In 2019, an estimated 268,600 new cases of invasive breast cancer are expected to be diagnosed in women in the U.S., along with 62,930 new cases of non-invasive (in situ) breast cancer. Add another 2,670 new cases in men.

For women in the U.S., breast cancer death rates are higher than those for any other cancer, besides lung cancer. About 41,760 women in the U.S. are expected to die in 2019 from breast cancer.

But these are just numbers.

There are many faces of breast cancer.

Facebook photoDianne Bennett Blankenberg

Mothers, wives, sisters, daughters, friends, relatives.

Fighters.

Survivors.

All of the above.

The face of breast cancer could be Amy, or Kristin, or Tracey.

Facebook photo Dianne and James Blankenberg.

Or Warren’s Dianne Blankenberg.

“Feelings that I had when I was told that I had breast cancer — I was in shock,” said Dianne, a graduate of Sheffield. “I’m so young, 43 at the time of diagnosis. Scared that I might die. I had to tell my boys, 15 and 13, the day I found out. We were in a hotel room and they heard me crying to my husband. My older daughter, 18, was at home for the weekend. I didn’t want to tell her over the phone, so she found out when we got home that Sunday.

“In September of 2018, I had a mammogram,” said Dianne. “The mammogram came up suspicious and I was asked to come back in about two weeks later for a more thorough mammogram, which included a sonogram. This was only for my right breast. At this more extensive mammogram, after all of the awkward positioning and the sonogram, the radiologist came into the sonogram room and did her own scan. She said that there wasn’t anything to be concerned with, but as a precaution, she wanted me to come back in six months for another set of mammograms and sonograms. My six-month follow up was on April 12, 2019. After the same mammograms and sonogram were done, the radiologist came in, did her own scan, and this time told me that there was a small mass. She explained to me that she wanted to perform a breast biopsy… just to be sure. The radiologist was positive that it wasn’t a cyst. The radiologist explained how the breast biopsy would go and what to expect. The breast biopsy was scheduled for Wednesday, April 17. The radiologist said that the results could take up to five business days. My husband, two younger boys and I went out of town the next day. We were going to Michigan to spend Easter with my husband’s family. So on Friday, April 19 (Good Friday), the radiologist called me and told me that it was breast cancer.

“I’m on the phone, trying really hard to not start crying, and asking the radiologist what my next step is,” Dianne said. “She said to contact the doctor who ordered the mammograms. I decided to wait until the following Monday since it was Good Friday and I wasn’t sure if my doctor’s office was open. Plus, I really needed to cry and tell my husband.”

But then, like a fighter, she took a breath and got right to it.

Facebook photo Dianne with family.

“I think for me, the moment of pulling up my bootstraps and fighting this was when I had to tell my kids,” said Dianne. “I realized if I wanted to see them graduate, get married, have my grandchildren, that I had to fight right away. As soon as I was told there was a small mass, I started preparing myself mentally for the worst. However, hearing the worst still doesn’t prepare you emotionally. Physically was kind of the easy part. I chose to go to Cleveland Clinic for my treatment because their cancer center is ranked No. 2 in the country. I had an appointment within a week of finding out. The day I went to Cleveland Clinic, I met with my whole team of doctors who would be treating me — breast surgeon, oncologist, radiation oncologist, and I had all of the necessary testings that they required, along with my reports from the radiologist here, locally.

“In a way, I am very lucky,” she said. “My breast cancer is Stage 1; it’s considered the ‘best kind of cancer’ to get if someone is going to get cancer. The actual name is malignant neoplasm of the upper inner quadrant of the right breast in females, estrogen receptor-positive (HCC). Basically, my cancer is fed and grows off of my estrogen and progesterone hormones in my body. I had a lumpectomy on May 9 and started radiation treatment on June 10… I haven’t let myself get to the point where I didn’t feel like fighting.

