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Resolute cancer survivor inspires many with journey

News & Advance - 4/23/2017

Christine Kennedy vividly remembers watching the news about two years ago when health officials announced a change in recommendations for mammograms.

Instead of starting the annual screening at age 40, women of average risk for breast cancer could choose to wait until age 45. Kennedy recalled thinking "Sweet, I've got another five years."

"That was going to be my plan," she said. "It doesn't run in my family. ... Basically nobody in my family has ever had breast cancer or any kind of cancer, for that matter, other than melanoma."

The 42-year-old is now recovering from a bi-lateral mastectomy after the mammogram she initially decided to put off detected breast cancer.

Kennedy is the chief operating officer/executive vice president of the Lynchburg Regional Business Alliance. A type-A personality who always is on the go, her recovery has been a challenge to her patience.

Kennedy began to rethink waiting until age 45 for her first mammogram after meeting with her life insurance agent to review her coverage.

"We had talked about long-term disability, that was the one type of insurance I didn't have, so I said 'What are you seeing the most of these days?' and his answer to me was 'Honestly, Christine, what I see the most of is breast cancer,'" she said. "That was kind of like my, I would say, gut check, just women's intuition, I guess."

She knew she would be asked about breast cancer screenings when she went for her annual gynecological exam in January so she decided to schedule her first mammogram for Dec. 22.

About a week after that screening, the mammography center called Kennedy and asked her to return for an additional screening. So on Dec. 28, she returned for a second mammogram, followed by an ultrasound.

"I was told at the time that I had some tissue that looked cancerous, and I asked the question 'What are the chances based on all the scans you read all the time that this is probably going to be cancer?'"

The technician told Kennedy there was a 95 percent chance, based off the scan, that she had cancer.

"So I went home that day kind of knowing what I was looking at," she said.

A biopsy was set for Jan. 9, revealing Kennedy had ductal carcinoma in situ, which is a form of breast cancer in the duct. That, in a sense, was a bit of good news, as the cancer was contained in the duct and, most importantly, curable.

"So when you go through every kind of emotion you can go through, the what if's, but to get the reassurance that even though this is cancer, I got a diagnosis that many people don't get," Kennedy said. "I had a fairly positive outcome in terms of a diagnosis."

Kennedy has kept a blog, www.livesanctuary.com, where she has chronicled her journey.

"A cancer diagnosis changes things," she wrote in one post. "It changes dreams, hopes and plans. It changes what you consider to be important. It changes how you view life. But, cancer isn't the only thing that brings about change....None of us is immune to hardships. It's what we choose to do with these that matters."

The diagnosis left her husband, Jason Kennedy with a "bottomless pit" of questions.

"Is there an end to this? Will I be moving forward by myself? What are the side effects? Is Christine going to make it through this?" Jason Kennedy wrote in an email.

After a lot of research and soul searching, Kennedy chose a bi-lateral mastectomy, which was performed on Feb. 15.

That isn't the recommended course of treatment for this type of cancer. Doctors typically recommend a lumpectomy to remove the cancerous duct, which in Kennedy's case was about four centimeters, followed by radiation treatments and use of a hormone-blocking drug for five years.

Kennedy set to work researching the effects of the treatment and the possibility of the cancer's return. She looked into clinical trials. She talked with people who had radiation treatment and studied the side effects of the hormone blocking medication, such as headaches, fatigue, nausea, and even an increased risk of endometrial cancer.

She talked with her oncologist, and spoke with the surgeon, who walked her through scenarios ranging from the lumpectomy to a mastectomy to the double, or bi-lateral, mastectomy.

Kennedy decided to have the double mastectomy to avoid the side effects that accompany radiation treatment and the hormone blocking drug, and because it reduced the probability of cancer's return by 99 percent.

"For some people, this seems like a way radical way to go but, for my peace of mind, I would rather not have cancer return and have a more invasive procedure," she said.

After the surgeon walked Kennedy and her husband through the treatment options, the surgeon stepped out of the room for a moment.

"My husband and I looked at each other and we just knew," Kennedy said. "It was a peace. I left there feeling like it was Christmas morning, and that's odd to say but it was, because I felt like I had a peace that doesn't come from anywhere else other than God. I knew the course of action I wanted to take; my husband knew it and we felt like we had a treatment plan that gave me a new lease on life."

Jason Kennedy said he came to a peace with his wife's diagnosis and her chosen treatment through his faith in Christ.

"Without Him having my back, I would not be to get through this," he wrote. "There are so many things in life that keep you busy, you have to realize where you are in life; get past those problems and influences and move forward knowing that you have a bride of 20 years that will overcome any of these difficulties. We know there is a higher calling for what has interrupted our lives. How are we to help others without first going through and understanding our own difficulty?"

