Lessons from a survivor

Lynn Farrow started having mammograms in 1987, after her sister died of breast cancer. In 1991 a radiologist thought he saw something suspicious, but later dismissed it as nothing. Farrow, 53, got scared and stopped having mammograms.

Then she was diagnosed with breast cancer Oct. 6, 2003. She had been having pain and a burning sensation since June. Muscle rub ointment, aspirin and a chiropractor's care seemed to be helping until the pain escalated to a stabbing sensation in her left breast.

"I had pulled my shoulder and thought it was just a stretched muscle. I found out later a thickening in the breast can feel like a stretched muscle,"Farrow said. "I went to a chiropractor who recommended I get a mammogram. I scheduled one, cancelled and then rescheduled.

"I kept remembering my older sister, Gloria Rahkoph, who told me of the burning sensation she had. After she had breast cancer treatment it came back in her neck and she died," said Farrow.

Gender and age are the main risk factors. As age increases, so does the risk of developing breast cancer. In fact, 77 percent of all women who are diagnosed with breast cancer are 50 or older.

Other risk factors include family or personal history of breast cancer, history of certain types of benign breast disease and lifetime exposure to estrogen.

Approximately 215,990 new cases of invasive breast cancer in women were expected to be diagnosed in the United States in 2004; about 1,450 new cases will be diagnosed in men.

Yearly mammograms are recommended starting at age 40 and continuing for as long as a woman is in good health.

Clinical breast examinations should be part of a periodic health exam, about every three years for women in their 20s and 30s, and every year for women 40 and older. Clinical breast exams complement regular mammography screening and is an opportunity for women and their health-care providers to discuss changes in their breasts, risk factors and early detection testing.

Breast cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer death among women, after lung cancer.

"When I was diagnosed I started crying and freaking out. For me at that time cancer was a death sentence. Now I know it isn't. Chemo saved my life," Farrow said.

The form of breast cancer Farrow had was aggressive. She lost her entire breast and two lymph nodes. Chemotherapy was a preventive treatment against future cancer, and she was determined to undergo chemo because of what happened to her sister.

"I remember thinking I'd gained weight because my lymph nodes were swollen. I ignored a lot of things because I didn't want to have cancer," she said.

"The thing that's important is not to be afraid of the mammogram or neglect going because it pinches or hurts or whatever, because if you do have breast cancer you're going to have to go through with it [treatment] anyway, and putting it off is just not a good idea."

Right now Farrow is happy for all her blessings. Her faith has helped her through the ordeal and she feels her purpose is to tell people not to be afraid of cancer or mammograms. "Cancer is not a death sentence. There is life after cancer," said Farrow. She is the children's librarian at Riverside Regional Library.

Support from her family, pastors at St. Paul Lutheran Church, doctors and nurses at Saint Francis Medical Center and Southeast Missouri Hospital, library staff and board members are all people she is thankful for today. Having cancer and surviving has "made me stronger and helped me to find out who my friends are," she said.

Farrow gets checked every couple of months for cancer.

She is looking forward to participating in the upcoming Relay for Life on the Jackson Tire Team. She'll participate in the survivor's walk. "Since having cancer I have met so many people who are survivors," she said.

The relay will be held from 6 p.m. April 29 to 6 a.m. April 30 at Cape County Park North. The public is invited to celebrate survivors, remember loved ones and raise money for the fight against cancer. Campsites of 52 relay teams will be themed around various television shows. For a donation, carnival games, food and beverages will be available. Other activities and entertainment include a live band, silent auction, scavenger hunt and "Midnite Dance Madness."

Last year's fund-raising efforts totalled $107,730. This year's goal is $120,000. Call 334-9197 for more information.