Survivor ardent on mammograms

Marcie Jackson of Whitefish could qualify as the poster woman for mammograms. Four years ago, her digital mammogram raised a red flag that led to her diagnosis of lobular and ductal cancer even before it reached stage I.

“I consider myself very lucky,” she said. “I started my mammograms at 30.”

Her gratitude inspired her to sign on with Kalispell Regional Healthcare’s Bosom Buddies, Friends of the Bass Center mentoring program and then with the Save-A-Sister breast cancer awareness initiative. 

“It’s a wonderful program with a free clinic where you get an order written and a you get a mammogram and, if need be, an ultrasound,” Jackson said. “It’s all about prevention that saves lives. One of the things that we did was the bachelor auction.”

When Jackson learned the auction was not scheduled this year, she said she didn’t want to see the successful benefit lapse although she knew it required an enormous amount of work. Jackson worried that event held the last two years would lose momentum.

“I said to myself, ‘It’s time for me to start my own nonprofit, so I went independent,” she said. “My vision was to be broader with the cancers and to help people in financial need with everyday things. This way, people can focus more on their recovery.”

Jackson completed the nonprofit paperwork to found Flathead Cancer Aid Services Inc. With help from other volunteers, she put together a revamped Masquerade Bash and Bachelor/rette Auction for Oct. 27 at the Hilton Garden Inn. 

Her own cancer journey motivates her to put in the many hours necessary to put the event together as well as advise others to serve as their own strong advocates.

“I felt like this was my give-back,” she said. “I came back on the other end really strong and this community has been really wonderful to me.”

Before her breast cancer diagnosis, Jackson said she was on a six-month rotation for mammograms due to calcifications in her breasts. Four years ago, changes in those calcifications brought a recommendation for a biopsy.”

She asked to go with the radiologist to see the digital mammogram results compared to her earlier films.

“There wasn’t a lump or a bump or anything you could feel,” she said. “They suggested that I get a stereotactic biopsy, which is very different from a biopsy that has a bump.”

She said this procedure involved putting a tiny pin into the suspicious area to draw out tiny cells in the middle of her breasts. At the same time, a marker was left to tag the exact spot within her breast.

Her stereotactic biopsy showed lobular cancer, a cancer in breast glands called lobules that produce milk that flows through ducts to the nipple. Analysis of cells taken while cleaning the edges of her biopsy revealed ductal cancer cells as well.

Her treatment team provided options such as drug therapy, radiation or bilateral mastectomy, since lobular cancer may affect both breasts. Jackson was opposed to drugs or radiation and said she was looking into alternative treatments and leaning toward waiting and watching for six months.

“When I was diagnosed, I talked about it a lot,” Jackson said. “So people handed me phone numbers of women who had it. I called every single one.”

Jackson said she encourages people to seek out stories from other people and not be afraid.  She also got very educated and she asked for a closer look at her other breast before deciding on treatment. 

“So I had an MRI,” she said.

Again, she went with radiologist Dr. Debra Wade to see why she wanted her to have additional biopsies and return for six-month mammograms. It didn’t take her long to make up her mind.

“I went in the room and I saw,” she said. “I said, ‘I’m off this carousel. I’m going for the bilateral mastectomy. I didn’t want to be in that ‘waiting for results.’”

Jackson said surgeon Dr. Loren Rourke, who now practices at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, said she thought should could spare her nipples for reconstruction of her breasts by plastic surgeon Dr. Brent Buchele. 

Rourke later said her margins were slightly too close on her left nipple but Jackson said she would take her chances and Rourke said OK.

Before and after surgery, she practiced wellness by eating “clean” and following vitamin regimes approved by her surgeon. Jackson was pleased with the mastectomy and reconstruction of her breasts done at the same time. 

“You have to be very, very happy with your surgical team,” she said. 

According to Jackson, she bounced back from her surgery. Within two to three weeks, she was walking slowly on her treadmill then took a ski conditioning class at five weeks but without doing the upper-body work to avoid injuring her arms.  

She was lucky that her lymph nodes tested clear but her arms still took a while to heal. Jackson said women losing nodes may fight lymphedema, adding that Save-A-Sister “does great work with that.”

Jackson was 51 when she had surgery. Now, at 55, she said she feels great and so fortunate.

“My story is a very good lucky one,” Jackson said “Mammograms and early detection save lives. There’s no question about it.”

 Reporter Candace Chase may be reached at 758-4436 or by email at cchase@dailyinterlake.com.