A happy story about vanity, aging and breast cancer

by
Shelley Dodt
This is the best day to tell you this story since I turned 56 today! Last year I became a senior citizen and you know I had to give it some thought. Actually, I looked much worse in my forties when I was overweight and out of shape. By age 52, I was ready and lucky enough to get a facelife, tummy tuck, breast reduction and breast lift. Did I mention liposuction. All of this was good.
Actually, it was my breast that leads us to this story. Don’t even let anyone criticize you for vanity. It is because I was vain about two protruding extra little breasts that the surgeon neglected to take off under my arms. I guess you call it “bra fat”. So at age 55, in July 0f 2009 I decided to have it removed. The doctor said I was vain and it was nothing but fat, but I wanted it off. Surprise to everyone including the doctor when the pathology came back saying I had Ductal Carcinoma in Situ under my left arm! Now that frightened me to death! I would always give donations to breast cancer but never really wanted to know anything much about it since it is so frightening. Now I feel very differently. Do you know of anyone who can be relaxed about their mammogram?
Well I had to have surgery to have a 2.5cm piece of it removed and then further news came saying not only did I have Ductal Carcinoma in Situ but it was something called Her2/neu positive as well. A quick trip to the internet gave me a very fast education about that. I found out that if I had not found out about this DCIS, in two or three years it would have turned into invasive cancer. Invasive cancer involves chemotherapy and with Her2/neu is a very aggressive cancer. So even though my mammogram, MRI and Ultrasound were all negative, I still had cancer. This was very scary even though I was considered stage 0.
I did my research for clinical trials on my own after seeing several doctors who could only offer me more surgery and radiation therapy. I began to wonder what would happen if there were more DCIS cells in there floating around waiting to become invasive. The vaccine worked by taking your own white cells and making vaccine specific to your own body and injection them into your body once a week for six weeks. At the end, they do a mammogram, MRI and some other tests and then you have surgery. I tolerated everthing without any side effects. I did have to travel to Philadelphia for the shots, but I came to love the city and the University of Pennsylvania campus is beautiful.

Finding Dr. Czerniecki’s clinical trial at the University of Pennsylvania was like being pulled out of a burning building. I did have to go through many tests to qualify for the trial. His coordinator Jeanne Schueller was very helpful in getting me all the information and scheduling all the tests needed.
In the end my pathology came back completely clean. No sign of cancer anywhere and four lymph nodes checked were completely. everyone associated with the trial was very professional and kind.
Now I am associated with a 501(c)(3) group called Pennies in Action. My friend Uschi Keszler who is an Olympic Ice Skater and Olympic Coach and sister breast cancer survivor has formed a charity growing funds to help fund further cancer vaccines for all types of cancer. The money goes directly to the doctor and his team doing the research. Dr. Brian Czerniecki at the University of Pennsylvania can be seen on You Tube explaining how his vaccines work. We are all hopeful that the day will come soon when cancer will be an easily treatable or preventable disease.
So this is how vanity saved my life. If I had not decided to get rid of that ugly bra fat, the DCIS cells would have become invasive cancer. Now, I want to educate all women not to be afraid and to find out about breast cancer. Early detection and intervention can save your life. Dr. Czerniecki’s vaccine gives me the confidence to know I have had the best treatment available today. My biggest wish is that all people diagnosed with cancer could have the opportunity to get a vaccine like mine.

for info and to contact Shelley go to www.penniesinaction.org