Diagnosis to Dominance
BY LEANITA RAGLAND-BROOKS
here is a moment,
somewhere
between the
diagnosis and the first treatment, when fear arrives and does not leave. It follows you into the shower, into the silence after the house goes quiet, into the hours when you are supposed to be sleeping.
I know that moment intimately. I have lived in it — three times.
I found the cancer myself, on what was supposed to be a pamper night. Bossa nova playing, a candle lit, wrapped in my hot pink towel — my signature color. One moment of bliss, then stillness. I called my doctor and pushed; I did not wait. Within the week I had a breast surgeon, a biopsy, and confirmation.
I was diagnosed with Invasive Lobular Carcinoma (ILC) in 2021, a form of breast cancer that does not present itself as a lump. It grows quietly, which is why it evades detection. For 23 years I did everything right for early detection: mammograms, additional screenings, self-examinations. Stage 3 still arrived uninvited. From my initial diagnosis in 2021, I endured five surgeries, twenty-nine rounds of radiation, and three months of chemotherapy. I rang the gold bell and thought I was done.
I was. Cancer wasn’t.
Within the week I had a breast surgeon, a biopsy, and confirmation.
I was diagnosed with Invasive Lobular Carcinoma (ILC) in 2021, a form of breast cancer that does not present itself as a lump. It grows quietly, which is why it evades detection. For 23 years I did everything right for early detection: mammograms, additional screenings, self-examinations. Stage 3 still arrived uninvited. From my initial diagnosis in 2021, I endured five surgeries, twenty-nine rounds of radiation, and three months of chemotherapy. I rang the gold bell and thought I was done.
I was. Cancer wasn’t.
Seven months ago, I knew something was wrong before anyone confirmed it. For two months I could not retain food and was fearful of eating. Test after test came back fine — PET scan, gastroenterology. I was not satisfied. I insisted on a full upper-body CT, which found stage IV lymphoma. I then obtained multiple specialists’ opinions. My husband Alvin and I met with a renowned lymphoma oncologist. She asked me questions about myself that I couldn’t answer and sent me to the ER for tests. I was admitted to the hospital and remained for 42 days.
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