Hope Good and Melanie Wright at Sletten Cancer Survivor wall
By Amy Grisak
Many women hear the same words “breast cancer,” but their experiences are vastly different. Hormones, family history, genetic predispositions, and other factors determine a distinct path for every woman, making it difficult to know what to expect.
This is precisely the reason two-time breast cancer survivor Hope Good founded the non-profit organization Breast Cancer Awareness and wrote an information-packed book to help women navigate these first steps.
Good says being bombarded by medical terminology and treatments is daunting, which inspired her to write the book, Breast Cancer Awareness, that breaks down the steps into bite-sized pieces. “It’s something everyone can understand what it’s all about.”
Susan Ashcraft, a breast cancer survivor who fiercely advocated for her health, says she found Hope’s book after her treatment. “Why didn’t I see this before? It’s just the greatest thing. It has thorough, intensive information.”
She says that having the information Hope compiled would have been an enormous help during her own journey, which began when she found a lump.
“It was such a shock,” she says. “Frankly, though, I never felt any fear. I ust went straight into what I needed to do. I just saw the path I had to go down, and I asked a lot of questions.” This included looking for a second opinion at a respected treatment center when she questioned her oncologist’s initial protocol. “The treatment plan was the same as my doctor’s in Great Falls.” With reassurance and confidence, she continued with the course, although whenever she had questions, she did not hesitate to search for answers elsewhere.
Ashcraft also thought outside the box when it came to pain management. “In order to deal with the pain and focus on moving forward, I did get hypnotherapy and acupuncture.” Her hypnotherapist recorded some of the sessions for her
to use at home when the need arose, and she was grateful not to have the gastrointestinal problems many patients experience.
Most importantly, she says, “I have incredible support.” During her treatments, her friend shaved one side of her head, buzzed it, then bleached the other side and dyed it a vibrant rainbow of colors. To this day, Ashcraft’s goal is to uplift and encourage other women dealing with their own breast cancer experience.
Certain genetic factors often lend a predisposition for cancer, yet sometimes it’s the way we’re built that increases the odds.
For Nora Gray, there was no indication of anything concerning on her 3D mammogram, yet a month later, she felt a lump in her left breast. “A biopsy by a newly hired radiologist revealed a cancerous lobular lump in one breast. He told me I had such dense breast tissue that I should not have been having mammograms as they can’t see through such density, and that I should have been having MRIs all these years,” she says. She discovered it was a triple estrogen-positive type of breast cancer.
Gray consulted with her surgeon and asked him what he would recommend to his wife or daughter, as well as discussing her options with friends. She says, “I elected to have a double mastectomy, and it was a good decision for me.”
After the surgery, she says, “The next morning, a wonderful, wise nurse came to teach me how to measure the collected liquid and clean my four chest drains. I told her I was afraid to look at my chest.