Elgin woman with breast cancer encourages mammograms

Looking back, Gloria Valencia knows exactly what she should have done to try to prevent breast cancer.

She should have gotten yearly mammograms starting at age 40.

She should have been mindful of her family's breast cancer history.

And she should have seen a doctor as soon as a lump under her armpit — which a doctor in her native Mexico said was benign nearly three decades ago — began to grow bigger.

The 48-year-old Elgin resident — who believes there's no point in looking back, only forward — says the only reason she is telling her private, painful story is to encourage other women, especially Latinas, to make better choices.

“Women should get mammograms, but we don't do it. We have too much faith nothing will happen,” she said. “We have to do it.”

Breast cancer is the most common cause of death from cancer among Hispanic women, according to the Centers for Disease and Control Prevention.

Among white, black, Asian/Pacific Islander, and American Indian/Alaska Native women, lung cancer takes the top spot, followed by breast cancer. The statistics don't include some kinds of skin cancer.

Approximately 12.3 percent of women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime, based on 2009-2011 data from the National Cancer Institute.

Valencia, a single mother of three, worked for Sodexo as a school cafeteria employee in St. Charles Community Unit District 303. She elected not to have health insurance to have more money to pay for groceries and bills, she said.

When she grew worried about her lump, she enrolled in her company's health care plan and went to see a doctor in early January at Advocate Sherman Hospital.

The stage IV cancer diagnosis came just a couple of weeks later. “It was shocking. I was afraid,” she said.

She started chemotherapy in February and had surgery in August. Even though the cancer was on her right side only, Valencia chose to have a double mastectomy after she tested positive for the BRCA gene mutation, which increases the risk of developing breast and ovarian cancer.

“It's very hard, but with God's help first and foremost, that's what gives us strength,” she said. “My three sons are the engine of my life.”

Valencia, who still has to go through radiation and have her ovaries removed, is really inspiring, said doctor Rachel Baer, director of Sherman's Center for Breast Care.

“She is well into the journey and doing very well along it, but she still has things to do,” she said.

“The range of treatment do give all of us tremendous hope for good longevity. It's hard to know with numbers, but our expectation for her is many years.”

Regardless of their stage of cancer, many patients undergo surgery, chemo and radiation based on factors such as the tumor's genetic analysis and hormone receptor status, Baer said. Some patients also take hormone blockers for five to 10 years after, she said.

“The treatment is very successful now, that's the very best news,” she said.

“Size still matters, but other factors are probably more important. This has been an evolutionary change in the treatment of breast cancer over the past 10 to 15 years.”

Valencia said her 21-year-old son and her friend Guadalupe Juarez have been her rocks throughout her illness. Her two brothers live at home with her and her two other sons, ages 12 and 8. Relatives came from Mexico and California to help out as well, she said.

“I cried very little in front of the kids,” she said. “When you have kids, what weakens you is your kids' suffering.”

Mastectomies can be very difficult psychologically, Baer said. However, these days the reconstruction process begins during the same surgery, which helps tremendously, she said.

Regardless of their health insurance status, women can refer themselves to have a mammogram at Advocate Health Care sites if they have a concern or risk factor, Baer said.

Valencia said she's grateful for the help she's received from her doctors, and relies on her faith for the journey ahead. She encouraged women to contact their local clinics to find out where they can get mammograms.

“You think of cancer, and you think you'll die,” she said. “But I'm alive, and I can be with my kids.”