Today we’d like to introduce you to Takisha Chase.
Takisha, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
In June of 2015, I went to my doctor about a knot under my arm that appeared to be about the size of a dime. I was 37 years old at the time. My doctor asked me if I had had dental work. He told me that I had an infection in my mouth and then he gave me antibiotics. I didn’t understand what a knot under my arm had to do with my teeth. In my heart and gut I felt like it had to be something else however I said nothing because I felt my doctor knew what he was talking about. I got my medicine and went home.
I monitored the knot and noticed it had disappeared. I would check for it periodically and about two weeks later I discovered that the knot had come back and it was then the size of a plum. I went back to the doctor upset and insisted that he do a mammogram. He apologized and sent me over for a mammogram. Before he sent me over he had me do a Myriad Test. With this test, you spit into a tube and it checks to see if you are at risk for any type of cancer. I also did a BRACA1 Test. This test was also to check for cancer and used a swab instead of a tube. I had to wait a week to get the results for both tests. In the meantime, I had two mammograms and both came back negative. I couldn’t rest with that so I asked my doctor to do a biopsy. Later, The Myriad Test came back and I was positive for having breast cancer by the age of 40 and ovarian cancer by the age of 80. The BRACA1 Test came back negative. The doctors did a biopsy and found carcinoma. Which is another word for cancer.
I wanted to believe it was wrong because one test said one thing and the other said another. But I felt like something wasn’t right. At that moment my whole life changed. The crazy part was the doctor had no idea where the cancer was located. He told me he had to send me to an oncologist. The oncologist didn’t know where the cancer was either so he suggested that I start chemotherapy immediately. I asked if I had any other options and he responded, “No.” He told me that I had Triple Negative Breast Cancer. He said that this cancer is very aggressive and from his 20 years as an oncologist, he was almost certain that the cancer was in the breast area due to the lump under my arm. He told me that I needed to do 8 sessions of chemotherapy. He said the chemotherapy would pull the cancer out and he would be able to determine the stage and my next step. He also said that if the cancer was shown in another place that we would have to stop treatments and start the correct treatments for whatever cancer it was. After four sessions of chemotherapy the cancer showed up in my left breast. I was diagnosed with Stage 2b. The doctor decided to change my sessions from 8 to 6 and he said I would have to have surgery. I did my sessions and then I had a mastectomy. After that, I had to do 30 radiation treatments which burned me tremendously. I was weak and felt really fatigued.
What is triple-negative breast cancer? What makes it different from other types of breast cancer? Triple Negative is an advanced breast cancer. Triple Negative Breast Cancer means that the offending tumor is estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), HER2- negative. On a positive note, this type of breast cancer is typically responsive to chemotherapy. Because of its triple negative status, triple negative tumors generally do not respond to receptor-targeted treatments. Depending on the stage of its diagnosis, triple negative breast cancer can be particularly aggressive, and more likely to recur than other subtypes of breast cancer.
Triple-negative breast cancer most commonly affects African-American women, followed by Hispanic women. Asian women and non-Hispanic white women are less likely to develop this type of cancer. A study found that black women were 3 times more likely to develop triple-negative breast cancer than white women.
It also attacks women 40 and under. Normally when you have a history of cancer in your family this is where TNBC steps in. Triple-negative breast cancer is more likely to occur before age 40 or 50, versus age 60 or older, which is more typical for other breast cancer types.
When people with an inherited BRCA1 mutation develop breast cancer, especially before age 50, it is usually found to be triple-negative.
Being diagnosed with such a harsh disease was mind-boggling. I started to think about the worse things that could possibly happen. I felt like my life was over. The thought of death kept running across my mind. I started to think about how my children’s lives would be without me. Who would take care of them and where would they go? I wanted to do everything with them so they could have more good memories. I remember oversleeping on my daughter’s first day of school. I became so angry with my husband because he took her to school and didn’t wake me. I felt less than a mother. I took my children to Disneyland just to see them smile even though I didn’t feel well. But while I was there I began thinking about how young I was and how there were so many things I had not done or experienced.
