October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month so we’re shining the spotlight on local survivors all month long. Robin Bolte is a survivor from Rockford. Read her story below.

1. When were you diagnosed and at what age?

I was diagnosed in October 2016 and I was 62 years old.

2. What stage were you diagnosed with?

Stage 2 – I had a tumor in my left breast and in one of my left lymph nodes.

3. How was the cancer initially detected? (i.e. through a BSE, a CBE or an annual mammogram).

I had my regular mammogram in March 2016, but my cancer was not detected at that time. I was having some burning sensations, but was told that my mammogram was unchanged from the prior year. I have dense breast tissue and the regular mammogram machine could not see my tumor (they did not have the 3D machine at that point in time). I felt a lump in September 2016 and told my doctor about it at my regular annual check up. My doctor ordered a breast ultrasound which detected the tumor. I was then sent for a biopsy, which was done on October 5, 2016. The biopsy results came back the next day.

4. How did you feel when you first received the news?

I was very scared. My husband had passed away several years earlier and I was concerned about leaving my (adult) children without a parent. I was more concerned about my children then myself.

5. Is there a family history of breast cancer?

At that time, only one of my cousins had also been diagnosed with breast cancer. Both of our cancers are estrogen based. Since that time, another cousin and my great niece have also been diagnosed with breast cancer. One of those cousins died of breast cancer (was stage 4 by time she finally went to the doctor). The other cousin had gone into remission from breast cancer, but later developed leukemia as a side affect from the chemo (used to treat her breast cancer) and died from leukemia. My niece is done with treatment, but is still undergoing reconstruction surgeries.

6. Did you have a support network? If not, how did you overcome it or find it?

I have a very close family, friend, church family, and zumba friends that supported and helped my through my cancer.

7. Tell us about your treatment process.

I had six rounds of chemo, which consisted of 4 different chemo drugs. I had 3 weeks in between each chemo round. The day after each chemo session, I had to go get a shot that stimulated bone morrow production to help build back my immune system (white blood cells). I always had my chemo sessions on Thursday. I would work on Fridays as normal and would go to zumba on Saturday mornings. I usually started feeling weak on Sundays and started to get a metallic taste in my mouth. The Sunday and Monday following my chemo was always the worst. After chemo, I had surgery (lumpectomy) to remove the tumor and 5 of my lymph nodes. After my lumpectomy, I developed a seroma (fluid filled cavity where my lymph nodes were removed) and I had a drain for six weeks (get remove the fluid that was building up). Then I had 30 sessions of radiation. Radiation was Monday through Friday for six weeks.

8. Did you face any obstacles during your treatment process?

If so, how did you overcome these obstacles? I had many reactions to chemo. I developed a chemo rash on your hand, which was treated with steroids. Chemo also caused lots of diarrhea, which had to be treated with medication. After my last session of chemo, I had to be admitted to the hospital because my white blood cell count was too low. My oncologist was excellent and visited me in the hospital everyday even if he was scheduled to be off. During my chemo, I also developed watery eyes because the chemo damaged my tear ducts. I had to have surgery to reopen my tear ducts. I still have lingering issues with my eyes.

9. How long have you been in remission or cancer free?

I have been in remission for 4 years. However, I still take an estrogen blocking pill every day to prevent re-occurrence of the breast cancer.

10. What message would you like to provide women in the community?

To always listen to your body and pursue further medical tests if you feel that it is necessary. I was feeling burning in my breast in March and wasn’t satisfied with the response I got to my mammogram. I thought there was something wrong, but didn’t pursue it until I felt a lump in September.

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