Jan’s Story

By Lauren dealbuquerque
Managing Editor

Jan Newman, 57, had routine mammograms for years. But a few months after a mammogram in 2004, she noticed the skin on one breast was puckering. She returned for another test, and was told everything was okay. “I have dense, lumpy breasts, so it looked like more of the same,” she said. But when the lump remained, she had a biopsy. It tested negative, but her surgeon was suspicious. He did a lumpectomy, which revealed cancer.

“It was horrible news,” Newman said. “I cried for 10 minutes.”

Disconcerted by the initial misdiagnosis, Jan and her husband George went to M.D. Anderson for a consultation. Ultimately, they opted to have the treatment (chemo and radiation) in Lake Charles under the direction of M.D. Anderson doctors.

Newman had a lot of support as she went through her ordeal. “My husband is my rock,” Newman said. Her son lives out of state but did as much as he could for her. She was working at the time, and her co-workers were amazing, she said. “I had chemo once a week, and the day of my chemo, they would provide a meal for me and my husband, and give me gifts. I’m starting to cry just thinking about it.”

She chose not to go to support groups, but instead visited reliable Web sites, such as the American Cancer Society’s, and read everything from medical pamphlets to Chicken Soup for the Soul.

Newman is now in remission, but goes to M.D. Anderson every six months for a checkup. “You’re never the same, but it’s not a death sentence,” she said. “At the same time, I think about things differently now. I’m expecting my first grandchild, and I find myself praying that I can see her grow up.”

What advice does she have for a woman who has just been diagnosed?

“I know that if feels like the end of the world, but it isn’t,” she said. “Concentrate on yourself and put off other people. Take care of yourself first.”