Finding New Ways to Work

 

 

 

 

By Shawn Scott

I was diagnosed with IBC on February 21st, 2022—my 18th wedding anniversary. My symptoms began a few short weeks earlier and, like for many other IBC patients, they had been mistaken by multiple doctors for a skin irritation or infection. Fortunately, I was scheduled for my annual mammogram in early February, and a mass was discovered. On that wedding anniversary morning, I was at my desk at the estate planning law firm where I had worked for nearly twenty years helping counsel people through some of life’s toughest decisions and hardest moments.

A call came in from my doctor’s office. On the other end of the line was a nurse who told me the biopsy results were positive. I had cancer. In that moment I knew it was IBC based on my other symptoms. That was shortly confirmed by the results of a skin punch biopsy. If that mass wasn’t discovered, I hate to think of how much longer I might have gone without a diagnosis. My first thoughts were what I imagine many people have upon receiving this news including: WHAT?!, How can this be?, Am I going to die?!

I had counseled hundreds of people over the years on how to make important decisions such as choosing who will make their healthcare decisions for them if they could not make them for themselves, who will care for their children if they cannot, who will handle their finances if they become disabled or at death, and who will receive their assets when they die. As my thoughts continued to race, I quickly became thankful that I had worked through these hard, important decisions already. I had my estate plan in place and did not have to think about what would happen if I was severely disabled from this illness. I did not have to think about what would happen if I died. I did that work and that freed up space for me to turn toward thinking about my treatment, healing, and how to live through this difficult time.

Multiple rounds of chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation filled the next several months. About half-way through chemo I left work on a medical leave of absence. I didn’t know if or when I would be back. As many times as I had fantasized about being a lady of leisure, I didn’t want to be forced into it (not that there was much leisure to be had at that time)!

Thankfully, my treatment went well. I got through it the best I could. I’m certainly worse for the wear, but thankful for every single moment—good, bad, and indifferent. I (mostly) loved the time I had at home to heal, recover, and spend time with my husband, children, and family and friends. Slowly I got some energy back and started to wonder if I had too much time on my hands. My husband was at work, kids were at school, and I had seen every episode of every show. Nearly two years after I left on medical leave, I made the decision to go back to work.

The decision to go back to work was made, but then I had to consider what that would look like. I was still an estate planning attorney who enjoyed problem solving and helping my clients, but I was in many ways a completely different person than I was before my 18th wedding anniversary. Not only had I endured two more years with my husband (just kidding ;)), but my body was different, I had more reconstruction surgeries planned, I had neuropathy and fatigue, and I had loads of doctor’s appointments and therapies for physical and mental health. I also was acutely aware of the precious commodity of time. And lawyers’ work is the sale of their time.

Stepping back into my law practice wasn’t just about returning to work; it was about returning to the career that I had worked hard to build for most of my life and returning to help my clients that had come to rely on me for advice. Certainly my cancer experience directly correlated with my work of helping others plan for disability and death, but I think the reasons I went back and the lessons I’ve learned so far along the way apply more broadly.

Whether you make the decision to return to work to earn income, to build retirement benefits, to continue pursuing your professional dreams, to be appreciated for your skills and talents, or simply to stop feeling like you’re sitting around waiting for the other shoe to drop, the decision is a personal choice that only you can make and mold to fit your life. I want to share a few things that have helped me during this transition:

  • Pace Yourself – Some days are harder than others, and that’s okay. It doesn’t matter how quickly you move, only that you’re headed in the direction you want to go.
  • Lean on Your Support System – Whether it’s family, colleagues, or a network of fellow survivors, you’re not alone. People want to help you, and you must let them.
  • Redefine Success – You don’t have to keep up with anyone else, including your pre-cancer diagnosis self.
  • Listen to Your Body — To the extent possible, rest when you need rest and work when you have the energy. I sleep more than I did before and so sometimes that means I get in late and/or leave early. I don’t mind checking in on a weekend morning when I have energy to balance it all out.
  • Keep Dreaming – Cancer can take a lot of things away, but it doesn’t have to take away your ambitions. If work is important to you, press on to keep building your professional life in the best way you can that serves you and honors where you are with your health journey.

