Mentor Angel Shanette Caywood and her mentee, Megan Oster, were both in their thirties when they were diagnosed with stage IV breast cancer. While Megan suspected the lump in her breast and the enlarged lymph nodes in her armpit would turn out to be cancerous, Shanette’s diagnosis came as more of a surprise. About one-and-a-half years earlier, she had been told that the lumps in her breast were merely cysts. Now, in October 2012 at the age of 32, she faced aggressive HER2+ estrogen and progesterone receptor negative breast cancer that had metastasized to her liver and spine.
“The only thought I had at the time was my two boys. Who would take care of them? I broke down and cried,” Shanette says.
But by the time she left the doctor’s office with her mother that day, a dramatic shift in perspective had occurred.
“I thought to myself, you are not going to give up. My mom asked what I was going to do now, and I told her I was going to keep the hair appointment I had that day. I was going to beat cancer, and I would look cute doing it,” Shanette says.
Shanette has overcome many obstacles along the way. Her primary tumor grew in size after initially shrinking from chemotherapy. In another instance, her tumor found a way to work around the chemotherapy and grow. She was also told that she could never have a mastectomy or reconstruction.
But Shanette was not about to let these setbacks defeat her, and in late 2015, she had a mastectomy that helped stop the primary tumor from feeding her cancer. She also recently had reconstruction surgery, and was taken off chemotherapy medication because her tumors had stabilized.
Throughout her journey, Shanette discovered that helping others, as well as talking about her situation, gave her strength. She spent time looking up organizations she could join in order to help, and discovered Imerman Angels during one of these online searches.
“I became a Mentor Angel because I wanted to give people hope. I wanted to tell fellow cancer fighters, do not let it bring you down and always think about the positive, even when you get bad news. We are still here, we are still living, and you should always remember that,” Shanette says.
This kind of encouragement was exactly what Megan, who was diagnosed in October 2015 at age 38 with HER2+ and progesterone positive breast cancer with metastasis to the lining of her lung, needed to hear.
“The medical community is never going to tell you that stage IV breast cancer is curable, so you are not going to get any hope there. Shanette gives me hope, both with her positive attitude and the way she has beat the odds,” Megan says.
The two women were matched up in fall of 2015 and stay in touch via phone calls and text messages. They both live in Chicago and have met up one time so far. Megan has found great comfort in her relationship with Shanette, who is always there to answer questions or simply commiserate with her.
“The unknown can be frightening, especially when you are facing a life-and-death situation like cancer. So to have the counsel and support of someone who has been there and who is thriving is very encouraging,” Megan says.
After completing six chemotherapy treatments in March, a CAT scan and MRI showed a lack of abnormalities at the site of the original tumors in Megan’s breast and lung. A PET scan further define the status of Megan’s case, as well as take a closer look at a new mass in her breast and old mass on her rib. At some point, a tissue biopsy may be needed to determine whether or not these masses are related to her breast cancer. In the meantime, due to the positive way her original tumors responded to chemotherapy, Megan has been taken off the chemotherapy medication and is now receiving just two antibody medications every 21 days.
Seeing how far Megan has come since the ladies first spoke months ago has been exciting and gratifying for Shanette.
“Being a Mentor Angel has been such a positive experience for me. It makes me feel useful and like I am here for a reason. When I get a call or a text message from Megan, even if I am feeling down myself, it reminds me that I am an example and it helps me regain my positive outlook,” Shanette says.
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