Deb and Sandy
Bottom (left to right): Sisters, Deb and Sandy.
Top (left to right): Brothers, Rod and Alan.
By Deb, a Sister Study participant from Iowa
I joined the Sister Study because my sister, Sandy, has had cancer for most of her 47 years. Sandy and I are only 14 months apart and have two younger brothers, Alan and Rod, who are not far behind us in age at 44 and 42 respectively. At the age of 17, Sandy was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a cancer that starts in the lymphatic tissue. She was treated with radiation therapy which killed her ovaries, thus causing her to go into menopause at the age of 17. Eighteen months later, the lymphoma returned and she underwent more treatment. Our mom got a hotel room and stayed with Sandy during her chemotherapy treatments. To the rest of us siblings, it seemed like we were spending all the Easters and Mother’s Days in the hospital, so our family could be together then.
Sandy was finally told that the Hodgkin’s disease was cured. Five more years went by and then she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She was only 22 and had to have chemo again. Her veins were not strong and the nurses once used her little toe when they ran out of places to try. She had her breast reconstructed and about eighteen months went by with no cancer. Then one month before her anniversary of being diagnosed the first time, she was told she had cancer again. That was 30 years ago. Now, she has been diagnosed with Stage IV breast cancer and is taking more chemo treatments.
When our mom was pregnant with Sandy, she took the drug DES because she was close to having a miscarriage. Mom has had cancer in a sweat gland under one arm, and we tease her saying she only has to use half of the amount of deodorant as the rest of us. She has also had skin cancer. Alan, our brother, has had two melanomas. Rod, the youngest brother has been okay, but he smokes.
We would all like to know the causes of these cancers and hope that the Sister Study will find what the causes of breast cancer are.