surgeries. As Donna Jo noted, the segmentation “is a little more than a lumpectomy. They take out quite a bit but not enough to be a full-on mastectomy. I had one lymph node involved.” She also had a total hysterectomy. Susan B. Komen was an important part of Donna Jo’s cancer journey. She got involved with the group after finishing radiation in August 2016 and participated in the More Than Pink walk in October. “I didn’t realize the importance of it until afterwards. Seeing the other ladies there that were long-time survivors just gives a person so much hope. I thought, oh, if those ladies did it and they’ve been here 15 years, look what I can do!” She became involved as a volunteer with the Ft. Smith chapter and is on the committee for the walk for the River Valley. “It’s an amazing organization. When you donate money, you know exactly where it’s going. Seventy-five percent of it is staying in NWA and the River Valley. You know it’s going to help people in those areas with gas money, paying for mammograms, helping them get to and from treatment. The other 25 percent goes for research. And with breast cancer, that’s how we’re gonna fight it and win—through research. As we go along, they’re going to find out more and more about this ATM mutation that I have.” Donna Jo and her family received abundant support from friends, family, church and Kimmons school, where she’s taught for 23 years of her 25-year teaching career. “They set up a meal plan for us and brought meals a couple of times a week. My mom was still alive then. She and my dad brought meals to us, too.” Donna Jo is especially grateful for the support shown Jules at her school, St. Boniface. “It’s hard for a 9-year-old to understand what’s going on. It’s a small school, and she had the best teachers. They talked to her and checked on her every day. One of them was a survivor and said, ‘Jules, listen—I had this, too. It was 10-15 years ago and look at me!’ That helped so much.’” Donna Jo stays vigilant with her selfchecks and never misses her biannual checkups at MD Anderson. She said it’s a fight to keep fearful emotions from surfacing. “Unfortunately, that’s just part of it.” She added, “If you or someone you know is fighting breast cancer, you have to advocate for yourself. That’s No. 1. And you have to have that positive attitude or cancer’s going to eat you alive mentally as it does physically.”