Survivor Spotlight: Battling Breast Cancer
Unknown Speaker 0:00
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Zandra Polard 0:49
Well, good morning Las Vegas. It's Zondra. Paul lard. It's where I am. You know, we're still in the month of October. And it is breast cancer awareness month. Last week, we talked about domestic violence awareness. But we are also going to highlight Breast Cancer Awareness. Did you know According to the National Breast Cancer Foundation, that one in eight women in the United States will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime. And in 2023, an estimated 2000 907,790 women and 2800 men will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer. So chances are, you most likely know at least one person who has been diagnosed with breast cancer. You know, I have someone in studio now that I'm very close to is my aunt. She is a breast cancer survivor. So we're going to highlight her story in just a moment. But I want to tell you a few more facts about breast cancer. So the best thing is early prevention and treatment. So there is an issue with people with, you know, not being insured and delaying the process of getting treatment. And also that mammogram. Have you gotten that mammogram done yet? It's time? I know for me, I usually try and get it done around my birthday every year at least make the appointment. Right. That's a great reminder. Usually about 40 years old is when you want to start getting those yearly mammograms. Okay. So men also, don't forget, please get checked as well. You all develop breast till I've seen a few of you out there. You know, I know you got them. But no, seriously, please make sure. Go to your health care provider and get those yearly checkups. Okay. So Nikita, yes, you have been on the show before and I want to welcome you back. Thank you. Thanks for being awesome. So you were here with an actual medical doctor, an oncologist. Right? And you told us your story. But I want you to remind those out there because this is so important. And we take this month to remind folks of getting treatment diagnoses and things like that because stuff happens. You don't expect it to happen. Right? Yeah,
Unknown Speaker 3:40
that's so happened to me.
Zandra Polard 3:41
Right? So what happened? How old were you when you found out? Well, it's
Unknown Speaker 3:45
been about six years now.
Zandra Polard 3:47
Okay, so that means you're not telling us your age? No,
Unknown Speaker 3:49
I'm not. Okay. So it was probably roughly I want to say maybe in 60s, because that's like a huge primary time, where, you know, breast cancer is usually dying with my late 50s. almost close to 60. Okay, but one of the things is when you get the mammogram, it also shows you the density and the breath. And I because we talked about how dense our breasts were in our family. Right, right. Yeah. Okay. So they found that minds were pretty densed. So they do a little bit more further examining for your breasts, right? And they found a small night nodule, and my breasts so they were like, there's a small nodule there, but we will probably just watch it. Okay. But what had happened was my husband and my daughter and I had gone to Africa and I thought that I was feeling sore in my breasts because of the heavy suitcases we had and then we went from place to place okay, so I started feeling sore in that area, okay. And I thought it was from carrying the luggage going different places, work in the shop and rearing those bags and all that stuff. And I thought that's what It made me sore. And then I started out with three luggage, I ended up with six. So that was a lot to carry. So I was assuming that's what caused my body to be sore, and then the pain in my breath. And I told my husband and he said, well just wait until we get back and have it checked. And then when I did have a check, they told me that that density area had a little small spot there. Okay. And they did their little test, and then it came back positive. Oh, wow. Yeah.
Zandra Polard 5:31
So I mentioned the dense breasts. And I, you know, I kind of think it's a little comical sometimes, because when I first found out about the density of the breast, I was confused. I didn't understand what that meant. But knowing that it means that they want to make sure they're really taking a good look, you know, because that tissue is thick. It's thick. Yeah. So anyway, I just wanted to clarify that. Okay. So now moving forward, you've come back from Africa, you've decided to go to the doctor. Yes, it came back positive. And then you had to explain it to your family.
Unknown Speaker 6:09
I was a little bit in denial at first, okay. And I thought, oh, maybe they were just probably saying that. And they did another test, and it came out even more so. And they were telling me that it was moving about. Oh, wow. So by being moving about and the density, it's very easy to get lost in the tissues, and it can cause it to move other places. And that frightened me even more. So I said, Well, okay, go on and do the rest of the test. Well, when they did the test, they said that, if they don't take it out now, it could cause a bigger problem. Sure. So I had the surgery to have it removed, but then there were other small pieces there. And they kept jumping. Oh, wow. Yeah. Okay, so then they were like, we have to take that breasts.
Zandra Polard 6:57
Okay. Yeah. So that's called a mystery. What is it called? It's called a mastectomy. Yes. So you had a double or single? Or how did that work?
Unknown Speaker 7:07
I just had it on one. On one. Yeah. Okay.
Zandra Polard 7:11
Well, so can you kind of back up a little bit and tell us how you explain this to because you have girls, right? How did you tell them?
