Published: October 28, 2009 11:02 pm      

Breast cancer survivor encourages women to get checked

Jane Mitchell’s instinct to have a lump she found above her breast removed, even though her doctor said it was harmless, probably saved her life.

She first found the lump on a Saturday morning in 1985, doing a self-exam before she got out of bed. She felt a large lump above her right breast that had not been there before, about the size of a half dollar.

That Monday, she saw her doctor, who told her, “it’s nothing to worry about, it’s just fatty tissue.”

A year later, the lump was still there, and when she saw her doctor again, she insisted it come out, saying “it’s emotionally driving me crazy, I want it out.”

Her doctor said it was not necessary, but sent her to a surgeon, who removed the lump and sent it to be biopsied.

Several days later, she learned the large lump was benign, but there had been a smaller lump hiding behind it, and it was malignant.

“I feel today if I had not insisted on having that lump out, I would not be here,” Mitchell said. “Something in my mind said ‘Get it out.’”

She had six weeks of radiation at St. Joseph Hospital and a lumpectomy, and has been in remission for 23 years.

Mitchell, who lives on the southwestern edge of Kokomo, is an advocate for breast self-exams, and reminds women to take the time to do one every month. She is also an advocate of yearly mammograms, and also tells women to trust their instincts.

“Even if your doctor says ‘You have a lump and it’s nothing to worry about,’ get a second opinion,” she said.

Mitchell continues to do monthly self-exams, but has never found another lump in her breast. She also is checked three times during the year by three doctors, for any signs the cancer has returned. She had reconstructive surgery on her right breast in 2001, having a silicon implant to make it the same size as her other breast.

“I held my breath for five years,” she said, because when someone survives five years, he or she is considered to be cured.

Now 64, she worries about her daughter, who is 41, the age Mitchell was when her cancer was discovered. Her daughter had her baseline mammogram early and is checked every six months.

She said her daughter, Stacy Smith, gets regular mammograms and check-ups, and has not had any signs of cancer.

She also worries about her sisters, Mitchell said. She is one of four sisters, and her sister Diana found she had breast cancer nine years ago.

“No one in our whole family that we know of has ever had breast cancer,” other than herself and Diana, Mitchell said. “The doctors can’t explain it.”

Her daughter also asked Mitchell to participate in a genetic study, to see if she has a mutation in a gene that would cause a genetic form of breast cancer. Those results came back negative.

Mitchell said, as a survivor, she participates in Relay for Life, and is moved by walking in the survivor’s lap.

She found a new way to show her support for breast cancer research a few years ago at Relay for Life, where she saw a pink wheelbarrow full of tools, which were also painted pink, available for a donation. She needed a shovel anyway and bought one. After having several comments from people who saw it hanging in her garage, “I thought, ‘I’m going to paint some of my other tools pink, too.” Then she painted her rusty old wheelbarrow pink.

Her biggest painted item is her lawnmower. She bought it used from her son Don’s auction house in West Middleton. It was old and dirty, and when she started cleaning it with her power washer, she noticed it had rust spots on it. She decided rather than repainting it in its original green, she would paint it pink to match the rest of her tools.

“Now my neighbors laugh at me, but I don’t care,” Mitchell said. She hopes maybe when women see her mowing on her pink mower, it’s a reminder to do a self-exam or get a mammogram.

As a 23-year survivor, she’s seen changes in the ways breast cancer is detected and treated. When she was diagnosed, it took several days to receive mammogram results. Now, with advances in digital mammography, results are available right away. Mitchell said, though, mammograms are still uncomfortable, but worth the discomfort.

Women also feel more positive about their chances of survival now than in 1986, she said.

“Women felt like it was a death sentence. Today I don’t think they feel that way, and they shouldn’t.”

Mitchell said being a cancer survivor has changed her life.

“I really appreciate everything I have instead of taking it for granted. I truly believe God saved my life. He’s the one who kept saying in my ear, ‘Get it taken out.’ Every day is a gift.”

• Danielle Rush is the Kokomo Tribune education reporter. She can be reached at 765-454-8585 or danielle.rush@kokomotribune.com.