Kennedy said she scheduled the surgery and"I haven't looked back since. It was the best decision and I feel great. Have I had to recover? Absolutely."

Kennedy remembers sitting in the waiting room for an ultrasound to check on how her body was healing following the surgery.

"I was sitting in the same waiting room that I sat in to wait to get my second mammogram and ultrasound with women that were waiting for the same thing and there was a panic on their faces," Kennedy said. "I can remember one woman sitting there saying 'I don't think I want to know. I think I just want to go home.'"

That opened up a conversation among the women waiting there.

"'No, no you don't want to go home,'" Kennedy recalled telling the woman. "'You have children and if you get the test results back today that say you have cancer, you have a chance to still be a mom. You can fight. You can't fix what you don't know.'

"You are meant to be used and to share your life with others. You don't get to live it full out and you don't get to share it if you don't get a diagnosis."

The healing time for a double mastectomy takes at least six weeks of being immobile. Kennedy said she couldn't lift more than two pounds and was restricted to 30 minutes per day of emailing or texting because those little movements inhibited healing.

"I was walking about a mile about a week and a half after the surgery, and then you go back in and the surgeon says that little bit of jarring that your arms are doing as you walk is probably too much so you are going to need to sit in a chair and not do that for awhile."

Kennedy admitted she was going a bit stir-crazy. Adult coloring books were out. So were crosswords. She's had to be careful about reading since turning the pages can be damaging. And she wasn't allowed to drive.

"I've been doing a lot of talking in the recorder and transcribing my blog so that I can process as I write, so I'm still doing that. I'm just finding ways to cheat and not use my arms," Kennedy said. "I've watched every single episode of 'Fixer Upper' on HGTV.

"I've just learned to be still and to allow the healing process and in doing that, that's been my motivation because the more I follow the rules, the sooner I get back to work."

Kennedy said she was used to being a caretaker and being strong and self-sufficient, and throughout this process, she has had to learn to depend on others.

"It's not a sign of weakness to let other people bless you, and let other people use their gifts to help you," she said. "... It's humbling and it's hard....Don't isolate. Allow those to come around you and help, to do for you."

One of those blessings came to Kennedy in the form of a care package from the Faithfully Bold Movement. Founded by Nicole Lowes and her sister-in-law Lisa Lowes, the non-profit began as a way to help people by providing things that helped Nicole Lowes through her cancer treatment and Lisa Lowes through the loss of her baby.

"Through our tragedy, we wanted to help others who are going through their own tragedy," Nicole Lowes said. "We gathered ideas of what helped us and gave us comfort and then sent them out to others."

The organization sent about 500 care packages, roughly five per week, in 2016, Nicole Lowes said. Companies have come on board to help, such as Trader Joe's, which donated ginger products to help cancer patients with the nausea that comes with chemotherapy.

The care packages are free, tailored to the individual and include three types of items - things that address emotional needs, things of practical assistance, and something to educate. Each package consists of 20 to 30 items.

Nicole Lowes is a breast cancer survivor who also underwent a double mastectomy.

"It's hard when you have cancer and you're working and trying to be a mother," said Nicole Lowes, who is preparing for her sixth surgery. "Just because I got cancer doesn't mean I can put my life on hold to go through these surgeries. I have to maintain all these balls I'm trying to juggle. It's tricky. I needed support and I had support. Some people don't."

The care packages are sent on a referral basis through the website, www.faithfullyboldmovement.com. All that is needed is a name, address and a little bit of basic information about where the patient is in their journey.

After her six weeks of recovery time, Kennedy returned to work. Her final reconstruction surgery is set for May 24.

Kennedy has spoken with many women who experienced similar diagnoses since she learned she had cancer. Some chose to have a lumpectomy, radiation and the hormone blocker and have been cancer-free for 15 years.

"I know other women, who I met sitting in the doctor's office waiting to meet with my oncologist, who are there on their second diagnosis of breast cancer, so everyone's path is different," Kennedy said. "Every woman has their own intuition and can make their own decisions, and I, for me, I have peace in the decision I made and I still do.

"...Trust your intuition and when in doubt, go to get your mammogram because if I had waited, you and I could be sitting here having a very different discussion. I could be going through chemo and radiation. I might not even be here talking to you. So I would tell anybody nowadays, don't wait.

"At the end of the day, get your mammogram. Know your genetic history. Take care of yourself. At the end of the day, take care of yourself."

"You are meant to be used and to share your life with others. You don't get to live it full out and you don't get to share it if you don't get a diagnosis."

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