Returning to work isn’t about “going back” to who I was before—it’s about embracing who I am now. I’m still navigating this journey, but I’m grateful to be here, doing what I love, and setting an example for my children that resilience and determination can carry us through life’s hardest moments.

For anyone facing a similar transition, know this: your path forward may look different, but it is still yours to shape.

Can Men Get Inflammatory Breast Cancer?

While inflammatory breast cancer is rare, breast cancer in men is also rare, accounting for less than 1% of all breast cancer cases. Men have less breast tissue than women, but they can still develop cancer in their breast ducts or lobules. The most common type of breast cancer in men is invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC), which starts in the breast ducts and can spread to other tissues. Non-invasive breast cancers, such as ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) or lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS), are very uncommon in men.

The statistics for inflammatory breast cancer in men are not well-known, because it is such a rare condition. However, some sources provide some estimates based on available data.

  • According to the American Cancer Society, about 2,800 new cases of invasive breast cancer are expected to be diagnosed in men in 2023, and about 530 men will die from breast cancer. The lifetime risk of getting breast cancer for men is about 1 in 833. Breast cancer is about 100 times less common among white men than among white women, and about 70 times less common among black men than among black women.
  • According to Yale Medicine, IBC makes up only between 1–5% of all breast cancer cases in the U.S. It affects women at younger ages than other forms of breast cancer, often occurring in women under 40, but it has a median age at diagnosis of 57. And though it is rare, IBC can also occur in men.
  • According to Cancer Research UK, breast cancer in men is rare, with around 370 men diagnosed each year in the UK. This compares to around 55,500 cases in women. Less than 1% of breast cancer cases in the UK are in males.

Based on these sources, we can estimate that the number of inflammatory breast cancer cases in men is very low, probably less than 100 per year in the U.S. and less than 20 per year in the UK. The survival rate for IBC is lower than for other types of breast cancer, because it is often diagnosed at a later stage and because it is more likely to spread to other organs. The survival rate for breast cancer in men is also lower than for women, because men tend to have larger tumors, higher hormone levels, and less awareness of the signs and symptoms.

Our friend and fellow inflammatory breast cancer patient, Rod Ritchie, shared his cancer story with a local news outlet in 2017. Our thanks to Rod and others who are willing to talk openly about their diagnosis and treatment to help people understand that breast cancer is not a gender specific disease.

Read: Male breast cancer survivor calls for more awareness.

TEDx Talks: Inflammatory Breast Cancer – Rare, Not Impossible

Published on June 8, 2018 by TEDx Talks
In her powerful talk, Tatiana educates the audience about Inflammatory Breast Cancer, shares her mother’s journey, and helps us understand why we should never give up on advocating for our health. Inflammatory Breast Cancer is incredibly rare. So rare that, until her mom was diagnosed with IBC in 2016, Tatiana had never heard of it before. But instead of giving into the fear of facing a future without her mother, she chose to become an advocate for awareness in an effort to carry on her mother’s legacy.

Running time: 13 minutes, 20 seconds.

 

Q & A Panel: Open Discussion with IBC Experts

At the third annual Inflammatory Breast Cancer Patient Forum, the panel answering questions included a nurse, a surgical oncologist, a radiation oncologist, a social worker, a nuclear medicine specialist, a cancer genetics specialist, a sexual health specialist, and a medical oncologist. Question topics included genetic testing, once a day vs. twice a day radiation therapy, skin punch biopsy, sexual health, fear of recurrence, axillary lymph node removal, and more.

Running time: 33 minutes

Ginny Mason: Discussing the Importance of Collaboration with Other Organizations

Part 1 of 2
Running time: 4 minutes, 23 seconds

Part 2 of 2
Running time: 2 minutes, 48 seconds.