Mid-Michigan breast cancer survivor reflects after her last treatment

LANSING, Mich. (WILX) - It’s a big day for breast cancer survivor, Jamie Meyers.

“It’s a huge deal to me,” Meyers said. “The fact that I was diagnosed a year ago in August, and I just finished my last treatment with immunotherapy today.”

Not only was Tuesday her last day of treatment, she’s a speaker at “It’s A Breast Thing” in the evening.

When looking back on the past year, Meyers said it’s been “a roller coaster of emotions. A lot. A lot for my family, but we’ve made it through headstrong "

Her goal now is to spread awareness, and to show others that recovery is possible.

“It comes on very quickly. You just have to be in tune with your body to be able to know for sure.” said Meyers, “You know it’s one of those things, where if something feels off, it’s probably off. It’s OK to get it checked out, because anything can change in the blink of a second.”

About one in every eight woman will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime.

“Most women who are diagnosed with breast cancer do not have a family history.” said Medical Oncologist, Dr. Brittani Thomas, “I think that’s the best kept secret in breast cancer. I have lots of women come through, and they get diagnosed, and they say ‘but there’s nobody in my family who’s had breast cancer’. That’s actually the more common situation.”

Dr. Thomas works with breast cancer patients, and says your yearly checkups are your best line of defense.

“The earlier we find your breast cancer, the higher the survival rate. Also, the earlier we find breast cancer, the more likely it is that maybe we won’t need to do things like chemotherapy.” said Dr. Thomas

On top of yearly check ups Dr. Thomas says anything new, is something worth having a professional look at.

“If you find something, just have it looked at. We’ve all done it, I’ve done it, my colleagues have done it. We’d much rather have you come in and be able to tell you ‘nope it’s nothing.’” said Dr. Thomas, “we love those days, when we get to tell patients it’s nothing. So don’t ever feel silly, if you think somethings not normal, just have it looked at.”

Dr. Thomas says mammograms should be done once a year, on top of a yearly breast exam done by your doctor or gynecologist. The recommended age is forty, but she says the earlier the better. It’s also recommended to complete a self-examination around once a month. Sparrow says to check for any changes in color, lumps, a-symmetry, or dimples.

Sparrow is offering free women’s health screenings and mammograms on Oct. 11 from 1-5 p.m. Appointments are available, but walk-in’s are also welcome. To make an appointment call 517-364-8698. For more information, click here.

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