Breast cancer survivor: Why I encourage people to support MD Anderson

I am a chemical engineer by trade and a very practical person by nature. I like to make a plan and then execute the plan. So, when I was diagnosed with stage II breast cancer in 2017, I immediately went into problem-solving mode. 

I chose MD Anderson for my breast cancer treatment — both because people I knew and loved could vouch for it personally and because of its reputation as the top cancer center in the United States. Also, it’s only 15 minutes away from my home. 

MD Anderson proved to be a great source of stability during a very chaotic time. The care I received there was absolutely seamless — even after Hurricane Harvey, the worst storm ever to hit Houston. That’s why, in 2022, I joined MD Anderson’s Advance Team, a volunteer board focused on advancing its mission to end cancer. I want people everywhere to receive the same level of care that I did. 

My breast cancer diagnosis and treatment 

I learned that I had breast cancer in early 2017, after noticing something a little different about my left breast. I went to my OB/GYN in March, where I had a mammogram, an ultrasound and then finally a breast biopsy. The diagnosis was stage II, HER2 negative, estrogen positive invasive ductal carcinoma, a type of breast cancer. 

To treat it, I had six months of chemotherapy at MD Anderson, followed by a lumpectomy, a month of radiation therapy,  some physical therapy and two reconstructive surgeries. The hardest parts of that whole process were the last few weeks before Hurricane Harvey made landfall, and then its immediate aftermath. 

Managing side effects after Hurricane Harvey

I had just started a second chemotherapy regimen as part of my treatment plan in the summer of 2017. It was hitting me much harder than I expected. I ended up having to go to the MD Anderson emergency room at one point to be treated for pain, fatigue and shortness of breath. So, I felt very drained and depleted upon my release. I had also just started really coming to terms with my diagnosis. The hurricane wasn’t even on my radar yet. 

It caught my attention pretty quickly, though, once it made landfall. My family woke up at 3 a.m. to find water all over the floor. We lived in a 1960s-style ranch house, so there was no going upstairs to escape it.  

The house was also full of people. My in-laws had just brought our children back from their home in Florida, where they’d all spent the summer. We were trying to gather our stuff and figure out what to do. Meanwhile, I could barely put one foot in front of the other because this new cancer treatment was kicking my butt.  

Once we got over the shock and felt it was safe, we waded across the street to our neighbor’s house to wait out the storm upstairs. 

Seamless, exceptional cancer care — even after a hurricane

Eventually, we were able to find temporary shelter at a nearby hotel. And, none of us were injured, despite our whole family needing to be rescued from the floodwaters. But the entire City of Houston was devastated. The hospital itself remained open during the storm, but it took MD Anderson about a week to start seeing patients in the clinic again. 

My doctors, nurses and staff were supportive through it all — and several of them had flooded homes or cars and chaotic lives of their own to contend with. But one, breast medical oncologist Dr. Rashmi Murthy, stayed on the phone with me for almost an hour, just talking me down when I was really anxious. She was stuck out of town, struggling to find a flight back, but she still took the time to support me. You can’t get that kind of compassion just anywhere. It’s not something you can fake.