If you know eight women, the odds are one of them will develop breast cancer. Early detection can save lives, but as one local woman found out, detection goes beyond an annual mammogram.
Susie Florian found her breast cancer through a self-exam.
She's getting treatment. She just finished chemotherapy, but still has a long road ahead. Now, she is facing radiation rounds and then five years of hormone therapy.
But, she wants to spread her message as she continues to fight back.
17 News first met Susie Florian last month. She sent the newsroom a picture of someone who parked millimeters away from her car at Mercy Hospital. She thought it'd make for a funny story.
For someone to have that sense of humor, we were surprised to learn of the *other* predicament she's facing.
"I felt this lump in my left breast, I would say a year and a half ago almost two years," admitted Susie Florian.
12 years ago, with no family history of breast cancer, around the age of 40, Susie began getting mammograms every year as doctors recommend. "There were times that I spent the afternoon on my birthday having a mammogram done, and my friends would laugh at me about that."
Every year, Susie had reason to celebrate coming back with a clean bill of health. But, not settling with what the results showed, she did self-exams. One morning, in the shower, she felt a lump. That lump began to feel tender so she went to her doctor.
"The first thing she asked me was 'Who told you, you had a lump?' I said, well, myself," said Susie.
More tests and even an ultrasound didn't show any signs of cancer. It wasn't until doctors performed a biopsy did she learn the lump she found was malignant, Stage 1 breast cancer.
"A mammogram has at least a 15% possibility at least that it can miss a cancer," said Dr. Ravi Patel with the Comprehensive Blood and Cancer Center. "So you cannot say that I had a mammogram and I'm done."
Dr. Ravi Patel is now Susie's doctor at the CBCC. He says women need to know there are several steps to detection like mammograms, ultrasounds, MRIs and self-exams. One alone, as in the case of Susie, isn't always enough.
"Her case is rare in the sense that the whole situation where the cancer was not picked up on the mammogram is an important message, and I think that was the unusual piece," said Dr. Patel.
For Susie, discovering was only part of the battle. This woman, a mother and wife, had to break the news to her family that she has cancer. "I told them that this wasn't a time to be sad, to be broken. Instead, we should be grateful," said Susie.
"I love her a lot. I love her a lot," said Susie's husband of 27 years, Moises Florian.
Susie has found strength in family, friends, and faith. She also listens to the song, "I'm Going to Make It" by the gospel group "The Sisters" when times are tough, to give her courage and continued compassion through her cancer battle.
Susie thought of others, cutting off the long hair she's had all of her life, donating it to Locks of Love. Days later what remained, fell out. And, she thought of others when deciding to continue to work through her chemo treatments, as a bilingual specialist for the Kern High School District.
"This woman's a trooper," said Susie's boss, Sharon Briel. "She doesn't let anything keep her down."
Briel says Susie has shared her story with many of her co-workers, but keeps her sense of humor, even in her rare complaints.
"I remembered "Sex in the City" and when one of the players wore a wig and in the end she rips the wig off because it's kind of hot," said Briel. "And, then all of the women rip the wigs off. And, sure enough, one of the things that Susie mentions, is that her head gets hot."
Susie admits it's true. "By mid-day, I'm ready to just pull it (wig) off. So, after this interview, I'll put my hat on."
On the morning of her last chemo treatment, Susie invited our cameras into her home to follow. First, she has a healthy meal. Before she leaves, one of the most important parts of her day. She grasps hands with her husband and they both pray.
Once at CBCC, Susie is called back and is settled in for her chemotherapy session. It takes four hours to administer the mixture of anti-nausea medication and chemo. She calls the mixture "the cocktail."
"Today is the last cocktail party," laughs Susie.
"She's still beautiful" says her husband, Moises. "No matter what. I think she is the most beautiful woman in the whole world."
She's beautiful, because through this pain, again, she's thinking of others. She wants her story to be known, so women know to self-examine, like she did, to possibly save their lives, like it did hers.
"Her example is very encouraging," said Dr. Patel. "You know, you can change your history by doing a self-exam, and you can continue to live your life in spite of cancer."
"I'm very proud of her on how she approaches this whole situation, that kind of goes beyond her to help others, and I think that's really what she's about," said Sharon Briel.
"I've always said in the middle of chaos there's always something to be grateful for," Susie said choking back tears. "Later when this is over, I want to show and tell. I will be cancer free. I know I will."
Susie has an 85% or better chance of survival because she caught this so early. Her message to women, give yourself breast exams on top of annual mammograms. And, if you feel something, don't ignore it.
