Health & Fitness
Patch Editor Begins Filming Documentary to Raise Awareness for Rare Metaplastic Breast Cancer
Newtown Patch editor Wendy Mitchell chronicles her battle with a rare and aggressive type of breast cancer in a new documentary.
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.
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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.
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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].
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