Unknown Speaker 7:22
Well, at first, I kept it to myself, because I thought that they were going to just remove the the nodule that was in there. And it would be like, okay, and then I would just tell the kids, there was something small in my breasts, and it's gonna go away. But then my doctor said, it's jumping all over the place. We have to actually take that breasts. And what was the timeframe with that? Like, with the jumping from spiders? Yeah, like to you have a nodule to you're having a mastectomy, like every two to three weeks. They were watching it. Oh, wow. So in the watching, they saw that it was moving about Okay. And it was Mike. Yep, supplementary to my health. So for it to constantly move like that it could have went in other areas like other breast right, or somewhere in my body. And just before that, I had pancreatic cancer, so I didn't want to have anything else to have. Oh, wow.
Zandra Polard 8:16
Okay. So do you think that because you had the pancreatic cancer? Is the reason why you ended up with the breast cancer? Or are they just two separate things?
Unknown Speaker 8:27
It's two separate things, but cancer can move about anywhere it wants to? Yeah, yeah.
Zandra Polard 8:32
Wow. And so I have another personal question. I'd like to ask, Where are you getting? Did you start the process of getting your mammograms before you found out about the nodule? I got them every year? Wow. So you got them every year and then all of a sudden,
Unknown Speaker 8:50
right. But with me talking with my physician, my doctor, they're saying that it could have been a possibility of some parts of the cancer from the pancreatic cancer could have moved about,
Zandra Polard 9:01
right. Yeah, that was my question. Yeah, that's what I meant by that question. Yeah. Wow. So you went through a lot in a short period of time, no warning sign, until boom.
Unknown Speaker 9:11
Well, it doesn't actually warn you. It's just like, maybe a coal you know, sometimes your nose get stopped up your mouth. You know, you have problems in your ears. You have it in your throat, you have an in your chest. So that's about the same thing.
Zandra Polard 9:25
Well, and for those who cannot see you, I I can notice you're getting a little emotional memories. Yeah. But I do like the journey that you've been through because you've done a lot of positive things after knowing and going through all of the treatment that you've had to go through. You have a lot of support groups out there. You're doing stuff in your community. You are, you know, empowering other women. I know that during your journey with the breast cancer, you were telling me that a lot of women were reaching out out to you. Yeah, yeah. So tell us more about that.
Unknown Speaker 10:04
Well, I had a girlfriend that had it and she didn't, she was blessed. Because she's got real big, nice, huge boobs. And she had breast cancer and both of them, but neither one of them happened to be removed. But then when it comes to cancer, it has a density in it. So, some people can have a small nodule. Some people can have a large nozzle, some people can have an active nodule, and I had an active nodule. Okay, so, depending on what that cancer cell does, in the body has a big difference in anybody's body because there's some people that say, for instance, certain types of food you eat, can bring on a higher effect of making them move about, okay, because some, like meat carries, like free radicals, free radicals, okay. Okay. So and they move about and depending on your health situation, within your own body has a lot to do how it travels. So,
Zandra Polard 11:06
so have you made any efforts with your diet? Like as your diet changed? Of course,
Unknown Speaker 11:10
I don't eat any red meat anymore. Okay. Yeah. Okay. So it's still seeing Wait, okay. Okay, we'll
Zandra Polard 11:16
do one more exercise. Now. Exercise. Okay. Awesome. So, for all those who are out there, if you want to hear more of Nikita story, there is more. If you go to it's where I am.com. Her show is still there, you can find it. Nikita dub, I think it was in 2020 2020. It was 2020. Yeah, yeah. So you can find it there. Now, let's get into it. Not only the prevention, we talked about. Diet, we've talked about the importance of exercise. We've also talked about the importance of treatment. Right? Yeah. And we have also got into those yearly appointments with our physician, right? Yes. Is there anything else you'd like to let us know?
Unknown Speaker 12:14
Just be more aware about your body, because sometimes your body talk to you, and you just sort of ignore it, or you'll say, Oh, I take an aspirin, it's probably just a headache or something, when it's really something more serious. And then would happen for me was I kept feeling certain things more than once, more than twice more than three times, you know, and sometimes I felt that so many times this, like, hey, I really need to stop and figure out what that is. Because sometimes our mind is more denial than the body. Because the body will tell you, if you you fill in something and you ignoring it, it says, Hey, I guess I heard over here, maybe you'll pick up that I'm in pain, right? So it's basically listening to your body. Because it it tells you, you know, sometimes even if you have really bad of stings or something in your feet, whatever, that's circulation. So when the circulation change, if something gets in there, it's kind of hard to move about because you blocking it. And like I said, especially we as women, we're vain, too. So it's like, I don't want anybody to think I got that. So I'm gonna just keep pretending I don't feel it. Oh, wow. You know, so I mean, there's a lot of us that do do that. Yes. You know, if you get 10 headaches, or just don't even slow down. Yeah. They're busy with their families. They're raising their children. fear and fear. Yeah. Yeah. Because you don't want to hear no bad news. Right. Yeah. Wow.
