Patch Editor Begins Filming Documentary to Raise Awareness for Rare Metaplastic Breast Cancer

Written by WENDY ANN MITCHELL (Patch Staff)

As the youngest of six children growing up in Sandy Hook, Conn., I always felt different. The only blue-eyed blonde in a sea of brown-eyed brunettes, I looked like I didn’t fit in. Fast-forward 40-something years and, again, I’m the odd one out, the only one in my family with cancer, and a rare one at that.

I was diagnosed with Invasive Ductal Cancer (IDC) on Feb. 4, had lumpectomy surgery on Feb. 17 and on Feb. 23, after the biopsy of the tumor, was told I actually have Triple Negative Metaplastic Carcinoma, a rare and aggressive cancer only one percent of women are diagnosed with.

There are no Metaplastic support groups in this area. Many doctors and nurses have not had experience treating this type. It’s scary because it’s aggressive, grows very quickly and has a higher chance of coming back and spreading to other parts of the body such as the skin, bones and lungs.

Although I must endure 3-hour long sessions of chemotherapy for 16 weeks, followed by six weeks of radiation, I consider myself lucky. I found it early at stage one. Most women diagnosed with Metaplastic don’t find it until it’s stage three or four and has spread.

As soon as I found the lump I knew my diagnosis had to be about more than just me. I was low risk, no family history and get a mammogram each year. But I still got cancer. So I began #MyLeftBoob awareness campaign on social media. By posting selfies of their clothed left boob using the hash tag #MyLeftBoob, supporters are helping remind people of the life-saving importance of self breast exams.

On Thursday we began filming My Left Boob, a documentary about my battle with this disease. Renato and Alicia Ghio, owners of Danbury-based rmedia, have agreed to tell my story through film.

On Monday, April 6 I go for one-day surgery to have a port placed in my chest to help with chemotherapy treatments. On Thursday, April 9 I begin chemotherapy, the only treatment for this type of cancer.

As I prepare for phase two of this battle, I’m looking at this as a just a season in life. It’s temporary. Seasons are a gift, good health is a gift, life is a gift. Never take it for granted.

Follow My Left Boob on Facebook & Twitter. Support the cause by clicking here.

Related:

• Top 10 Amazingly Weird Things You Didn’t Know About Cancer
• Patch Editor Shares Diagnosis of Rare ‘Triple Negative Metaplastic’ Breast Cancer
• Tuesday is Triple Negative Breast Cancer Awareness Day
• Patch Editor Prepares to Battle Breast Cancer

Photo 1: Delia Raven Stanley-Arrigo participates in #MyLeftBoob selfie challenge.

Photo 2: Wendy Mitchell

Wendy Mitchell is a wife and mother of three children (14, 19, 26) and the editor of Newtown, Monroe, Shelton, Bethel, Brookfield, Danbury, Ridgefield, Wilton, Weston-Redding-Easton Patch sites. She lives in Bethel, Conn. with her family and one-year-old black lab rescue puppy. To contact Wendy email [email protected].