Rossmoor resident Nicki Teufel’s mind went blank when she first found out that she had breast cancer.
“I kept asking myself why did this happen to me and had I done something wrong,” said Teufel.
She had always been so diligent about doing self-breast exams.
Teufel will participate in the 2011 Team Spirit Breast and Ovarian 10K Walk on Saturday, Sept. 24, in Long Beach.
The walk is an annual walk founded in 2000 as a small grass roots organization on the belief that more can be done to help fight and raise awareness of breast and ovarian cancer in the community.
Teufel was shocked when she first found out she had a mass in her right breast since she found no palpable signs of lumps during her own self-exams.
Furthermore, Teufel had no cancer in her family.
She got a call in the summer of 2009 from her doctors saying that she needed to come back for additional testing, they were concerned about her right breast.
Teufel was shocked, because back in 2007 when they found a dense tissue mass in her left breast and after doing an ultrasound, her results were negative for cancer.
This time after having an ultra sound and a stereotactic biopsy to determine the exact location of the lump, her doctors determined that
Teufel did, in fact, have ductal carcinoma in situ in her right breast. DCIS is the most common type of non-invasive breast cancer.
Ductal means that the cancer starts inside the milk ducts, carcinoma means that the cancer begins in the skin or other tissues that cover the internal organs and in situ means that the cancer is in it’s original place.
Luckily, Teufel’s cancer was stage zero and was completely contained in the milk duct.
Her treatment plan would consist of surgery to remove the tumor and she was relieved to hear that she wouldn’t have to go through chemotherapy or radiation.
However, Teufel was fearful of the journey ahead of her. When she was first diagnosed, she started to go into a downward spiral and didn’t know what she was going to do.
But with two young children, seven and ten years old at the time, she knew she had to beat this disease.
“My children were my saving grace,” said Teufel. “I knew that I needed to get better for my family.”
She went to her friend and neighbor Fran Depew, who told her that there was support available and put her in touch with Randal Snyder, program manager for the Women Guiding Women: Cancer Support and Education program at the MemorialCare Breast Center at Long Beach Memorial.
The Women Guiding Women program helps newly diagnosed women deal with the mental challenges of having cancer through support groups and a peer-mentor program.
After making contact with Snyder, Teufel was matched with two mentors, one of them being her neighbor Fran, who had been through a similar surgery and was able to provide first-hand knowledge of the experience.
At the same time, Teufel’s physician, Carey Cullinane, medical director of cancer risk and prevention at the MemorialCare Breast Center at Long Beach Memorial explained that she would need a surgery, similar to an appendectomy.
Almost immediately after getting diagnosed, Teufel was scheduled to have surgery to remove the tumor in her right breast, which measured 9 centimeters in length.
Two years and multiple check-ups later, Teufel is happy to say that she is in the clear.
She will continue to go in for annual mammograms and an MRI every two years to make sure the cancer stays benign.
Teufel had such a positive experience with the mentor program when she going through treatment, that she made the decision to become a mentor herself.
“I want to communicate to other women that breast cancer isn’t a death sentence,” Teufel said. “There is a clear path that can be taken and I want to help women walk that journey in a welcoming environment where they can communicate with their mentor at their own pace.”
Giving back to the program that helped her through her own journey was Teufel’s motivation for wanting to become a mentor.
“My journey with breast cancer has taught me that being a survivor is a gift along with a heartfelt obligation to make someone else’s journey a little easier. My mentors, to whom I am forever grateful, were my emotional anchors and the lifeline to some sense of calm and serenity during my journey with breast cancer,” said Teufel.
“As a mentor, I hope to be able to give back by joining hands with newly diagnosed patients and help them navigate through all the information and emotional rollercoaster ride that comes with the cancer diagnosis,” said Teufel.
Teufel will participate in the 2011 Team Spirit Breast and Ovarian 10K Walk, an annual walk founded in 2000 as a small grass roots organization on the belief that more can be done to help fight and raise awareness of breast and ovarian cancer in the community.
Team Spirit helps to fund the Women Guiding Women: Cancer Support and Education programs, which includes the mentor program, support groups and a new nurse navigator position.
The 2010 Team Spirit Walk raised $210,000. The event helps to raise money for breast and ovarian cancer research.
For sponsorship information, contact Michele Roeder at (562) 933-1671.
To register, visit online at teamspiritwalk.com or call (562) 896-4037.