Zandra Polard 13:44
So have you had the conversation with the girls? about the importance of them getting checked? Yeah. And that it is hereditary.
Unknown Speaker 13:54
And they went with me through all of it? Yes. Yeah. And they're more conscious of making sure I'm okay. Mommy, did
Zandra Polard 14:00
you do this?
Unknown Speaker 14:01
Have you taken that today? Do you feel like this? Right. So they're my great big support?
Zandra Polard 14:06
Oh, yeah. And you know, you gotta have that support? Yes, you know, and it's, I feel so sorry for those who do not have that family support, but find support somewhere. There's lots of resources out there. I'm one of them. You can go to my website. There are plenty of resources on my website. And so this is my passion project. This is my life's work to give back to my community by doing the show and giving information to my community, and all those who are listening in the United States or globally. Okay. So now, I'm so glad that you mentioned that you're having conversations with the girls because, again, it is hereditary. I don't have my stat in front of me but I know that there's a large percentage, I want to say 35% likely for it to pass down the line from mother to daughter or something like that, or whatever that percentage is basically,
Unknown Speaker 15:14
I think a lot of it could be hereditary as well. Yes.
Zandra Polard 15:18
I did that from the National Breast Cancer Foundation. And so that was something that stuck out for me.
Unknown Speaker 15:23
But a lot of that has to do with your daily lifestyle as well. Oh, yeah. You know, because like I said, if you sit around and you, you eat pig feed, and pork, and all of that other stuff, and clocks to arteries, and everything else,
Zandra Polard 15:34
those things are like freeways, right? So if there's a car that's black on the off ramp, you can't get off, you know, and because aside from a skin cancer being the number one diagnosis of cancer, right under that is breast cancer. So make sure you're doing those self checks. Yeah, you know, don't be afraid to feel around Mira, let your doctor you know.
Unknown Speaker 15:57
And sometimes when those little things are they're speaking for myself, sometimes I felt those grains in there, but I just figured it was something else. Well, because I was always told I had very dense press right. And then the grains are part of my density a little bit right there. Yeah, yeah, that's what I was thinking. And you don't want to hear bad news. So you start sort of create something to like, that's what that is. It's not that. Right. And then, you know, also,
Zandra Polard 16:22
I believe the doctor was saying when she was on before, Dr. Sandra, more warm was her name. And also check under the armpit. Yeah, don't forget those armpits,
Unknown Speaker 16:33
right? Yeah, I can do that in the shower. Because what happens is when the heat hits that pores area, it sort of opens. So when you make in that movement, it moves those that grainy thing that if it is in there, it will move about because he sort of brings it up. Oh, I
Zandra Polard 16:50
didn't know. I didn't know that at first he though. Yeah. And I think she also mentioned like, like you said, in the shower, perfect time to do a breast check. Because you're already lathering,
Unknown Speaker 17:00
and you got the heat, the heat opens up all pores. Oh, wow. Okay.
Zandra Polard 17:05
So again, there are over 3.8 million breast cancer survivors, my aunt Nikita being one of them here in the United States. But there also is an estimated a 43,700 Women who will die from breast cancer. And there was a disparity there. Unfortunately, black women tend to be diagnosed with breast cancer more than any other race. To me, I think I don't know, I don't think it has anything to do with our makeup I have I think it has more to do with culturally the things that we take on and how we delay which needs to be done. And putting everyone before us. I think women do that in general. But then also the the issues with a lack of insurance, the poverty line, things like that, I think is why are some variables as to why black women tend to be diagnosed earlier, not diagnosed earlier, excuse me, tend to know that's correct. tend to be diagnosed earlier, at an earlier age, because the average age is 62. Black women are diagnosed diagnosed, more so in their later 50s such as you are. But with you, you know, it had nothing to do with an insurance issue or anything like that. So you can't just pinpoint one thing for one group, but being African American, and a woman, you know, I want to talk to my community as well. And let them know, please, we are diagnosed earlier. So start those mammogram checks at age 40. And then there's also an issue with women being diagnosed some as early as 35. Now that I did not know, can I say so? Of course you can.
