Undefeated: Janet Cockburn’s Two-Time Win Over Breast Cancer

By Janet Cockburn0

In the May/June 2009 issue of TruLife magazine, I authored an article about my breast cancer journey and the subsequent inception of my business. In case you missed that article, here is a brief summary:

In 1995, at the age of 43, I was diagnosed with stage 1 breast cancer. This diagnosis resulted in a mastectomy and 5 years on the anti-cancer drug Tamoxifen. As my lymph nodes were clear, chemotherapy was not considered necessary. In 1998, I joined with a group of women and we started a breast cancer survivor dragonboat racing team – we call ourselves Knot-A-Breast. In 2003, I started my own business, designing sport tops for women who have had one or two mastectomies. The creation of a unique breast prosthesis called “Been-A-Boob®” was my next project. In 2007, I appeared on the CBC TV show Dragon’s Den and was successful in making a deal with 2 of the Dragons. The video clip can be seen on my website: http://www.janacsportswear.ca.

During the busy Christmas season of 2008, I suddenly realized that I had not had my annual mammogram in November. I decided that it had been 13 years since my cancer and as I was so busy I would leave it until the next year. Well, the next day I just could not rest and decided that I had to get the mammogram as it was my security blanket to hear those words “everything is fine”. I had the mammogram on New Year’s Eve and a week later I received a call back to have another mammogram and an ultrasound. They had found something unusual. I had an MRI and a core biopsy, and the results were that there were 2 tumors of different cancers. I had another mastectomy on March 5th, and had to have chemotherapy, radiation and went on the drug Arimedex.

For women that have survived breast cancer, the fear of a recurrence is always present. They are reminded when breast cancer is mentioned on TV, radio, in magazines, in conversations with friends or simply when getting dressed or undressed. While the fear may not ever waver, one thing you can do is learn how to best deal with it.

After 13 years of being cancer-free, I was totally shocked and devastated to be diagnosed again. While I was afraid of having chemo, I was lucky to have the support of my teammates who assured me I would get through it. The side effects are different for everyone and luckily for me, mine were minimal. I had a little nausea, but didn’t throw up (thank goodness, I hate throwing up!). I was tired, but not enough to stop me entirely from working on my business. The worst side effect was the metal taste in my mouth. Nothing tasted good, even red wine – much to my disappointment. When my hair fell out after the first treatment, I was mentally prepared for it and had fun finding new hats and scarves to wear.

The first Sunday after my hair fell out, so I wore my scarf to the dinner table. Afterwards when my 4 grandchildren, aged between 3 and 6, went downstairs to play, I took my scarf off. Then my granddaughter came back to the dining room quietly and saw me without my scarf. She immediately went back downstairs and my husband overheard her say to the 3 boys, “I’ve just seen Grandma without any hair – do you want to come and see?” The boys looked at her and said, “No, we want to watch TV.” Aren’t kids wonderful? They just saw me as Grandma, with or without hair. That helped put it all into perspective.

Most days I am extremely positive and know I am beating this disease again, but occasionally the fears surface. Will it come back again? Will it spread to other areas of my body? Is this the beginning of the end of my life? When I talk to other people living with cancer, I know these are common fears so I am not on my own in this.

I have survived chemo and radiation, and I am thankful every day that we have the technology and the means to treat the cancer that once again invaded my body. I am grateful to my family and friends for their support, but I am especially grateful to my teammates because every one of them knew how I felt, knew my fears and knew I would survive the treatment.

I am looking forward to seeing my Grandchildren grow up and make their mark on this world. I am also looking forward to a long and happy rest of my life.

Early detection is the key, so do regular self-examinations.

Don’t get complacent with your check ups, make sure you get them.

These two actions, saved my life – they may save yours.

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