[00:00:00] Adam Walker: From Susan G Komen, this is Real Pink, a podcast exploring real stories, struggles, and triumphs related to breast cancer. We’re taking the conversation from the doctor’s office to your living room.
[00:00:17] When something feels off, it’s important to pay attention. You know your body best, and self advocating means listening to your body and speaking up for it. Today’s guest had to fight to be taken seriously when she found a lump in her breast at age 26 because she was told she was too young for breast cancer.
[00:00:35] Then, at multiple other points throughout diagnosis and treatment, she had to advocate for her health by asking for scans and second opinions, which turned out to be necessary. Because she received an incorrect diagnosis here today to tell her story and why it’s so important to advocate for yourself until you get the answers you need.
[00:00:54] is Sierra Turner. Sierra, welcome to the show.
[00:00:57] Sierra Turner: Hi, how are you?
[00:00:59] Adam Walker: I’m having a great day. How are you?
[00:01:02] Sierra Turner: I’m good. Thank you.
[00:01:04] Adam Walker: I’m so glad. Well, listen your story is so important and we talk about the need for self advocacy so often on this show. So this is a really important topic. So let’s start with your story.
[00:01:15] How old were you when you were diagnosed? And how did you know that something was wrong?
[00:01:20] Sierra Turner: Well, I was 26 when I was diagnosed with breast cancer and how I kind of knew that something was wrong is one night I had gotten out of the shower and when I got out of the shower, I was drying myself off and when I was going over my chest with the towel is when I felt a lump there and I have a history of fibroadenoma, which is just benign breast tumors.
[00:01:51] I had one in the past and in the moment I thought it was just another one of those, and so I just continued to just, That is trying myself off and something in my head was like, you need to look at that again. And it wasn’t until like, I just, I could fit it in between my pointer finger and my thumb.
[00:02:18] And I could like push on it and all that good stuff. And it wasn’t until I did that I felt that I felt The difference, like how hard it was, it wouldn’t move. And it was just so different than what I had in the past. And that’s my kind of like red flags.
[00:02:44] Adam Walker: Yeah. I mean cause you know, you’re normal and it wasn’t, you’re a normal, right?
[00:02:49] Sierra Turner: Yes, correct. It was not.
[00:02:51] Adam Walker: Yeah. We talk a lot about on the show about knowing your normal, how important that is. And you knew your normal, you knew this is not the normal lump and therefore. Okay. So, so then let’s walk through your sort of next steps. Like what was your experience like when you started making calls to get the lump checked out?
[00:03:07] Sierra Turner: Well, when I first found the lump, the longer I sat with the lump, the more it irritated me and got on my nerves. Like I wanted it took care of like right then and there. Okay. And I started calling women’s centers and other places that specialize in breast cancer. And every single place I called, it seemed like I ran into a roadblock.
[00:03:35] Like they all told me. You’re only 26 years old. You don’t have a family history of cancer. There’s no possible way that you could get something like this. Like, cause I was wanting a test. Like I was wanting an ultrasound, a mammogram. I didn’t even care if it was an x ray. At that point, like I just wanted something and I called all of these places and each place I called I, like I said, I just, I ran into like one roadblock after another and it just.
[00:04:14] It was the craziest thing because not long after I found it, I happened to go see my primary care physician and he’s a really wonderful doctor and I knew he would take care of it for me. So I brought it up to him and he’s like, all right, let’s get an ultrasound. Let’s get a mammogram. We’ll get this figured out.
[00:04:38] He ordered those tests for me like I said, I knew he would help me, but there was also a part of me that was like, you know, he shouldn’t have to do that, you know what I mean, like all the places that specialize in cancer and, you know, supposed to do all of these different things in regards to that should have been the ones to have gotten that test for me, if that makes any sense.
[00:05:09] Adam Walker: Yeah, no perfect sense. Yeah, I mean you had to get an extra person to advocate for you And they should have just listened in the first place. Yeah. Yeah So tell me about when you finally did get scanned What was the diagnosis you received and what was it like for you hearing that you had breast cancer?
[00:05:25] Sierra Turner: Well when I finally got scanned I was relieved because I finally got somebody to listen to me and I finally got the scan that I wanted, but it seemed like when I initially got that scan, it just kind of snowballed a little bit because it started out as an ultrasound. And then an ultrasound turned into a mammogram that same day, and I was like, okay, it was like this, something’s wrong with me for them to, you know, want to do these tests back to back.
