Deszeray Summers-Kyles
Stage 4 Breast Cancer
Diagnosed at age 22
My name is Deszeray Summers-Kyles, I am twenty-two years old and in January of 2014 I was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer. I was told it had spread to my lymph nodes, liver, and pelvic bone.
My name is Deszeray Summers-Kyles, I am twenty-two years old and in January of 2014 I was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer. I was told it had spread to my lymph nodes, liver, and pelvic bone.
In the beginning of 2012, I noticed my right breast was significantly bigger then
my left breast and that concerned me so I told my grandparents and they began
to worry and took me to the hospital to get it checked. We went to several
doctors, they all told me it was nothing or fibrocystic. Even after telling them that
breast cancer ran in my family on my fathers side they still decided not to do a
mammogram because of my age at the time. They also told me you can not get
breast cancer from your father.
A few months later a lump appeared and I told my grandparents again but during
this time my insurance had kicked me off because we forgot to send them a paper
in, so I went a whole year without going to the doctor and the pain became
worse. My grandpa said once I got back on the insurance he wanted to take me
to an oncologist because he was tired of my mis-diagnose that I had been
receiving prior years before.
Once January came around I made an appointment with my general doctor and he
referred me to a surgeon because he thought it was just a cyst. The surgeon
checked me out and said "You are a very unique individual, out of 40 years I have
never seen someone like you with this problem." He then wanted me to have a
ultrasound done, I had that done the next day and the doctor that looked at it
said it wasn't a cyst and they wanted to do a mammogram. The mammogram
came back as it not being a cyst so he then decided he wanted a biopsy done,
after I did my biopsy I got my results and it came back as cancer. I told myself I
wasn't going to freak out, in the back of my mind I had already figured out that it
was cancer because I do a lot of research and it runs in my family.
After telling me I had cancer the doctor referred me to a oncologist and I went to
see him the next day. He filled me in on everything that was going to happen
such as telling me that no surgery would be necessary but I would have to go
through chemotherapy and I may want to freeze my eggs because the chemo
might destroy my ovaries but I told everyone that I wanted to wait and decided
until after I know what stage I was in. We then did a PET scan and I found out I
was in stage 4 so I said I'm not going to let it spread anymore let's go with the
chemo.
My chemo, the first four treatments, was aggressive on me. I threw up for days
and was weak and exhausted but by the 5th treatment I only threw up once and
that would be a few days after my chemo.. I have really bad shortness of breath
and I am in pre-menopause still and the chemo stopped my monthly. Also the
chemo burned me a little on my back and my sides and side of the breast. And I
do not have to do any radiation.
I was pretty much on "house arrest" during the 103 days of my journey because
my family was afraid that I would catch something, so in order to occupy my time
when I was feeling good I decided that I wanted to do something that inspired
young people or people in general who are going through something and don't
think they can make it. My family and friends kept me strong and my spirits up. I
did six chemotherapy treatments, as of today I am cancer free but I do have to
go back every three weeks to get my Herceptin drug to keep my cancer cells
contained.
