DESCRIPTION
Susan Svoboda was accustomed to going in for her mammogram every November. She enjoyed a healthy lifestyle, which included running 65 half marathons. But in late 2021, after her mammogram, she was called to return to the doctor’s office. After scans and a biopsy, she was diagnosed with Stage 1-2 invasive ductal carcinoma.
Given her healthy routine, Susan was shocked, but she quickly had to turn her attention to her treatment. In 2022, she underwent a successful lumpectomy. Because of the location of the lump, and her low Oncotype DX score, the oncologist told Susan she would not have to undergo chemotherapy. Instead, she would need to get radiation treatment, 15 rounds over three weeks; but her oncologist also suggested her regimen include estrogen inhibitor pills for the next five years.
Susan consulted reading materials and talked to numerous women who had tried the pills. All of them had something to say that helped her to make the difficult decision to refuse the estrogen inhibitors.
Susan Svoboda found her way to survivorship. She says that while she doesn’t do half marathons, she still some light running and goes walking every day. Her journey inspired her to spend 2022 writing a book, “I Hate The Color Pink.” She says the satisfaction that comes from writing the book is its spreading a message of information and hope.
By way of advise, Susan advises women to get their mammograms and when dealing with doctors to ask questions, lots of questions.
Addition Resources:
Susan Book, available on Amazon: “I Hate The Color Pink”
TRANSCRIPT
Bruce Morton: Greetings. This is the Cancer Interviews podcast, and I’m your host, Bruce Morton. Our guest on this episode is a portrait of what it’s like for one to address her or his cancer journey with energy and passion, and to bring that energy and passion to others experiencing a cancer journey. She is Susan Svoboda of North Tustin, California, a survivor of hormone-positive breast cancer, and an author. Prepare to be inspired. Here she is, and Susan, welcome to Cancer Interviews.
Susan Svoboda: Thank you. I am happy to be here.
BM: Susan, all of us who have survived experienced that point in time when our health went from normal to abnormal. Let’s start off by having you share with us when and how that occurred.
SS: In November of 2021, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. This came after a very healthy life up until that point. Tonsils out at 16 and gave birth to two kids in the 80s without aspirin. This hit me hard. I was faithful with my November mammograms every single year, even during COVID, and all women know how those mammograms go. It’s uncomfortable for a few minutes. Two weeks later, you get a letter in the mail saying everything is fine. Unfortunately for me, I got a phone call two weeks later saying I needed to come back. They needed me back for another mammogram and an ultrasound and a biopsy. My alarm bells went off, and I knew something was wrong.
BM: That led to a diagnosis. There is no such thing as a good day to learn you have cancer. Each diagnosis is different as is each recipient. How did you handle this awful news?
SS: Once I went to that biopsy, it was one of the most painful things I have ever had in my life. I left there with a metal clip in my breast, and ice pack in my bra and I was crying so hard I had no business driving the car. Two days later, which happened to be the day before Thanksgiving, I got a call saying I had invasive ductal carcinoma. So, this was a tough holiday season, that’s for sure. I received a call asking me to schedule a meeting with a surgeon. That was in December. I went to that meeting and learned that my cancer was Stage 1-2, it was early. She explained because it was so close to my left breast, she would be performing a lumpectomy, but she would also have to remove my nipple. This was shocking and hard to hear and hard to even process. So, that was a difficult time.
BM: At a time like this, obviously you needed support. Where did support come from?
SS: I have been married to my high school sweetheart for over fifty years. I like to say he is the most annoying man I have ever me in my life, and he is the nicest man I have ever met in my life. The thing about men, though, is that they are very linear in their thinking. They want to go in a straight line, they want to get you an answer, they want to solve a problem. My husband couldn’t solve this problem, and I really believe this why girls have girlfriends. They let us talk about it, talk about it some more, wallow, cry, cry a little more and I really believe that finding your tribe, especially something this difficult is imperative to getting through it.
BM: We’re confident you will be able to learn some tips and tools to help you through your cancer journey, but first we’d like to invite to please give us a ‘like,’ leave a comment or review below and share this story with your friends. Kindly click on the Subscribe button below, then click on the Bell icon. That way you will be notified the next time we release an interview. We also want to remind you we are not distributors of medical advice. If you seek medical advice, please contact a licensed health care professional.
