Rose Sajuan

It was May 1996 when something put it in my mind to make an appointment to have a mammogram. I realized I had not had a mammogram done in five years, since the age of 40. I decided to make my appointment at Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA) at Midwestern Regional Medical Center (Midwestern) in Zion, Illinois. I figured they are a cancer center, so it would be a great place to have the mammogram done there. Also, my mother had been a patient there. I saw the good care Midwestern gave my mother.

A week after my mammogram, I had an appointment with my regular doctor, Dr. Vashi. It hadn't even slipped my mind that I had the mammogram, but she had the results and she said, “There’s something here and we have to send you for a biopsy.” That was on a Saturday. Everything happened very fast after that.

The following Tuesday, I had a biopsy performed at Midwestern. The day after the biopsy, I went back to meet with Dr. Sanchez. He asked, “Where is your husband?” I told him my husband was home sleeping. Once he asked about my husband, I kind of knew something was up. But I asked him to just tell me the results. Dr. Sanchez said, “It’s cancer.”

I had so many emotions. All I could think about was wanting to see my three grandchildren grow up. The first place I went after leaving Dr. Sanchez was to my mother’s house. My mother was a pillar of strength. She built me up.

My daughter lives in my town, and my youngest son was home. But my middle son would be coming home in a few days from Fort Campbell, Kentucky. I decided to wait and tell my children all together. That Friday, my son Michael got home and I sat all the children down and told them about the cancer. Around that time, my uncle had also come to visit from Puerto Rico. It seemed all of the support I was going to need was being sent to me. At that point, all I could think about was getting well.

The doctors at Midwestern said the cancer had infiltrated, and based on where it was positioned, a mastectomy would be the best course of treatment. When I asked the doctors about having my family included in the treatment decisions, they said, “By all means! We want them there.” They allowed my children to be part of all the discussions and decision-making. That meant a lot to me because I don’t keep anything from my children.

The doctors answered all of my family’s questions. There wasn’t any “push-push” to make decisions and everything was explained to a tee. I also remembered the wonderful care Midwestern gave to my mother when she was there. I had complete confidence in the doctors. And, my heart told me it was OK.

The Tuesday after my biopsy, I had the mastectomy performed. It was the day after the Memorial Day holiday.

The care I received at Midwestern before, during and after my mastectomy was excellent. I was in the hospital for three days after my surgery. There were some hard times during my recuperation. I developed an allergic reaction to the medication, but there were nurses everywhere making sure I was taken care of.

Overall, though, things went better than expected. Dr. Sanchez was my regular surgeon. I had never experienced such good care. I felt very comfortable and knew I was in good hands. The surgeons warned me in the beginning that I might not have any feeling in my arm pits after the mastectomy. I was numb in the beginning, but now it’s not numb. Even now the doctors are amazed that my scarring is very limited. After my mastectomy, I began chemotherapy treatments at Midwestern. That was about two months after my surgery.

During my treatment at Midwestern, there were always people I could talk to. From the cooks in the kitchen to the limousine driver, the staff filled me with inspiration and hope. If you needed something and they didn’t have it, the staff would go out of their way to get it for you.

I’ve heard Mr. Richard Stephenson, the founder of CTCA, talk about the Mother Standard^® of care. Mr. Stephenson wants CTCA staff members to take care of every patient as if they were their own mothers. Well, at CTCA they do that.

I had seven chemotherapy treatments at Midwestern. After the chemotherapy, I went back to the doctors every three months for checkups. Thankfully, everything kept showing up fine.

I was also helped by the spiritual aspect of CTCA’s care program. The center has many workshops on spiritual aspects of coping with illness. I took advantage of many of them. After I had the mastectomy, the nurses brought me a cassette tape on pain management too.

The tape had recorded music to help calm me, along with deep breathing exercises. It was very soothing. There was another tape on visualization that really helped me. The tapes were so good in helping me deal with the pain that my husband kept me supplied with batteries! I felt so positive about my prognosis after the surgery and chemotherapy, that two days after Christmas, I had my breast reconstruction surgery.

When I was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 1996, I met another patient at CTCA who was celebrating five years of being cancer free. CTCA has a wonderful Celebrate Life ceremony for patients who survive five years cancer free. I attended Celebrate Life that year and watched her plant a tree in honor of her achievement. At that time, I told myself, “Ï will live to see myself at my celebration.”

Well, in 2001, I reached my milestone of five years cancer free! I attended my own Celebrate Life ceremony with other cancer survivors. I planted a tree of life and had my name put on a beautiful plaque. What an awesome day to know I had reached my goal! It was incredible. My youngest son, who was stationed at nearby Fort Sheridan, was able to attend my ceremony. To see my son there dressed in military garb was awesome. My husband was there, along with two of my best girlfriends. My regular doctor, Dr. Vashi, was also there, and I was able to thank everyone who helped me.

My first concern when diagnosed was seeing my three grandchildren grow up. Today, I have six grandchildren and a great-granddaughter.

I know that God’s the real star of this story, but if it weren’t for God, the doctors at CTCA wouldn’t be able to do what they do. Today, I feel great and never miss an opportunity to tell people about the wonderful care at CTCA.

April 11, 2008

As of this May, I will be a 12-year survivor of breast cancer. Since I first wrote my story, I have enjoyed traveling to Italy twice to visit my son Andre and his family while he was stationed there for the Army. Both of my sons have done tours in Iraq. At the present time, my youngest, Andre, is deployed in Iraq. The picture above is of Andre (left), Michael and I on the day Andre left for Iraq in October 2007.

It has been a challenging time these past two years, but the same faith I had when I was a patient is now there for my sons.

I am a Cancer Fighter for CTCA. I’ve been involved in some great Cancer Fighter events and initiatives, including participating with a team of Cancer Fighters at the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life in Waukegan, Illinois. We also mailed special letters to the soldiers in Iraq twice. I am also assisting with the CTCA Patient-to-Patient program for new patients. It’s very fulfilling.

My joy and support are my family. I am so glad that I continue to enjoy life thanks to CTCA and the care I received there. I look forward to seeing my son return from Iraq and reuniting with our family. As I have stated before, God is the real star of this story, and I am his servant. Thank you CTCA!

Breast Cancer