Survivor Stories

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Gina Conners
Philadelphia, PA

Gina Conners lives in the Philadelphia area. She shares her story to spread the word about the Breast and Cervical Cancer Treatment Program so that women know that the program is out there and available.

Her Diagnosis

My first diagnosis of breast cancer was in 1997 at the age of 42. My husband had been in treatment for non-Hodgkins lymphoma for the previous year and spent four months in the hospital and three months in rehab. I was so busy taking care of him that I would probably not have taken the time to have a mammogram. But my workplace had brought in Fox Chase Cancer Center's mobile mammography van. I told my boss I was too busy to take advantage of it, but he said, "No. You go out now and get a mammogram." That was a blessing.

Within a month I received notice from Fox Chase that they had found something suspicious on my left breast. A biopsy showed that I had DCIS (ductal carcinoma in situ). I was given several options, and chose a lumpectomy and radiation. The doctors said it was minor and the chances of recurrence were low. I went through it like a robot, in denial. I added breast cancer treatment to my list of things to do. I would get up, go to work, go to radiation, then go home and take care of my husband. I was deep in my husband's illness and trying to keep the ship afloat. I finished radiation in March and he died in July.

Time for Change

One of the things I did after he died was to leave my corporate job as Vice President of Enterprise Solutions, a meeting management company. It was one of those jobs that took up your life with travel, Sunday evening conference calls, and long days. I decided this was not what my life should be about. With a friend, I opened a women's fitness center called Ladies Fit Express.

The second time I was diagnosed was seven years after the first. I went for a mammogram in July 2004 and they saw something on my right side (the opposite breast) and did an ultrasound. Lying on that table, I knew it was back. I felt like I could hear the teardrops hitting the floor.

My doctors recommended a lumpectomy and radiation. I said no. I'm not going to keep on doing this dance. I want bi-lateral mastectomies.

I had great respect for my surgeons and the radiation oncologists, and they all said I was going overboard. I insisted. I also decided I didn't want regular reconstruction with tram flap and didn't want implants. I wanted DIEP (flap breast reconstruction), a newer kind of surgery. I found a doctor in Baltimore who had been doing them for years. I met with the oncology surgeon and he agreed with my doctors here that a lumpectomy and radiation would be adequate, but that given my history, bi-lateral mastectomy was a reasonable decision. Remember, I only had a lump in my one breast. But as long as both breasts would be taken I wanted a biopsy of the other breast. He did that as well as a sentinel node biopsy.

Knowing Yourself

A week after the surgery I learned that not only had they found a tumor in the left breast, but the left lymph node came out positive. What started out as a prophylactic mastectomy on that side turned out to be a lifesaving procedure. One of the messages I share with women is trust your doctors, but trust your instincts too. Listen to your body and listen to what your heart and your soul are telling you. God whispers to us, taps us on the shoulder, and eventually if we still don't listen, He screams in our ear.

My other message is that I had cancer twice and never felt a lump. So yes, breast self-exams are important, but you can't rely solely on that. You can't hang around waiting for a lump to show up. Mammograms are the key.

While I was going through diagnosis and treatment the second time, I lost my business and with that, my insurance coverage. My medical expenses for breast cancer treatment are covered through the Breast and Cervical Cancer Prevention and Treatment Program**.

At this stage I'm still looking for my "new normal." Since all this happened I have asked God many times what my purpose is now. Meanwhile I will continue to tell women to trust your instincts and to have mammograms.

**The Breast and Cervical Cancer Prevention and Treatment Program provides full, free treatment of breast or cervical cancer to uninsured and underinsured women in Pennsylvania. BCCPT is administered through the PA Department of Welfare and funded by Medicaid. More information is available at the FAQ section of the PBCC website. To apply for BCCPT coverage, call 1-800-215-7494.