Unknown Speaker 19:06
Well, I think a lot of it from dealing with it for so long. I think as far as the African American woman, we tend to take on more than what we should like a lot of times, you know, things that are heavy, you know, we have that vein thing that maybe I don't want to ask my husband to lift that or my man. And we looked at ourselves Robert if we're in the grocery store, you know, if our husband isn't there, man isn't there. We're not gonna leave the groceries in the car and I'm just taking them in, you know, I when we cleaning, you know, we'll go on top of the ceiling and wipe it down instead of saying, you know, I'm not gonna wait favorite time I could do this stuff myself. You know, so a lot of it comes from we can for African Americans, we take a lot of stuff for that we don't really need to that we shouldn't and it becomes an effect later because I know my Self there was times, like, right after I had my babies, you know, my doctor would say, don't lift this after you, kids and you're like, I don't feel nothing. So I'm gonna go on and do it. I'm gonna make the bottles feed the baby put on my back. And we do have that tendency to
Zandra Polard 20:16
do that. But for me personally, I just said, Oh, no, baby. I
Unknown Speaker 20:20
can't do that. Yeah, but I can't do it. Right, right. But there are some women that feel like they can do it on. Yeah. And we as African Americans, we've been kind of like pushed in that area. Where we do do it all. Yes. So yeah. It has a lot to do with your health. You don't see it until later. And you know, stress and stress. Geez,
Zandra Polard 20:43
let's talk about the stress stress. Wow. So got to have that self care. We talk about it all of the time. What was your self care this morning? You know, it's about 730 in the morning. What have you done for you? Other than listen to the show? Are you taking yourself a nice bath? Have you done your meditative breathing? Have you done any affirmations? Let's take care of self this morning, starting now. Okay. Yeah,
Unknown Speaker 21:15
I do.
Zandra Polard 21:17
So what are some of the things that you do to stay healthy and to stay calm, stress free?
Unknown Speaker 21:21
Well, I got my baby. So you know, they kind of see when I kind of falter. They pick me up, you know, they're like, Mommy, we're gonna walk around the Rose Bowl. And then we're gonna walk up both those mountains. And it's like, for real? Now, you could do it, Mommy, come on. So they're encouraging for me. And it makes my body say, yeah, we can do that. I'm gonna show them I might be older to now. Practice still, hey, even though afterwards, you're by like, look at you. Laid out you saw now, right? And then I've, like I said, after I had the cancer and stuff, I learned to eat a lot better than what I did before. And I watch my diet. So I think I take care of myself. As a matter of fact, I feel I do take care of myself better than I did before it, I don't feel what I thought I might have felt from the aftereffect of it, you know. So a lot of it has to do with the care to yourself even before and after, and more so after because like I said, those little nodules, sometimes they can stay in the body for a long time and reoccur. And you don't want that. So if you keep those weights open, it sort of helps them just filter out the body like it's supposed to.
Zandra Polard 22:31
Okay. So, again, other than the exercise, what are some of the self care regimens you have?
Unknown Speaker 22:41
I get massage. There you go. There you go. And I tried to get him every day if I could, because my daughter is
Zandra Polard 22:49
a massage therapist. Yes, she is. And she is wonderful.
Unknown Speaker 22:52
Yes. Yeah. I get pampered you know, when I shop. That's my favorite thing to do. Okay, I like that one. Yeah. So, um, you know, it's, it's a lot of things you can and can't do. But you know, I pick and choose the best ones.
Zandra Polard 23:08
And, you know, having those boundaries, right. That's the most important thing for me. Having boys, for me. And being a new grandmother. Yeah, I've learned to say no. And for me, that's my self care, creating those boundaries. Mom, can you know, Mom, you think no,
Unknown Speaker 23:28
I don't have those kinds are all grown?
Zandra Polard 23:32
Well, mine are not. And those who are, are still calling. And those boundaries always have to be put in place. And so that's my personal self care. And then after that, and I create the space for myself, then I can decide how I want to show up for my day. Is it exercise? Is it a smoothie? Is it no meat today? Is it fasting? Is it praying? What is it that I choose to do for me in that free time in the morning, because I'm a morning person, which is why I'm here every Saturday at 7:30am. I want to thank 91.5, jazz and more. And I want to thank you all for listening, getting your mammogram, staying healthy, and having a wonderful day. We'll talk to you next week. And for now, I'm gonna play every woman by Whitney Houston. Thank you. Bye
Unknown Speaker 24:45
whatever you whatever you anything you want done, baby
Unknown Speaker 26:20
Right cast secrets you can check the fireside.
Unknown Speaker 27:08
To the CDs I can make a song good old fashioned
Unknown Speaker 27:42
right now
Transcribed by https://otter.ai