Susan, you have been diagnosed with breast cancer and as we have learned from these interviews, all cancers are cancer, but each type is different. Some afford a patient some treatment options, while others do not have treatment options. How about you? Did you have treatment options?
SS: Well, she painted a path for me and the first thing for me was going to be the surgery. It occurred in January of 2022. It was deep in a COVID winter and unfortunately my husband couldn’t even come inside the hospital with me, he had to drop me off out front, so that was an extremely lonely walk. My surgery went well. They got good margins, they checked the lymph node and there was no cancer found there. My next stop was an oncologist. I met with the woman, and she explained to me that I get a score, an Oncotype DX score, that takes in many factors. If that score is 25 or greater, your path is usually chemotherapy. My score was 14, so I was able to dodge chemotherapy, which was truly a blessing. She also suggested I take an estrogen inhibitor pill and she said it would be for five years. I am not much of a pill person. Like I said I had an extremely healthy life up until this point. I ran 65 half marathons from the time I turned 57 until the time I turned 65. I felt pretty hardy, and I just questioned this, and said I wasn’t sure if I could do this or not. I left that appointment and did some research. In fact, I did a lot of research. I did a deep dive. What would this pill do? What were the side effects? The side effects were joint pain, muscle pain, menopause symptoms, that was so fun the first time, I really didn’t want to go through it again. Insomnia was a symptom, something I already have. So, I was very unsure about this. Menopause symptoms, that was so fun the first time, I really didn’t want to go through it again. Insomnia was a symptom, something I already have. So, I was very unsure about this. I reached out to friends. I asked if they knew anybody took this pill and would they be willing to talk to me about it? Would they be willing to share their experience? And I found women who were. Some of the things I heard were, “Susan, I took it a month and couldn’t do it anymore.” “I took it four years out of the five and stopped.” “I took it the whole five years. However, I didn’t realize how lousy I felt until I stopped.” I will never make the claim to tell anyone what they should do, whether they should take a pill or not, or any kind of medical treatment. What I tell others is to be your be your own, best health advocate. Ask questions. Ask more questions. If you feel your doctors thinks you ask too many questions, find another doctor. The times of nodding in agreement with whatever the doctor says, are in the past. We need to have an active role in our own medical treatment. I had fabulous treatment, and I think it is because I was involved. I think it is because I did ask all those questions. I did weigh my options, and that is why I decided to not take this pill.
BM: So, treatment consisted of what?
SS: The next stop was radiation. I did meet the radiologist and I went over everything with her. I did agree to the radiation, fifteen rounds of radiation, five days a week for three weeks. It was tougher than I thought it would be, because it is cumulative. The first one was pretty easy, but by the time you hit number fifteen, you are pretty tired. Again, I had these fabulous technicians, these young people that were so good to me, and here they are seeing a patient every fifteen minutes. I remember the first time I was there, I wasn’t happy to be there, I wasn’t a good patient, I was crabby. He said to me, “Let’s put some music on. It will make you feel better.” I finally said, “Okay, put on the Beatles.” What came on? “Yesterday. All my troubles seemed so far away.” That and Let It Be. So, I had to laugh at that one because it hit pretty close. The technicians were great. They were very cautious about radiation near my left breast because it is so close to the heart. They deal in millimeters, so it is very precise.
BM: So, you found the right tribe, you were blessed to be treated by the right care team, but I have to ask. Through this regimen, what was the toughest part?
SS: I’d say the toughest part was the decision to not take the estrogen inhibitor pill because that means I had to own the decision. When I spoke with the doctor about it, I asked what were my chances of getting breast cancer again? She said I had an eight to ten percent chance of getting breast cancer again, but if you take the pill, you will cut that chance in half. I said that’s good enough and I had to own the decision to say no. If it comes back, would it have come back anyway? I don’t know the answer to that, but I was okay with my decision. It came after long and hard thought, but I felt good about it and still do.
BM: Let’s take this in a more positive direction. When did you sense you were getting closer to recovery, and emotionally how did that feel?
SS: What is interesting is that I did have a friend who suggested I get a notebook and write down every question you have, so I used my book as my Bible. Meanwhile, many mornings I woke up to texts from my teenage grandsons, encouraging me about my strength and that everything would be okay. For whatever reason, I printed out those texts and put them in the book, too. What I realized is that I had accumulated the material for a book. It happened organically and it wasn’t my initial intention, but writing for that entire year of 2022, it saved me from the depths of despair because I turned a corner with the book, retelling my story. It made everything better, not just having those medical questions and getting answers, but putting pen to paper and letting it go a little bit.