[00:06:04] And when I finally got that diagnosis, I got a diagnosis of a stage 3 breast cancer, invasive Ductal Carcinoma, I believe. Is how you pronounce it. And it was really rough because I’m a single mom. I’ve been a single mom since I was 3 and a half months pregnant. And when I got that diagnosis, I didn’t even think of myself.
[00:06:30] I just thought of him, of my son, because one of my worst fears, even before. I got breast cancer was something happening to me because I’m the only parent in the household and I was always worried about something happening to me and when I got that diagnosis it seemed like that fear Was like finally coming.
[00:06:58] True. Yeah. And it absolutely terrified me.
[00:07:02] Adam Walker: Yeah. It’s a, that’s a parent’s worst fear for sure. Yes. So so, so I understand that you also got a second opinion. So why did you do that? And are you glad that you did that?
[00:07:14] Sierra Turner: Yes. I got a second opinion and I am so glad I did that because, the first facility that I was going to I got it.
[00:07:27] Like I said, I got a diagnosis of stage three breast cancer and I needed 16 chemotherapy treatments at this facility. And I also knew that I would need radiation as well. Radiation was like a given and and just something about it. Just, I couldn’t shake the feeling that it just didn’t feel right. Like I was like, there’s no way, you know, I can have.
[00:07:56] Stage three breast cancer and you know, something just kept telling me go get a second opinion, go get a second opinion. And I finally did that. I went to a UK Markey Cancer Center and they’re kind of, they’re known for their care just all across the spectrum, but especially when it comes to cancer.
[00:08:20] Adam Walker: Right.
[00:08:21] Sierra Turner: And I got all of my biopsies sent over to there, and they kind of had more in depth testing there, and they’d done something called a fish test, and I don’t know, like, the terminology, but it’s called a fish test, and when they’d done that fish test, they discovered that my tumors had some HER2 cells in it, And with my tumors having those HER2 cells, it drastically, like, changed my treatment plan.
[00:08:59] Like, I went from 16 chemotherapy treatments to 6 chemotherapy treatments, only needing 6. Yeah, so it was just cut in half and, you know, if you think about it, like, had I stayed with that first facility, I would have got chemo that wasn’t specifically designed for the type of cancer that I had. And I mean,
[00:09:27] Adam Walker: way more than necessary, right?
[00:09:29] Sierra Turner: Exactly. And I was, you know, I was pretty sick during chemo. I had several allergic reactions to the cancer medicines, but I can only imagine how much more sicker I would have been had I got, you know, that. Those 16 treatments and that came out with an even disarm for the cancer that I had.
[00:09:55] Adam Walker: Wow. So, all right.
[00:09:56] So, I mean, it sounds like you kind of had to self advocate several times throughout this process. I mean, for the initial diagnosis, then for the sort of correct diagnosis. I mean, did it happen any more times during the course of your treatment?
[00:10:09] Sierra Turner: It did. So, so what I had was I had six chemotherapy treatments.
[00:10:16] I had a double mastectomy and I had 30 rounds of radiation and after. Chemo ended, I asked for scans because at that point, it had been a little bit since I was scanned, and my oncologist, she was just like, you know, not right now, it’s, my oncologist, I love her to death, love her so much, but she’s buried by the book.
[00:10:46] And buy the book is so helpful in some cases, but in those cases, when I’m trying to request something that doesn’t go by the guidelines that she goes by, it becomes a little bit more of a little bit more of a challenge.
[00:11:05] And
[00:11:06] so I asked for scans then, and she told me not right now. I was like, okay, and I waited a little bit.
[00:11:16] I asked for scans after my double mastectomy and she said, no, not right now. Just maybe after radiation is what she told me. So I waited until after radiation, you know, they tell you to wait a certain amount of weeks for the radiation to settle in your body.
[00:11:36] Adam Walker: Right.
[00:11:37] Sierra Turner: Because let’s say you had radiation on a Thursday and you got scanned on a Friday.
[00:11:43] Like your whole body would just light up, you know, cause the radiation told me to wait. And I got to that on a safe point to get scanned and I had asked for a scan. I told her I said the same thing that I said when I was trying to initially get scanned before I found out I had cancer. It’s like, I don’t even care if it’s an x ray.
[00:12:12] Like, I just want something.
[00:12:14] Adam Walker: Right, right.
[00:12:15] Sierra Turner: Like, well, it’s just, It’s not in the treatment plan and That kind of just frustrated me a little bit and right because at that point it had been a year Since I was scanned last And I really wanted something just It’s not only for my peace of mind, but I seen you know, all of, you know, I think it’s kind of kind of crazy in some beautiful sort of way.
