When Mardi was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2009, she had one very important supporter – her mother, who was dealing with ovarian cancer.

Because of the history of ovarian and breast cancer in her family, Mardi was always vigilant about annual checkups and self-exams. She had her first breast biopsy, which turned out to be benign, at the age of 30.

At age 39 she started having annual screening mammograms, and in 2008 because some new calcifications showed in her right breast, she had a stereotactic vacuum-assisted needle biopsy at the Rose Breast Center. The calcifications were removed and were benign.

At the Rose Breast Center, the standard is to follow benign biopsies with a mammogram 6 months later. So when Mardi returned for her mammogram, there was an unpleasant surprise – another mass had developed. Mardi’s radiologist, Dr. John Lewin, immediately took her to ultrasound and performed an ultrasound-guided core needle biopsy. The result was what everyone had feared – breast cancer.

“I wasn’t really surprised, because I had had so many weird mammograms and ultrasounds,” Mardi says.

Mardi chose Dr. Joyce Moore as her breast surgeon and Dr. Scot Sedlacek as her oncologist. They ordered a breast MRI because in about 3% of cases, it will show an unsuspected cancer in the other breast. That is what happened in Mardi’s case, which means she had bilateral breast cancer.

“That was one of the few times that I was really anxious,” Mardi says. “When they told me they found something in the other breast, I was afraid it meant the cancer had spread. It turned out it hadn’t- it was a separate cancer.”

Mardi chose to have a double mastectomy with reconstruction. Because breast and ovarian cancer run together in families, Mardi also had her ovaries removed.

During that time, Mardi leaned on her family and friends for support.

“With my mom having ovarian cancer, mine seemed like a walk in the park compared to hers – we’d all been through it before,” Mardi said. “I think that my cancer was harder on my mom, and her cancer was harder on me.”

Mardi did find her mother’s guidance helpful and turned to her for advice on how to cope.

“My mom went to physical therapy, and now I’m doing the same thing,” Mardi said. “She also was doing a lot of things with nutrition, and I needed to do the same. It was helpful to talk to my mom, who had already been down this path. I felt a little less like I was going into uncharted territories.”

Mardi said that the experience taught her to take control of her own health, and utilize her support system of friends and family.

“I found that the more people I talked to, including my mom, the more helpful it was. Sharing with people who had been through this already gave me information that I needed,” she said. “I kept a notebook of questions and observations that I would take with me to all of my appointments.”

Mardi is still dealing with the aftereffects of cancer, including surgical menopause.

“I’ve learned that recovering is an ongoing process,” she said. “I get one thing under control, then something else happens. What’s important is to stay positive and make sure that you’re doing something with your life that you enjoy.”

Mardi hopes to use her experiences to coach and counsel other women who might be going through a similar situation.

“I want to help women learn how to advocate for their health,” Mardi explains. “It’s very important that you have a doctor that you trust, and that feel comfortable enough to ask questions. I also think mobilizing a support system is key. The more people I talked to who had been through it the more helpful it was.”

The Rose “Surviving Well” Calendar is a 15-month calendar highlighting our cancer services, physicians, and some inspirational stories from our patients. Mardi is our survivor for October 2010, which is also Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Click here to sign up to receive your FREE copy of the calendar.