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“I was shocked. I couldn’t believe it. I said it must be scar tissue from the mastectomy. My doctor said she hoped I was right, but she didn’t think so.”

Former Singer Navigates Cancer The Second Time Around

ABOUT SHARON, IN HER OWN WORDS:

• My heroes are my husband, two daughters, five grandchildren, and Barbra Streisand.
• I feel supported to have Pfizer Oncology Together as part of my oncology team.
• I’m not in a fog of confusion and fear when I think about HR+/HER2- mBC anymore.

My Life Was Full Of Music. Then Breast Cancer Came.

I was diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer in my right breast at the age of 47. I went into a fog when I heard the diagnosis. I remember asking my husband to listen to what the doctor was saying. I could not digest anything he was saying.

As we left, I asked what the doctor said. My husband said, “I don't know.” He was as upset as I was. We both cried. Thankfully, my doctor gave us an instruction sheet and a big hug.

To give you a background about myself, I am a wife to my rock and hero husband, mother of two beautiful daughters, and grandmother to five amazing children.

In my younger days, I loved singing. My family encouraged me. As a teenager, I sang at hospitals, church, and community activities. In the 1970s, I sang in a top 40 band in clubs and at private parties, such as weddings. My go-to artist was Barbra Streisand.

Being hit by the cancer train was not what I was anticipating as I was healthy. My husband found a lump in my right breast. I had dense breasts and did my annual mammogram. I wasn't concerned when I went to see my doctor again.

After another mammogram, my doctor diagnosed me with breast cancer. I was afraid of how I would tell my daughters. My older daughter was 25 and living on her own, but my younger daughter was 16. It was difficult to tell them, but they were as supportive as they could be.

Two weeks after my diagnosis, I started chemotherapy. I had chemo treatments for six months and a mastectomy of my right breast. I was afraid of chemo because of the stories I had heard. When I started, I got ill. I told myself I never wanted to go through that again.

It was hard to understand how this terrible diagnosis of breast cancer with no pain could cause havoc to my body. Later that year, I had a mastectomy on my left breast for prophylactic reasons. When they evaluated it, cancer was found in situ in the left breast. Wise move to have it removed.

I Never Thought It Would Come Back

Never did I think my cancer would return. After the second mastectomy, I asked my doctor if it was possible for my cancer to come back. She said it wasn't likely, but if one cell survived, it was possible.

Years later, it was the day before Thanksgiving. I had an appointment with my primary care doctor for bronchitis. I've been prone to getting bronchitis my whole life. My doctor sent me to have an x-ray to make sure I didn't have pneumonia. That evening, I was taking a nap when she called. She said, “Sharon, you don't have pneumonia, but you do show on the x-ray multiple nodes in your right chest wall that looks like metastatic breast cancer.”

I couldn't believe it. I said it must be scar tissue from the mastectomy. She said she hoped I was right, but didn't think it was. I could not believe this was happening again. My doctor continued to tell me about the mass on my chest wall and the plan she had for treating me. I was mad at her for telling me the day before Thanksgiving, but eventually, I thanked her for telling me so I could start processing it and move on.

A second diagnosis of cancer wasn't easier. When I received the results of a biopsy that showed my breast cancer had metastasized and was terminal, I thought I was going to die in days. I cried. My husband cried, too. But my husband turned things around and has been amazing in every respect. My older daughter told me again that everything was going to be alright. And my younger daughter started sending me books about facing cancer.

I was having migraines, so I was sent for an MRI. My oncologist wanted to make sure the cancer had not spread to my brain. It hadn't. It had not spread anywhere but my chest wall. Great news!

But now what? I wondered, How long am I going to live? Will I see my grandchildren graduate college, get married, have babies? Millions of questions were going through my brain.

Choosing IBRANCE Combination Therapy For HR+/HER2- mBC

Within days, I met with my oncology team. My head oncologist assured me it was the team's job to give me the best care they could. I wasn't sure that was possible. I was skeptical. However, the more they talked to me, the more I learned that they are an amazing group of caring people. I felt comfortable putting my life in their hands. They took the time to get to know me and what I wanted from a treatment.

They encouraged me to research the options we discussed, which included IBRANCE, and to ask them questions. So, I did.

The medication I was interested in was IBRANCE. I went back to my oncologist, and she told me that IBRANCE was a treatment that had been FDA approved as a first-line treatment option for adults with HR+/HER2- metastatic breast cancer, taken in combination with letrozole, which is an aromatase inhibitor. She told me about the benefits and risks, including the serious and common side effects. I told her I wanted to start on IBRANCE.

Once my oncologist prescribed IBRANCE, I got in contact with Pfizer Oncology Together and was assigned a Care Champion, who helped me with getting the prescription approved by my insurance and sending me my welcome kit. She calls once a month to check in. And I can call her if I have questions about IBRANCE. She also sends me IBRANCE resources as well as articles about mBC and diet. I'm lucky to have her as part of my team. It's important to note that not everyone who signs up for Pfizer Oncology Together will be eligible for the same support I received.

I started out taking 125 mg of IBRANCE and 2.5 mg of letrozole for 21 days. During the fourth week of the treatment cycle, I took letrozole, but no IBRANCE. Then the cycle would start again. I had side effects, like being tired and bouts of diarrhea. I told my oncology team, and I was given medicine for diarrhea. About six months into my treatment with IBRANCE and letrozole, my neutrophils, a type of white blood cells, started to decrease. I worked with my oncologist to find the right dose of IBRANCE to help manage these side effects.

Now, I am on 75 mg of IBRANCE in combination with letrozole and it has been working well. This is my experience. Everyone is different. Some patients may experience other serious or common side effects that are different, such as low white blood cell counts, lung problems, infections, low red blood cell counts, low platelet counts, and loss of appetite.

Please see Important Safety Information here.

From Fear To Fighting Spirit

I have blood tests every month. Someone from my oncology team is on call 24/7 for anything I may need. I tell them if I have aches, pains, or fevers. Whatever ails me, they want to know. I have PET scans every three to four months to monitor the size of the mass on my chest wall. I feel fortunate to have my oncologist on my team and in my life.

It is important to remember that metastatic breast cancer is not the end of the road. There are treatments coming out that are helping people like me. When I was diagnosed the second time, I thought I was going to die within days, but had amazing support from my family and my medical team that helped me realize I could fight this disease.

Thanks to the people I have on my side, I am no longer in a fog of confusion and fear when I think about breast cancer. I feel prepared to face the rest of my life with this disease.

_{Ambassadors were asked to share their personal stories about IBRANCE and compensated by Pfizer for doing so. All content was accurate at the time of publication and is assessed periodically for accuracy.}

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