Pinktober Profiles: Tina Marie Vucci

Pinktober Profiles: As part of the breast cancer community, I’ve been blessed to hear so many stories of strength, perseverance, hope, struggle, survival, and courage. To me, those stories bring real awareness about this disease. The people I profile this month honor me in allowing me to write their story. Please join me in celebrating them and share their stories widely!

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. For my part in raising awareness, I’m going to profile survivors throughout the month. Originally, I'd hoped to have a new profile everyday, but let's be real: survivors keep busy (me included). On this last day of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I have a final profile to share with you. 

 

Tina Marie Vucci describes her past as negative and self-destructive, though you'd hardly guess that if you met her now. I came to meet Tina this year at the Pretty In Pink Foundation's Pink Fashion Walk fundraiser. Backstage, Tina was lively, funny, the embodiment of joy. Her laughter contagious, like her pzazz! 

I was surprised when Tina shared that she hadn't always been that way. She told me that she'd found a pea-sized lump in her breast years ago and ignored it. At the time, she was on a destructive path. She ignored the lump for two years and it grew tremendously in that time. When she finally went to see a doctor, she was met with an incredibly negative experience.Tina was told she had cancer and that she would die. The doctor actually said he'd hoped her negative choices were worth it. Thankfully, Tina moved forward with another doctor, a surgeon who was wonderful and encouraged Tina to fight for her life. Her surgeon informed her she had stage 3 breast cancer. There was a golf ball sized tumor in her breast and 3 more, the same size, in her lymph nodes. 

Tina endured a modified radical mastectomy and removal of all her lymph nodes, followed by chemotherapy. At her doctor's urging, she participated in a study that would dose her with triple the amount of chemo (as compared to what he would have treated her with based on standard protocol). Chemo was followed by 19 blasts of radiation. She was unable to have reconstructive surgery at the time.

Tina said that the cancer and subsequent treatment wasn't enough to jolt her off that negative, self-destructive path. It was years before she made strides to change her life around. Today, Tina is 13 years cancer free and on a positive journey. She has strong faith, and spends much of her time volunteering with local organizations that help other women diagnosed with breast cancer. Tina says, "I'm showing up for life today, and I love it!"