KALAMAZOO, Mich. — After overcoming her own cancer diagnosis, a Kalamazoo woman is sharing her story, hoping that by raising awareness, she can prevent others from experiencing what she did.
A diagnosis of breast cancer does not depend on the family history or age of all patients, and sometimes even a medical exam indicating that patients do not have cancer is not enough.
Because cancer can happen at any time and to anyone.
Not long ago, a routine mammogram gave Mitzi Fitzpatrick a clean bill of health.
“It was clear,” Fitzpatrick said. “I was excited, as always.”
But a few months later, she felt a lump in her chest.
“Well, you know,” Fitzpatrick said. “I had a clear mammogram. It’s probably mastitis. It’s probably a cyst.”
As the mass continued to grow, life got in the way. Fitzpatrick was looking for a new job at the time, his daughter was finishing high school and his father had just passed away.
“So by the time I went in, in August, the cancer had become stage three cancer,” Fitzpatrick said. “If it had spread to another part of my body, they said it would have been stage four.”
Fitzpatrick was diagnosed with the most common breast cancer, but it was aggressive.
At the time it was detected, Dr. Mazen Mislmani, division chief of radiation oncology at West Michigan Cancer Center, said it was 6 centimeters long and spreading.
“If she had waited until the next year, until she had her regular mammogram, it might have been too late,” Mislmani said.
After the diagnosis, doctors threw everything at Fitzpatrick: chemotherapy, radiation, immunotherapy and lumpectomy.
“I think about what a difference it would have made if I had gone for the ultrasound and additional mammograms in June, instead of waiting until August,” Fitzpatrick said. “A lot of things, you know, might not have happened. I might have gotten less treatment.”
It’s possible Fitzpatrick had cancer when she had her mammogram, but it was too small to be detected, Mislmani said.
It is also possible that the cancer developed shortly after the mammogram but is growing quickly.
“A negative mammogram, while comforting, does not guarantee the absence of breast cancer,” Mislmani said. “Don’t ignore a new lump or other concerning breast changes. Even if you recently had a negative mammogram.”
“I had a clear mammogram and that gave me confidence that everything was OK,” Fitzpatrick said. “And that’s not always the case.”
People postpone testing for many reasons, Mislmani said.
This could be discomfort from the procedure, exposure to radiation, or fear of what they might find.
“Getting a mammogram is not going to create the problem you’re afraid of,” Mislmani said. “The only thing it will do is diagnose it earlier so we have a greater chance of success and we have more treatment options.”
Fitzpatrick knows the decision to undergo testing is scary, but it was. that decision which led to This moment: sitting on a bench, cancer-free, and looking at photos from her journey, while encouraging others to make the same decision that saved her life.
“This one means a lot to me. It was my last chemotherapy, so the infusion is over,” Fitzpatrick said. “If even one person got tested earlier than they would have and they could have less treatment or have less damage to their body, it would be worth what I went through.”
As part of Michigan Breast & The Cervical Cancer Navigator Program (BC3NP), free mammograms, clinical breast exams and more are available to eligible women. Click here to learn more.
Gn Health
