Carry Me Through: A Survivor’s Story

My journey started when I found a lump in my breast and decided to ask my doctor about it.

On April 1^st, 2022, I was just entering the change room at Thermëa when I got the call from my family doctor, confirming that it was breast cancer. It was definitely not the relaxing day I had planned for! When I first received my diagnosis, I was scared and anxious, unsure what the plan would be or what to expect. I am grateful for my faith in God. He gave me peace, hope, and joy to help pull me through one of the most difficult times of my life. The poem, Footprints, sums up how I literally felt carried through treatment. This is the last verse of the poem:

“My precious child, I love you and will never leave you
Never, ever, during your trials and testings.
When you saw only one set of footprints,
It was then that I carried you.”

What followed was several appointments with surgeons and doctors to discuss my options for Stage 2B, ER/PR +, Her2- breast cancer. All of these letters and numbers that helped to decide the treatment process recommended. The first step in the process was surgery. I underwent sentinel node dissection, and a mastectomy with immediate reconstruction. After taking time to heal, I then had 6 rounds of chemotherapy. This meant chemo treatment every 3 weeks. The first week was the toughest of each round. As the weeks progressed, so did the fatigue. A few weeks after chemo was completed, I did 25 rounds of radiation. I travelled by myself to Winnipeg each day for treatment for what ended up being a little more than 5 weeks. My treatments fell around Christmas and New Year’s so the treatment ended up being spread out further due to holiday closures. I was grateful for this as it allowed my skin more time to heal and gave me more time to deal with the fatigue. The last step of my active treatment is hormone therapy which I will continue for a minimum of 5 years to reduce a risk of reoccurrence.

Today I find hope in hearing other people’s stories of healing, survivorship, and of being able to move forward. If I were to offer one piece of advice and encouragement to someone facing a new diagnosis it would be that support is important!  For someone going through cancer, the support can’t just be your family and friends. They are experiencing it too, just differently. Specific cancer programs and support groups will help you get through it.

My advice for those that hear about someone’s cancer diagnosis, especially if you know them, is to do something tangible for them!  When they are recovering from surgery, and during and after treatments, their body requires lots of energy to heal. Some suggestions are to send them a funny meme, write a letter, send a text, send a care package, drop off flowers, bring baking, visit with them, drop off groceries, make a meal, shovel snow or cut their grass. Sometimes even a high five, gentle touch or a hug. Cancer isn’t contagious! Don’t ask, just do. Anything you can do to help is appreciated. You may be the only one that reaches out. Even if they do have family, their family needs a break too!

I am grateful for my family and all the doctors, nurses, and support people along my journey. I am especially grateful for research and the ladies that went before me to help the doctors figure out best practices for treatments for me and many others.

I am determined to live my best life by giving back whenever I can, being physically active, and embracing all the opportunities that come my way! 

With joy and gratitude,

Trina Wall