SURVIVOR SPOTLIGHT: MEET RENEE
A Survior’’s Story
by Renee Lavigne
March 20 2015, is when my story began. I woke up very excited and nervous, I was going into surgery to have a breast lift and implants. I was single in my 30’s and felt very passionate about fixing my flawed breasts after childbirth and breastfeeding. I will never forget this weird feeling I had while waiting to go back into surgery, I had thoughts of myself not making it out of surgery. I think I was just scared but all I could think about was my family and daughter Maija. I woke up and looked down at my swollen breasts and was thrilled that my surgery went as it should have and I was alive. I went home to recover and to purchase new bras and tank tops for myself, I felt amazing about my decision.
I was over the moon with my new breasts until the evening of March 22, 2015 when I received a call from my plastic surgeon. I was told some bad news about my pathology report, that is done on all routine breast lifts. My doctor had my tissue from my breasts tested for cancer and it was POSITIVE, I was speechless. I called my brother, who has always been my support and friend. I cried and had a feeling that I was going to die.
The next couple of months was interviewing doctors, I interviewed 8 doctors. Plastics, Radiologists, oncologists and surgical oncologists. I was determined to have a good team and breasts at the end of my journey. After months of looking and MRI’s I found my team had a plan of attack. July 1st/2015 I had a double Mastectomy, Yuk. I had my nodes also checked. My results were that it did travel to my nodes. My mastectomy was a success. The news of it traveling to my nodes was not good, I was told I would need chemotherapy and possibly radiation. I had to heal first, my mom came from Canada to help me, she was my rock and support through all of this. I was determined to still stay active. I would walk from Queen Anne to my doctors’ appointments in First Hill two days after surgery. I had four drain bags hanging from my skin in pouches and still walked 10miles. I really do believe this helped me mentally pull through this shit time in my life.
I started my first round of Chemotherapy in late September/2015 at SCCA. It was awful, scary, and somewhat uneventful. I sat in a bed for 5 hours hooked up to poison while 3days prior taking 3 to 4 different types of steroids and pills to prep me for chemo. I left and felt ok, which gave me hope that I will make it through all of this. As my hair started to fall out in clumps I began to cry again, my friends helped me through and shaved my head. At least I was super cute with a bald head.
I forgot to mention that I am a hairdresser and owner of a hair salon. Having no hair was not fun. I continued to work full time during my treatments. While I was at work one day I met the love of my life and partner. He was a client of my coworker Joie; I decided that I had nothing to lose. I am bald, fighting cancer and have no breasts, I was going to ask him out. He accepted my courting, I asked him for my 3rd chemo appointment. We asked and he was brave enough to accept. I had my best Friend join our first date at SCCA . Our date was 5-hours of chemo, laughter, flirting, music and getting to know this sexy man. We made history that day.
My fight was real, as the chemo entered my body, I got sick. I fought it by working out trying to stay busy and positive, but it was hard. I ended up getting an infection in my port and landed myself in the hospital for 4 days and having my port removed. I again was not going to let this get me down. I found the love of my life, I had the love of my beautiful child and family. I was going to keep moving my body and fight. The first week of December was my last Chemo, I had invited my friends and partner to my celebration. The nurses and staff at SCCA were not pleased with my party but I didn’t care, I was done. We had cocktails, snacks and laughs. I will never forget that day. I was finished, I was told I didn’t need radiation. I was so thrilled.
The road to getting my breasts back, the next chapter of my story, this could be a book, so I am cutting out content. I went through 20 surgeries to be told that they found cancer again in my breast. Well SHIT, what the HELL? I knew it was too good to be true, new man, new breasts, new life. I told myself that I was going to fight even stronger than I did the first time. So here I went again but this time I had six months of Chemotherapy and a full dose of radiation followed by seven more surgeries, ovaries taken from me, shots of medicine to suppress my hormones and 10 years of taking a pill every day that makes me feel like my bones will break in half if I trip.
I have always stayed active through all of this but through my journey I found Fuel House. This gym is amazing in so many ways, they taught me a practice of kettlebells and weight training. The continual support is endless, I have been so proud of myself in how I have been able to PR on kettlebells. I have been able to keep my bones and muscles healthy, strong and without injury. I am an avid downhill skier and game to conquer any activity that comes my way. I would not be this active and still have the mobility to cut hair, ski, pick my child up, build and fix things at both my home and business without the help of my continual activity and the Fuel House. Cancer sucks but with support and drive we can fight it, my breasts are not as pretty as the day I came home on March 20th/2015 but I am alive and thankful that I cared about myself to take the steps to have surgery, which saved my life.
Renee Lavigne