BM: And the name of your book is “I Hate The Color Pink.” What did the color pink ever do to you?
SS: I get that question at Meet The Author events all the time and I tell people I don’t really hate the color pink, but I do hate those little pink ribbons that remind me of my breast cancer, and it’s a really catchy title book for a book, don’t you think?
BM: Now, you have talked about the importance of self-advocacy, but for you it was preceded by your deep diving into the subject of estrogen inhibitor pills. Could you talk a little more about what goes into deep diving?
SS: I just think that you need to take an active role in your health care. There are so many things available to us today, almost too many things. If we intelligently look to resources, not just Google, talking to people who walked in your shoes, that can help. Every single breast cancer woman has similarities and differences. We’re all different. I think it is important if you find people willing to share with you, and I don’t just mean the ugly, terrible stories. There are beautiful stories out there, too. The success stories are growing with breast cancer daily. The statistic is that one in eight women will get breast cancer, a statistic I think is awful. But we have early detection and getting those mammograms is so important.
BM: Our guest is Susan Svoboda of North Tustin, California, and we are moving toward wrapping up. We would like to know how your health today compares to the good shape you were in before your diagnosis. Is there anything that physically you cannot do today that you could do before the diagnosis?
SS: No, I feel very fortunate. I feel like I am 100 percent. Obviously I have physical changes in my body with scars and things like that, but you know what? That’s just the superficial stuff. I am getting older, so I run less now than I used to, but I walk every single day. There are two things that we can absolutely control with our health, and it is attitude and exercise. I don’t mean you have to run half marathons. I mean get out in the sunshine and walk around your neighborhood. That attitude is everything. It is the difference between a good day and a bad day.
BM: So, to review, we have learned about self-advocacy, we have learned about deep diving, we have learned about finding the right tribe and we have learned about your book. If somebody wants to get a copy of “I Hate The Color Pink,” how do they do it?
SS: They can get it on Amazon. It is easy to find: “I Hate The Color Pink,” and it has a pink cover. Selling the book has nothing to do with making money, but has everything to do with sharing the message and giving people hope.
BM: And it has been a great, multi-faceted message from you. Susan Svoboda, thanks so much for being with us on Cancer Interviews.
SS: It has been an honor, Bruce, and good luck with all your cancer interviews.
BM: And as we always conclude, if you or a loved one are on a cancer journey, you are not alone. There are people out there like Susan Svoboda with a message that can ease the journey. So, until next time, we’ll see you on down the road.
Additional Resources:
Susan’s book, available on Amazon, “I Hate The Color Pink”
SHOW NOTES
TITLE: Susan Svoboda – Breast Cancer Survivor – North Tustin, California, USA
For Susan Svoboda, a routine mammogram in late 2021 revealed a diagnosis of hormone positive breast cancer. She was relieved to learn her treatment regimen would not require chemotherapy, but was concerned when her doctor strongly suggested Susan go on estrogen inhibitor pills. Based on thorough research, Susan refused the pills, went ahead with a lumpectomy and radiation treatment, and achieved survivorship.
Additional Resources:
Susan’s Book: “I Hate The Color Pink”
Time Stamps:
01:30 After a routine mammogram, Susan was called back into her doctor's office.
02:12 Describes her biopsy.
03:48 After her diagnosis, she sought the support of other women.
05:08 Is asked about her treatment options.
06:37 Susan said she depended on thorough research when she decided against estrogen inhibitors.
08:10 Recalls her radiation treatment.
11:05 Names the toughest part of her treatment.
12:21 Susan said moving toward survivorship inspired her to write a book.
14:52 Elaborates on the importance of decisions being preceded by research.
17:40 Says she is in terrific health.
KEYWORDS (tags):
hormone positive breast cancer
lumpectomy
susan svoboda
invasive ductal carcinoma
i hate the color pink
chemotherapy
estrogen inhibitor
radiation treatment
A survivor of breast cancer, Susan urges anyone on a cancer journey to fiercely advocate for themselves, a message amplified in her book, "I Hate The Color Pink."
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