MEET TAMMY
My name is Tammy Salamone and this is my summarized breast cancer story. In January of 2017, I went in for a routine mammogram and was called back for additional imaging because of my extremely dense breast tissue. I wasn’t concerned — I was 48, had no symptoms, no family history, and was feeling great!
The doctor called me back in for a needle biopsy. I was convinced it was going to be nothing. Three days later my doctor called and said, “You have breast cancer.” I was shocked! From that moment on, I really didn’t hear anything she said. She was talking about the stage and carcinoma in situ, but it sounded like a different language.
I had two options: a lumpectomy with radiation or a mastectomy – and hopefully I’d be done after that. The cancer was initially stage zero and in a milk duct. A nurse at the breast center even told me, “It’s no big deal, we caught it early. You’re going to be fine!”
I talked with my husband, and we made the decision to have a double mastectomy. I was afraid if I only had a single mastectomy, I’d be called back constantly for various tests and scans, and I didn’t want to live the rest of my life like that. We felt pretty good about our decision, even though it was a hard decision to make. I was sad and extremely emotional before the surgery.
Two weeks later, the pathology report came back, and my oncologist said everything looked good, but they found a second tumor. This one was invasive and stage 1. One week later, she called to tell me that it was a HER2 positive tumor. That changed everything.
I was initially supposed to be done after my reconstructive surgery and get on with my life, but that’s when everything came crashing down. My oncologist said I was now going to have to do 12 weeks of chemo and a year of Herceptin, which is a targeted treatment for HER2 positive cancers. I was afraid of chemo, but for a few weeks life felt pretty normal. Sadly, midway through treatment, exhaustion hit and my hair was falling out in huge clumps. I became depressed and just went through the motions at times. On top of that, the treatment for HER2 positive cancer was so long. I finished everything in June of 2018.
Fast forward to today, my scars have faded and my energy and hair is back! There are even days where I actually forget everything I went through. I’m so thankful to God, all the doctors, nurses, medical staff, researchers, and for new treatments that are available. If you are currently walking through breast cancer, remember that you are not alone. You will get through this one day at a time!
Tammy’s Tips:
Stay active. As an ACE certified personal trainer, staying active and moving is so important! Even on my worst days, I would walk on the treadmill and it helped me mentally and physically recover from the surgeries and chemo treatments.
Stay positive. You’re going to have good days and bad days. Your attitude will make a BIG difference and I was determined to not let this change me.
Reach out to other survivors. I ended up becoming good friends with other women who were going through chemo, and they definitely helped me. They understood exactly what I was going through!
