Christy MacDonald’s family has fought breast cancer for several generations. Both her great-grandmother and grandmother had it, and her mother is now a five-year survivor. Given this legacy, Christy began getting an annual mammogram at age 35. Her first two showed nothing unusual, but everything changed last June when her physician found a suspicious spot in her left breast.
To get the clearest, most accurate picture of Christy’s condition, Dr. Archana Ganaraj, breast surgeon at Texas Breast Specialists–Presbyterian Dallas, a part of Texas Oncology, conducted additional, extensive testing that included 3D mammography, ultrasound and high-resolution MRI scanning. Christy also underwent genetic screening to evaluate her risk for any other forms of cancer.
As testing proceeded, Christy became more and more convinced that she had cancer. Her gut instincts were correct. But because it had been detected so early, Christy received some good news as well. Her stage 1A left breast invasive ductal carcinoma was small and had not spread outside her breast tissue. Not only did Christy’s condition look to be very treatable, but the odds were also with her. Women with breast cancer that has not spread outside the breast have a 99 percent survival rate.
Dr. Ganaraj next presented Christy with three treatment options: a lumpectomy, removal of her left breast or a double mastectomy. She elected for the double mastectomy, as she says, “to get this thing out of my body and go on with life.”
Dr. Ganaraj performed Christy’s double mastectomy on Aug. 8 using an innovative technique that allowed her plastic surgeon to begin the first stages of breast reconstruction immediately. “We were able to preserve all of her skin, including her nipples, through bilateral total skinsparing mastectomies with immediate reconstruction—a superior cosmetic outcome,” she says. Early detection also helped spare Christy both chemotherapy and radiation.
Still, her recovery was slow and painful. Her first line of support was always her family: her husband Brent, their two sons, her mom, and her mother-in-law. She also leaned on a vast network of friends willing to help in any way they could.
Since then, Christy has steadily improved. Barely two months following her double mastectomy, she has resumed her career and returned to her daily routine. She and Brent have also started a home remodeling project they had planned before her diagnosis.
In addition to making her fight a bit easier, Christy says that early detection afforded her the opportunity to be more reflective about both her condition and her prognosis. “I’ve learned much about life and about myself since last year,” she says. “Until you’ve gone through something like cancer, you don’t realize how precious life truly is.”
While Christy faced additional reconstructive surgery, and although she knows there’s still reason for concern, she has no time for self-pity. She adds, “I’m here to live another day, and as long as I’m living, family is number one. It’s time to enjoy the hugs.”