Bobbie Niehaus
My Story. My Life. My Passion For Pink.
Being diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 31 was devastating. I never imagined or thought I would ever have to worry about having breast cancer affecting me. I had no family history nor was I educated about breast cancer. I always thought it was hereditary through genetics. But when I received the phone call the morning of 12/12/12 and hearing the words, “you have cancer” turned my world upside down. I remember tears rolling down my face, and really couldn’t hear anything else that was being said on the other side of the phone. With my husband beside me holding me, and my German Shepherd Zena laying her head on my lap…. I knew that I couldn’t give up hope. I had a lot of life ahead of me and I was ready to fight.
The next couple weeks were like a roller coaster. Consults with my general surgeon, plastic surgeon, an Oncologist, and lots of testing. A second biopsy determined that my cancer had spread and ruled out a lumpectomy in my left breast. Based on the type of cancer and how aggressive it was, and my age; I made an educated decision to have a bilateral mastectomy, even with the cancer only in my left breast. This was devastating to know I was going to lose my breast at the age of 31. I was scheduled for my bilateral mastectomy on December 28, 2012.
After surgery, I stayed overnight at the hospital while they managed my pain and discomfort. I was discharged the following day, and sent home. I can’t explain the pain and discomfort. I was bandaged and wrapped and had a drain on each side. Now it was time to rest, let the healing begin, and learn what my new normal is. I slept in a recliner for a couple of weeks with several pillows. Learning how to let others help me bathe, and dress me was hard. It took over a month to actually be able to sleep in a bed, and even then, I had roll out of the bed to get up. While I was healing was surgery, my oncologist ordered an Oncotype test that would determine if I was a candidate for chemotherapy and it would tell us my risk of reoccurrence. The Oncotype DX report includes a recurrence score result, which ranges from 0-100.
After waiting several weeks, my results came back and determined I was a high risk of reoccurrence. My score came back a 47, which was on the high side. I was scheduled for a port placement that very next morning, so I could start chemotherapy that following Monday morning, which was February 4th. My treatment plan consisted of high doses of Adriamycin, Cytoxan, and then Paclitaxel. After finding out I was HER 2 positive, Herceptin was added to my treatment plan. Her 2 positive means that my cancer tested positive for a protein called human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2), which promotes the growth of cancer cells. Her 2 positive cancers are very aggressive and spread quicker.
I started to lose my hair after my first chemotherapy treatment. Cancer had taken my breasts and now it was taking my hair. But cancer wasn’t going to take my spirit or my positive attitude. I made an appointment to have my hair cut into a pixie and we added pink in the top. If I was going to lose my hair, I may as well have a little fun. I ended up shaving the rest of my hair off within the next week. I started doing research and watching you tube videos and learning how to tie scarfs on my head and had several different styles of wigs. Along with watching videos how to apply makeup and draw my eye brows on. I attended the Look Good Feel Better makeup class provided by the American Cancer Society after my first treatment. I didn’t lose my eye brows and eyelashes until after my final chemotherapy treatment in May 2013.
From day one of my diagnosis, I was constantly thinking of ways to get involved to spread awareness and educate others. I started hand painting bottle cap necklaces and selling them to raise money and promote breast cancer awareness. Amber Philpot interviewed me and shared my story on WKYT. The response to the interview was overwhelming. I found out that there were no support groups for patients diagnosed under the age of 40 in Lexington and I urged my Oncologists Office that we needed a support for young women because we face many different issues, such as sexuality, and fertility. So eventually we started the group, and it is called The Rosie Ring. Then I was approached by Peggy Wheeler, a Nurse Navigator at Baptist Health about helping start a support group through Baptist Health for young women diagnosed under the age of 40. This support group was known as the S.O.S, Strength of Survivorship. We made the front page of the pink newspaper in October 2013 sharing the news of the S.O.S.
The word “Cancer” is easily one of the most terrifying words in any language. When you are a 31 year old mother of 3, with no family history of Breast Cancer, you never expect to hear “you have cancer.” That was the call I received on September 18th, 2017. The next month was a whirlwind of appointments with general surgeons, plastic surgeons, genetics counselors, MRI’s, and Radiologist for more biopsies. After 5 biopsies and 2 more MRI led biopsies scheduled, I decided the best path for me was to have bilateral mastectomies, on October 24th, 2017.
