Annual mammograms essential, says breast cancer survivor
Oct. 9—"It's a club I never wanted to be in," said Lynn Ness, a breast cancer survivor.
She was diagnosed in 2017. Just in time, she said.
Ness was normally very committed to getting her annual mammogram. But in 2016, she said for some reason she didn't go to her September appointment. And then she pushed the appointment back further because of the holidays. It was late January when she finally had the appointment.
She went to the Women's Center at Community Howard in Kokomo because at the time Logansport Memorial Hospital didn't have a 3D mammogram machine yet. Her mammogram showed a spot on the back of her chest wall that was almost two millimeters in size.
"Very, very tiny," she said.
She was sent immediately to the hospital for a chest X-ray and bloodwork to make sure the cancer had not spread. She recalled being in a total state of shock.
At the end of January 2017, after further testing and a biopsy, she was diagnosed by a specialist in Indianapolis as having triple positive breast cancer, an invasive and aggressive form. She would go on to have a mastectomy.
"I credit the radiologist in Kokomo for basically saving my life," she said.
The hardest part
Ness is the senior vice president commercial development officer at Security Federal Savings Bank, a place she has worked for 15 years. She helps small businesses with loans, deposit accounts and many other things.
She's lived in Logansport for 40 years and is married with three adult children. She recently became a grandmother.
"The hardest part, I believe, at least for me, and I've talked to other people who have battled breast cancer, the hardest part is having to tell your family," Ness said. "The worry that you see on their face, they try not to show it. As you are going through it, I believe in the Lord and I just kept praying that everything would be ok and I also just kept praying for whatever came my way to give me the strength to get through it."
Ness had her mastectomy on March 7, 2017. She called the weeks between her diagnosis and the operation grueling due to the amount of waiting and testing.
"They are grueling on the patient but they are equally grueling on your family," she said.
Ness said that she had a friend who had experienced breast cancer a year prior to her own diagnosis. Her friend was able to give Ness a detailed account of what to expect.
"I was forewarned and I so appreciated that because had I not been forewarned of all the testing and waiting, I would have thought 'oh no. How bad is this?'" she said. "But it's just the protocol doctors have to go through."
Ness's parents had taught her while growing up that life was not fair and was not perfect and everyone has struggles. She credited their teachings for helping her cope during those early days.
Recovering from breast cancer is a decade-long process. Ness said she was fortunate to never need radiation or therapy, but did suffer some side effects from her medication, Anastrozole. She was able to stop taking the medication in 2022.
"In my naivety, I thought once we hit the five-year mark, I was good to go," she said. "I was talking to my breast cancer doctor and he goes 'Oh no, this is a 10-year disease so you are still going to see me every six months for 10 years'."
Ness said that after her diagnosis she realized that creating memories was more important than collecting things. Her family started taking short weekend trips together and have taken larger trips to New York City, Las Vegas and The Biltmore in North Carolina.
"We share a lot of laughs and that is good for the soul," she said. "That is what life is about."
Mammograms save lives
"The doctor in Indianapolis told me if I had waited six months to do my mammogram then my prognosis would not be what it was at that particular time," Ness said.
She's concerned about hearing people say that maybe women don't need a mammogram every year. The American Cancer Society now says women ages 55 and older can chose to have a bi-annual mammogram.
Ness was 55 when she was diagnosed.
"No. Women need to have mammogram's every year," she said. "Early detection is the key. It's curable. You can deal with it with early detection."
Ness said that it is common for mothers to put others before themselves but a mom can't help her family if she isn't taking care of herself as well.
"That means get in and get those mammograms," she said. "Logansport has a 3D mammogram machine and it's amazing the pictures that they can see. That is the one thing that I say. Drop what you are doing if you haven't had your annual mammogram. I had my first base mammogram at 35. I really think that women need to do that and then have your annual checkups with your doctor and get those mammograms going."
Second only to a mammogram is a support system. Ness credited her family and friends for helping her get through her everything, from listening to her concerns to cooking meals for her family.
"You have to have that support group even if you feel you are strong and independent," she said. "You need to have go-to people. And there are things that women can share with other women that you might not want to share with your family—that you are scared. Or how is this going to turn out? So, you need to be able to have that support group. And if anyone ever needs that they can most definitely get ahold of me and I would be more than happy to be their support group."
