Pinktober Profiles: Christine Judd

I'm so excited to share the next profile in our series, collaboratively written by my Brunswick Community College Eng 111 students as part of their service learning "Profile of a Survivor" assignment. Many of these students are still in high school, participating as part of the Early College High School program. They are taking college level courses in addition to their full course load of high school classes, and many are involved in extra-curricular activities as well. In order to raise awareness of what breast cancer is really like right here in our community, these students collaborated to write profiles of 7 incredible survivors from our community. I'll share their writing with you over the next week.

Stronger Than They Gave Her Credit For

Guest Contributors: Jalen Booker, Heather Hennessy, Amber Mingeaud, Justice Parham, McKenna Spillane, Alexis Thorpe, Maggie Yang

Christine Judd’s journey with breast cancer began in 2012. She noticed she had a rash under her arm so she went to the doctor. The doctor said they were 99.9% sure that she had a cyst, and advised her to treat it with Primrose Oil. Four months later, Christine and her family were getting ready for their family trip to Disney World, but the ever-present rash under her arm became very itchy, hard, and swollen. Being in the sub made the rash burn intensely, so Christine decided it was time to go back to the doctor. Just days before her wedding anniversary and family trip to Disney, Christine was set up for a mammogram, ultrasound, and MRI. The tests revealed she had a large mass in her breast and 4 inflamed lymph nodes.  Her doctors advised against travel, wanting her to get a needle biopsy as soon as possible. When her breast surgeon wasn’t able to schedule for that week, Christine chose to travel with her family, spending much of their vacation suffering from the painful, itchy rash and the stress of the unknown.

She returned from her trip and immediately had the biopsy performed. On her 2^nd wedding anniversary, Christine was told she had stage 3B Triple Negative Inductal Carcinoma.

Stage 3B breast cancer is described as “cancer that has extended beyond the immediate region of the tumor, and may have invaded nearby lymph nodes but has not yet spread to the organs.” Triple Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC) is among the most difficult breast cancers to treat because of the way it (doesn’t) respond to chemotherapy.

When Christine was told she had cancer she felt sad and wanted to cry, but she told herself she was going to be successful and keep moving forward. At that point, Christine had to mentally prepare herself for the uphill battle she was about to embark on. She learned all that she could about this aggressive, triple negative breast cancer. Hard times were just around the corner, but she refused to let it get her down.

Christine’s treatment plan included 6 rounds of a chemotherapy referred to as “TAC” (Taxotere, Adriamycin – also known as the “red devil” in the cancer world, and Cyclophosomide). She also endured a lumpectomy to remove the mass from her breast, axillary node dissection to remove her lymph nodes, and 30 rounds of radiation.

The possible side effects from this chemo combination include: risk of infection, bruising and bleeding, anemia, bladder irritation, discolored urine, buildup of fluid, feeling sick, tiredness, sore mouth, taste changes, diarrhea, constipation, hair loss, numb or tingling hands or feet, skin changes, nail changes, changes in the way the kidneys and liver work, sore eyes, muscle and/or joint pain, and headaches, among others.

Christine experienced many of the side effects from her chemo treatment, including loss of her hair, early menopause, weight gain, and pale skin. One of the hardest moments during her treatment came when her white blood count fell dramatically, increasing her risk of infections. Her doctor recommended she stay away from children and certain foods that could contain certain types of bacteria. Staying away from children was extremely hard, because Christine had a family to take care of. Therefore she was forced to wear a mask because she did not want to be confined in a hospital room during her treatment. Her last chemo treatment caused her blood sugars to rise, which led to convulsions. It was an enormous stroke of luck that she did not end up in a diabetic coma. As a result, Christine had to endure insulin injections in her stomach, and started a walking and exercise program to lose the weight she’d gained during treatment.

About a year and a half after she finished her treatments, Christine was feeling very anxious and ill. She was fearful her cancer had returned because TNBC is very aggressive. She simply wanted to make it to the two year mark with no recurrence! When she went to her doctor, she received some unexpected news. She was pregnant! Christine was very surprised to found out that she was having another child. Her doctor’s warned her that her body was probably not strong enough to maintain the pregnancy, that she wasn’t likely to carry to full term. Christine proved them wrong! In her words, “Nobody tells me what I can’t do!” In fact, at 39 weeks, Christine had to be induced! She delivered Whitney, a healthy, beautiful, MIRACLE, baby girl.

Once again, diabetes struck because her pancreas was still too weak from the chemo and the steroids. Through Christine's illness she was determined to be successful. Her strength and the support of her family and friends helped Christine survive through the cancer, the diabetes, the miracle pregnancy, and even nursing with one breast! Christine says, “You’ve got to run with it.” And she did! She ran with everything that was thrown at her. Christine’s advice to all cancer survivors and patients around the world: “Live your life.”