[00:12:50] All the people that you meet when you get diagnosed with cancer. And I met a few different people and We became friends on Facebook and they were like posting updates and stuff like that. And, you know, they were all getting scanned like left and right. And I’m just like, I’m not getting scanned. Like, I’m going
[00:13:13] to get scanned.
[00:13:15] And we, her and I just, we went back and forth for a little bit. And I went there on a day, like I went there. On a mission to get a scan. And I wasn’t going to wait until she agreed. And she finally agreed that she got me a nuclear medicine whole body scan. That’s what she heard me. And I got one of those.
[00:13:45] So I definitely encountered it a few times more throughout the course of treatment for sure.
[00:13:54] Adam Walker: And can you talk about like why you think it’s so important to advocate for yourself and to keep pushing for the things that you think you need from your providers?
[00:14:02] Sierra Turner: I think it’s very important because I’ve said multiple times Throughout throughout this whole journey, like if something doesn’t feel right, if something doesn’t look right, please go get it checked out.
[00:14:18] And if that, and if whatever doctor that you’re going to, if you don’t feel like they’re listening, if they don’t do the things that you’re wanting them to do, go to another doctor. And if you run into the same problem there, go to another one. Right. Keep going until you find somebody that listens to you because that one person that will listen to you, that one doctor that will listen to you will be the one that saves your life.
[00:14:48] I’ve said that multiple times and I just, I feel like you shouldn’t have to self advocate so much when it comes to something like cancer, but unfortunately, At least in the scenarios and stuff that I’ve ran into, you got to do that. And you definitely have to keep pushing because it’s, you know, if you think about it, it’s your life.
[00:15:21] Adam Walker: That’s right. And the one that has the most at stake.
[00:15:24] Sierra Turner: Right. I’m trying to live until I’m old and gray and can see my grand babies one day. And so. And so I will keep pushing, I will keep fighting. And I only hope that everybody else out there does the same.
[00:15:43] Adam Walker: Yeah. Same as part of why we do this show. Part of why we’re having this episode.
[00:15:47] Yeah. So, so what advice do you have for somebody that’s listening that might not be as comfortable speaking up to their doctors maybe struggling to communicate their needs?
[00:15:58] Sierra Turner: I know it. Well, I know it can kind of maybe be like an uncomfortable type of thing. Standing up to a doctor and requesting something of your doctor that they’re necessarily not wanting to do.
[00:16:15] But I think my advice would just be to just think of yourself, think of your life. If you have a husband, a wife, kids, like think of them because in the end, you know, requesting those things. And getting those things out of your doctor is going to be Like kind of this safe haven that’s going to keep you on this earth for as long as you can And I definitely I think that would be my advice to them.
[00:16:50] Adam Walker: That’s good advice do it for your do it for the people that love you even if you’re nervous to do it for yourself do it for the people that love you because they
[00:16:58] And
[00:16:59] Last question, do you have any final advice, anything that you wish you would have known when you were first diagnosed?
[00:17:08] Sierra Turner: I selfishly thought at one point that cancer can only be something that you can get if you have a family history of it.
[00:17:21] If you’re older I think that there’s kind of in a way a stigma around that. And I think the thing that I wish I would have known is that cancer doesn’t care about your age. Cancer doesn’t care. If you have a family history, it doesn’t care about statistics. It doesn’t care about any of that. You can get it at 26 or unfortunately you can get it at six years old.
[00:17:49] So just That would be the thing that I wish I would have known. And I think my advice would just be find your community because I think community is so important and not only getting through a diagnosis, but just getting through life across, like as a whole, you know, like rather it be a church family, your family, friends, coworkers, like.
[00:18:19] Find your community, find those people that you can lean into, that you can cry with, all of the things, because those are going to be the people that will not only help you through a diagnosis, but carry you through the rest of your life.
[00:18:36] Adam Walker: That’s right. That’s right. That’s great advice. That’s great advice.
[00:18:38] Well, Sierra, I really appreciate you coming on the show, sharing your life lessons with us, sharing your story, your experience with us, and and just giving us some inspiration today.
[00:18:48] Sierra Turner: Thank you. I’m happy to talk with you.
[00:18:52] Adam Walker: We’ll have to do it again.
[00:18:54] Sierra Turner: Yes.
[00:19:00] Adam Walker: Thanks for listening to Real Pink, a weekly podcast by Susan G Komen. For more episodes, visit realpink. komen. org For more on breast cancer, visit komen. org. Make sure to check out at Susan G Komen on social media. I’m your host Adam. You can find me on Twitter at AJ Walker or on my blog adamjwalker. com