Living With Metastatic Breast Cancer: How One Woman Not Only Survives – But Thrives

For most people diagnosed with stage 0 breast cancer, the cancer journey has a start and finish. But for patients with metastatic breast cancer, like Marlene, there is no end to their cancer journey. After over 20 years of living with cancer, she is a prime example of how far treatment has advanced and how it can help patients continue living full, active lives.

Marlene’s First Diagnosis

In 2005, Marlene was having surgery to remove a lump she had felt in her breast. Around the same time, one of her sisters in California was also diagnosed with breast cancer. Marlene shared that information with her surgeons at the Carl & Dorothy Bennett Cancer Center, so they took a sample of tissue to test.

“In the extra tissue that was taken, it was discovered that I carried the BRCA gene (mutation) and that I had ductal carcinoma in situ,” she said of her stage 0 diagnosis. While she didn’t need chemotherapy, Marlene did opt for a double mastectomy at Stamford Health. (Her sister did receive chemotherapy and underwent a mastectomy.) About a year later, Marlene had her ovaries removed to help reduce the risk of recurrence.

For the next seven years, life largely returned to normal. Marlene and her husband raised two young daughters, who were just 3 and 6 years old during her first diagnosis, while keeping a regular schedule of activities, including yoga.

The Back Pain That Revealed Cancer

In late 2012, Marlene started experiencing back pain. “I tried sports medicine massage, but when that didn’t work I finally went to a pain specialist who did an MRI,” she said. When the results came back in early 2013, they showed tumors along her spine and throughout her body. “I was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer. It was a total shock,” she said. “I needed to figure out what to do, but I knew I wasn’t going to give up.”

After speaking with several different doctors in the area, Marlene decided to seek care at Stamford Health. “It’s a world-renowned hospital that’s around the corner,” Marlene said. “The whole Bennett Cancer Center team is just fantastic. The nurses, the doctors, the receptionists, everybody is great. I feel very well taken care of.”

Over the course of four months, Marlene had six chemotherapy sessions every three weeks. “My sisters from California took turns coming out here to be with me. They helped take care of the family – and me,” she said.

For each of her chemo treatments, her visiting sister and group of friends would meet at the hospital for a “melting party.” “I don’t know who coined the phrase but we turned the treatments into a party while I melted the cancer away with the chemo,” she said. “I’d be there for five to six hours per treatment, but my friends would be there too. People talk about having a village, and I really do have one. My core group of friends have been there for me since day one.”

Beyond her circle of friends and family, Marlene also leaned on the supportive care programs at Bennett Cancer Center, especially in the beginning. She met with a nutritionist, had massages, including Reiki and reflexology. “I took advantage of everything, which was so helpful and gave me something to look forward to,” Marlene said.

Life With Metastatic Cancer

More than a decade after her metastatic breast cancer diagnosis, Marlene no longer relies on supportive therapies as frequently as she once did. But that’s a testament to how effective her therapies are – and her positive mindset. “When people think of metastatic cancer, it’s scary. But, for me, I want to live my life so I keep busy doing all the stuff I love. It works for me,” she said.

Marlene goes for treatments every three weeks. Aside from feeling tired for a day or so after each treatment, she remains as active as ever, filling her days with yoga, friends, and travel. “She is an example of someone who’s living with cancer and with quality. Cancer is no longer a life sentence. It’s really a chronic disease. And that’s due to all the wonderful new drugs that are available right now – and many more to come,” said her oncologist and Stamford Health Director of Medical Oncology, Dr. Steven Lo.

“When she was first diagnosed, I remember saying to her doctor that I just wanted my life back,” her husband, Jeff, said. “Now, fortunately with the medicine and care – and Marlene’s spirit – we have it back.”