I was worried about the chemotherapy making matters worse for me. I thought about losing my hair and if my husband would think I was attractive anymore or if he would leave me. I started thinking about burial expenses and how much of a burden I would be on my family or leave on my family. I felt alone. I became very depressed. I lost weight and I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t want to talk to or see anybody. At the time it was just my husband and my three younger children. My children started to see my hair fall out and I could tell my eight years old was worried. My five years old daughter came in my room and asked, “Mom, are you okay?” I could see in her eyes that she was worried. This made me feel horrible. I sat up and told my daughter that I was fine. She began telling me about a dance class that she wanted to attend. Not long after that my four years old son came in the room. He started asking for something to drink. I smiled because I realized that this is the reason I had to live. I got out of bed, the kids and I went into the kitchen and I started preparing dinner.
As tired as I was from the chemotherapy, I put some gospel music on and began cleaning my home. Once dinner was done my children, my husband and I sat down for dinner. It seemed as if it was the best dinner and time spent with the family I had ever had. I heard so many good stories and laughed so hard that I didn’t want that night to be over. As I put the kids to bed later that night I took my shower and prayed. I decided to let go and let God deal with it. At that point, I began to believe that I could fight, that I could win this battle and be able to live a long prosperous life. Everything that had been foggy and confusing became so clear to me. Looking at my children lifted my spirits and I knew that they needed me. With that, I decided to live. I decided to enjoy the possibilities of my life. I wanted to continue to be a loving wife, a wonderful mother and a good friend. Then I saw hope, I saw love, I saw faith and I wanted it all to be a part of my life. It was time to get rid of this disease and do everything I could to keep it from coming back. Triple Negative had to go.
It’s been seven years since I found out about the cancer. I have made the three years mark of Surviving Triple Negative Breast Cancer and I made the five years breast cancer mark of survival. I am in such a good place. I know I will survive this. I know I have beat cancer’s butt. I am stronger than I have ever been. I have a supporting family and friends and I enjoy being a breast cancer advocate. I started a dance group called TNWW Girls that consists of eight girls doing dance routines for the community to get them to come and hear me speak about TNBC. They also dance for cancer patients to lift their spirits. I continue to reach out to businesses and other people to help me with my movement and to put the word out about TNBC. I changed my way of eating and I use dancing as my exercise. I spend a lot of time with my children and allow them to help me with my nonprofit Triple Negative Won’t Win. I now have shirts, hats and backpacks. I’m in the process of getting scrubs. I had an MRI, Cat scan and Pet scan and all tests came back negative. As of May of 2022, I am still healed and a winner. I am confident and believe that I will continue to be a winner. I continue to help others and I stay connected to God. Without him, I would not be here today.
I thought about all the things that I can do to make the community more aware of this particular cancer. Everyone knows about cancer however some are not aware of the names of the cancers or how some cancers affect you, or what specific groups they attack. With me knowing that I wanted everyone else to be educated about it as well. I survived it and I want others to know what they can do to possibly beat this particular cancer and to know what signs to look for. This is what helped me start Triple Negative Won’t Win.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It definitely hasn’t been a smooth road. It caused me to lose my hair. It took my fertility. Made me lose my body parts. Not to mention nearly lost my mind, my home, my car and not to mention hurt my children and family. Because everybody had to succumb to that illness that I shouldn’t have suffered from and my family suffered with me. But it didn’t stop me.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
TNWW provides assistance for cancer patients and their families during and after treatments. We help with clothing, food and utilities. With many years of experience in personal hair care, we also provide emotional support to those who suffer from hair loss by providing wigs and other cosmetic needs. We aim to help the client look and feel better with things such as body lotion, body soap and makeovers. (TNWW) provides workshops with educational pamphlets about breast cancer and cervical cancer. We encourage more frequent screenings which help with early detection. I am known for my hair care products. What sets me apart from others is I have been through it and I survived it. So I can relate.
Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
Teaching everyone about Triple Negative Breast Cancer has been a good thing because the information has helped a lot of people catch the cancer early and has helped people learn what to do if they ever get in that situation.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://triplenegativewontwin.com/
- Instagram: http://www.Instagram.com/triplenegativewontwin
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100013840141815
