Athens, Ga. (Oct. 2, 2019) – Brooke Thomas was just 34 years old when she was first diagnosed with Stage 3 breast cancer. Now six years later, the married mom of two and employee at Piedmont Athens Regional Medical Center is dealing with a new, unexpected battle after learning her breast cancer has returned and spread to other parts of her body. She refuses to let this news define her, and hopes her story inspires others this Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
Thomas has worked as a social worker at Piedmont Athens Regional for nearly 12 years. “There isn’t anywhere else I’d rather work,” Thomas said. “I love this place and these people have become my family.”
She counted down her last days on the hospital’s unit, however, having recently resigned to focus on her family and her health. “I don’t want to miss out on a single moment with my family and friends,” Thomas said.
Thomas was only 34 when she was first diagnosed with breast cancer after finding a lump in her breast. Although it came as a shock since she has no family history of breast cancer and was so young, she went through the necessary steps to get treatment.
She visited Piedmont Athens Regional Breast Health Center to learn the next steps, connecting with a Piedmont breast surgeon at Piedmont Athens Regional, who recommended genetic testing to learn about Thomas’s risks for breast cancer.
“Because of my age and lack of family history, we agreed that genetic testing was the best next step to provide the information we needed to select the best course of treatment,” Thomas said.
She was tested through Piedmont Athens Regional’s Loran Smith Center for Cancer Support’s genetic testing program and learned she was positive for the BRCA 2 gene mutation, which is known to increase cancer risks.
“Breast cancer diagnosed in early 30’s is uncommon, but obviously does occur,” the surgeon said. “The risk is about one in 227 women as compared to one in 42 at the age of 50. Women diagnosed under the age of 45 qualify for genetic testing (by NCCN Guidelines) to determine if their cancer may be caused by a genetic mutation. Those results may impact treatment recommendations or a woman’s choice for treatment given her increased risk.”
Thomas then made the decision to have a double mastectomy with the help of the Piedmont team, and she then processed with chemotherapy and radiation treatments. Once her treatments were complete, she happily moved on as a cancer survivor.
Earlier this year, however, Thomas started to notice a nagging hip pain.
“I’d been seeing an orthopedist and doing regular physical therapy, and it would stop the pain for the bit. But it just kept coming back, and we couldn’t figure out the source of the pain,” Thomas said.
During a routine follow-up with her oncologist, she mentioned the hip pain, and her physician decided it to order an MRI of the area.
“That’s how they found small tumors in several places,” Thomas said.
Her tests revealed she has a small tumor on her pelvic bone, in one of her lungs, as well as cancerous cells in some of the surrounding lymph nodes. Doctors later also found a tumor in her liver.
With additional testing, Thomas’s doctors determined these tumors are mutations of or related to her original breast cancer.
After failing hormone therapy treatment, she’s now enrolled in a clinical trial in Tennessee and will begin making regular trips to receive treatments for this new cancer diagnosis.
“I don’t know what the outcome is going to be just yet, but I’m doing my best to stay positive,” Thomas said. “I feel great, and I’m using this as an opportunity to focus on my family and the things that are truly important.”
Thomas and her close friends also recently participated in the It’s The Journey walk, a 30-mile, two-day event that raises funds for breast cancer education, screenings, early detection, support services and continuing care for breast cancer patients in Georgia.
Since its beginning, the walk has raised $15 million to fund 371 grants, and in the past, grant money has been awarded to the Piedmont Athens Regional Foundation, which funds cancer support services at Piedmont Athens Regional’s Loran Smith Center, where Thomas had her original genetic testing completed. Funding has also been given to the hospital’s Breast Health Center to cover screening mammograms for uninsured and underinsured women in the area.
“I’m going to do what I know best how to do and that’s continue to fight,” Thomas said.
She hopes her story raises awareness about the risks of breast cancer, and that other survivors and patients know a cancer diagnosis “doesn’t have to define you,” Thomas said.
She certainly isn’t letting it get the best of her.
For more information about breast care services and the Loran Smith Center for Cancer Support at Piedmont Athens Regional, visit piedmont.org.