Everyday Moments Matter While Living with
Metastatic Breast Cancer: Gerry’s Story
This sponsored article is brought to you by Eisai Inc. Gerry was compensated for participating in this article. The information in this article is provided for educational purposes only and not intended to replace discussions with an HCP. Individuals’ results may vary from Gerry’s experience.
Gerry was just shy of her 48th birthday, when she did a self-exam in 2011 and felt a lump the size of a small egg in her left breast. She had a mammogram six months prior to this and felt fine – no pain, redness, discharge – but decided to take the precaution and visit her primary care doctor to get an exam. Nothing unusual showed up on the mammogram, to her relief, but she decided to get an ultrasound to put her mind at ease. It was then that her doctors saw the mass, and a biopsy later revealed her diagnosis of stage 3 lobular breast cancer.
As a single parent of three, her most immediate reaction to the news was how it would impact her children. She didn’t tell her children about her diagnosis right away, but, one by one, she gave them the news.
“It was so tough,” Gerry said. “After all, I was their only parent.”
Her children supported her as she underwent a double mastectomy and reconstruction, followed by chemotherapy and radiation. But two years later, during a separate doctor visit for another health issue, a body scan revealed she was originally misdiagnosed, and had stage 4 cancer, also known as metastatic breast cancer (MBC), which cannot be cured. MBC is a more advanced form of breast cancer that has spread to other parts of the body. In Gerry’s case, her cancer had spread to her bones, followed by her reproductive organs, abdomen, gastrointestinal tract (including her colon and small intestine), and liver.
Women and men who live with MBC have separate challenges and needs than people who have early stage breast cancer. For them, MBC means they will have to undergo treatment for the rest of their lives, which carry the physical and emotional weight that comes with the disease. For Gerry, appreciating every day moments has been an important factor in helping her cope with the disease.
MBC is “a whole different ballgame,” Gerry said. “When I received that diagnosis, it was like my kids had to pick up the pieces again. I really had to start thinking about plans for my children because I knew my time was limited.”
Gerry underwent several rounds of chemotherapy and ended up switching medications a number of times. Then, her oncologist introduced her to HALAVEN® (eribulin mesylate). HALAVEN is a prescription medicine used to treat adults with breast cancer that has spread to other parts of the body, and who have already received other types of anticancer medicines after the cancer has spread.
“Together we decided that this would be a good option for me,” Gerry said. "Sometimes I do experience weakness and fatigue. Since I’ve been on HALAVEN, I’ve had to lower my dosage a couple of times.”
Before starting HALAVEN, Gerry’s oncologist went over all the benefits, risks, and possible side effects with her. HALAVEN can cause serious side effects including low white blood cell count (neutropenia) and numbness, tingling, or pain in your hands or feet (peripheral neuropathy). If a patient experiences side effects, their healthcare provider may delay or decrease the dose or stop treatment.
In a clinical study of more than 750 women, HALAVEN was compared with other chemotherapies or hormone therapies commonly used to treat MBC. Although some women lived longer and some women did not live as long, women who were treated with HALAVEN lived, on average, 25% longer (13.2 months vs 10.6 months, respectively) than those who received another chemotherapy or hormone treatment.
Since her diagnosis, Gerry has learned to live in the present and appreciate the big and small moments that matter. Whether it’s something as simple as being there while her kids get ready for work or as momentous as seeing her daughter graduate college, Gerry is appreciative of the time she gets to spend with her family.
“I’m so blessed to see my kids get this far – just sitting back and watching life happen and being a part of it – I’m really lucky,” Gerry said. “It’s a real gift to be able to be alive, and too often we take it for granted.”
To learn more about HALAVEN, visit www.Halaven.com or check out the HALAVEN community on Facebook at www.facebook.com/halaven.