“I felt like I have to be strong for my children,” said Dianne. “My biggest supporter has been my husband (James) and he has told me that he supports all of my decisions because it’s my body. When I was going through radiation treatment, I stayed at a place in Cleveland called The Hope Lodge. I had to have a caregiver with me just in case I became unresponsive or was too ill to call 9-1-1. My 18-year-old daughter who just graduated from high school took time off from work to go with me for four weeks. My husband and I both knew that he couldn’t go with me, that financially one of us had to work. I felt extremely bad to have to pull my daughter away from her friends, and being a new graduate, but she was awesome and very supportive. I met so many different people with different types and stages of cancer who were always in the best spirits. I remember thinking that what I was going through seemed minor compared to someone I met who was going through both chemotherapy and radiation at the same time. Since my breast cancer was Stage 1 … after genetic testing, it was determined that I didn’t need chemotherapy; which I have to admit, I was relieved. I would keep my kids in the loop and tell them the truth as things progressed. I didn’t want them to think I was hiding anything from them.

“Now that I’m on the road to recovery, my biggest emotions are, what if this didn’t work? Mentally, I think of the worst and hope for the best, but you just don’t know,” said Dianne. “I will not have any follow-up testing until I hit my one-year mark in April 2020; that’s six months away and it gives me plenty of time to think about the what if’s and worry that the breast cancer has come back. Sometimes, no matter how much reassurance your medical team gives you, you could be the exception. Asking myself where I’m at now is hard to answer. I try every day not to think about what may happen in April, but those thoughts creep into my head at the strangest times. In the end, I take one day at a time. I try very hard to be more patient with my family, even when my boys drive me crazy.

“I don’t think it made me examine life,” she said. “I knew that someone had to work to continue to pay bills to keep a roof over our heads and food in the house. I mean, life goes on no matter where I was. The bad when it comes to changing me is when people tell me that they are sorry and that my fight is their fight. It really isn’t. They are not the ones that cancer happened to and they can’t fight it for me. It is what it is. I considered it the luck of the draw. I’m sorry if that sounds harsh. The good … well, it makes me realize how blessed I am in having such a good support system in my family and friends. I definitely had plenty of time to analyze my life. While I was away, you promise yourself things like spending more time with your kids, and spouse. Trying to not hold a grudge when it comes to people not agreeing with how others perceive you and your situation. Trying to live life to the fullest and laugh every day. I have many people, including my general physician’s office, questioning my decision to seek treatment out of the area. It got to the point where I started to question if I was doing the right thing for my family and for us, financially. My husband was always telling me not to worry about things, financially. That we would make it work if I decided to continue my treatment out of the area. He said it was my body and that I should do what I am most comfortable with. I don’t regret my decision.”

Facebook photo Support from her workplace.

Dianne’s family and the people at The Hope Lodge were her strongest support base. But all the strength in the world won’t keep cancer away medically.

“Preventative care is a big part of the fact they caught it early,” she said. “I have been having yearly mammograms since I turned 40. My maternal grandmother had Stage 3 breast cancer but my doctor wasn’t concerned because my mom nor my sister had it. That was 14 years ago. She passed of pancreatic cancer about 11 years ago.

“It’s very reassuring to be able to talk to someone who has been through or is going through what I am,” said Dianne. “It makes you

feel a little more normal about things that are going on with you. Support from family and friends is essential, too. Someone to listen to you and give you an objective opinion or just listen.

“I am still at yearly check-ups, but they will be more extensive than a normal yearly mammogram,” she said. “Extra pictures, sonogram, and an MRI. It’s for at least two years. Then if nothing crops up, then it goes back to a normal yearly. Fewer pics and stuff.

“Anyone who is diagnosed today, I would tell them to go to a doctor or facility that they feel comfortable with,” said Dianne. “Take one day at a time and find a good support base. I keep in touch with some of the wonderful people that I met in Cleveland at The Hope Lodge. My employer has been supportive of time off that I need for any appointments and follow-ups. They also let me work remotely from Cleveland the month I was away. It’s probably weird for me to say, but the worst part of this is the after treatments. I am only an estrogen blocker for the next 10 years. It makes me grumpy and tired and hungry, but then I have to look at the bigger picture and think, ‘well, I have to do it to keep the cancer away.'”

Newsletter

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)

• Daily Newsletter
• Breaking News
• Obituaries

Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *

• Yes
• No