Last fall, Nadeia Faustin was at work when a colleague mentioned she was overdue for her yearly mammogram. Nadeia, then 44, admitted she had never had one. “There was no history of breast cancer in my family, so I hadn’t gotten around to it,” Nadeia says. But the conversation stuck with her, and she scheduled a mammogram for February. “That’s how I found out I had early-stage breast cancer.”
Nadeia was referred to the BMC Breast Cancer Program, where she met with Dr. Michael Cassidy, surgical oncologist, and Dr. Lauren Oshry, oncologist. Dr. Cassidy explained that the cancer seemed contained, so they would start with a lumpectomy to remove the tumor. But after the surgery, Dr. Cassidy told Nadeia that a small amount of cancer had spread to one of her lymph nodes.
“I was freaking out, but Dr. Cassidy and Dr. Oshry were great,” says Nadeia. “They told me we would treat the cancer in the lymph node with chemotherapy and then radiation. They took the time to explain everything to me. We talked in depth about my different options, and I decided to go with the more aggressive approach because I didn’t want to take any chances.”
Nadeia completed chemo in September and is nearly done with radiation treatment. She lost her hair and had some fatigue and loss of taste from the chemo, but says she feels blessed she had minimal side effects.
Throughout her treatment, Nadeia kept a positive attitude. “When I was diagnosed, I made the decision to live my life to the fullest. I refused to let cancer defeat me,” she says. “I get up every day and walk my dog. I’ve worked as much as I could. I have a 20-year-old son and elderly parents, and I think my strength has helped us all get through this.”
As Nadeia looks forward to completing her treatment, she encourages everyone to get their cancer screenings. “I tell everyone to take care of yourself and take care of your health. Go get your mammogram. Luckily for me, when I did go, they caught it early.”