Aubrey Johnson of Harmony was reminded repeatedly to get a mammogram. She knew she should, but didn’t feel it was urgent since she didn’t have a family history of breast cancer. When she turned 40, the importance of having one kept getting repeated to her, again and again for almost another year.
“I was at the Gundersen Clinic in Harmony when it was brought up again that I need to schedule a mammogram,” Aubrey said. “Every time it was suggested, I just rolled my eyes, but this time I said fine. I went to the front desk and literally said make me an appointment for when the mobile mammogram is in town so they will quit bothering me about it.”
The mammogram was scheduled during the last week of May 2016. “I had taken the week off from work to get ready for our son’s graduation,” Aubrey said. “I got a call from the mobile mammogram nurse asking where I was because my appointment was happening now. Feeling bad about forgetting, I told her to reschedule me. But she was insistent and said they would do it as soon as I could get there. So, I reluctantly went. It was so easy and I was done in a matter of minutes.”
About a week later, Aubrey received a letter that stated they saw some calcification and wanted to do a more extensive mammogram/ultrasound. “I called the clinic and asked if I could come down and look at the image and what they were seeing. It was a small area in my right breast that looked like little shards of glass. To me, calcifications didn’t sound too awful.”
At the follow-up appointment, the doctor was so careful and repeatedly looked and compared. Finally, she just told Aubrey that with her age, lack of family history, it didn’t seem likely, but she wanted to make sure and ordered a biopsy. Aubrey said, “I can’t say I wasn’t worried. It felt kind of surreal. Is this really happening?” She tried not to think about it and continued her busy life as mom, wife and bookkeeper at First Southeast Bank in Harmony.
It took a couple of weeks for the biopsy to come back. Aubrey received the call at work on Friday, July 15. “I went into the boardroom to take the call. Honestly, I remember very little about what was said. I heard cancer. And then went numb. I remember trying to keep myself together because I didn’t want the doctor to feel bad. I stepped out of the boardroom, my co-worker looked at me and I completely broke down.”
Aubrey called her husband, Rod. She tried to recall what the doctor said. “I remember Rod saying that we will do whatever is needed and we will get through this. I then took a moment to tell my co-workers. I met with my husband after work to make sure he talked with our son Dacoda and daughter Raen. We were going camping and I had to drive to meet my best friend and daughter. That was the longest drive of my life.”
The following week, Aubrey had her initial appointment at Gundersen Health in La Crosse. She was given a team of professionals that guided her through everything — from advanced directives, to discussing mastectomy if the cancer had spread, to treatment options, to someone just being there for you. Aubrey decided to have genetic testing done for her daughter’s sake. Thankfully, her type of cancer was not genetic.
After several more appointments and an MRI, surgery was scheduled for August 22. A radioactive seed was placed in the area to be removed. During surgery they removed the affected duct and went out a margin around it. They tested and found three areas of cancer. They went out another margin and it was negative for cancer cells.
Aubrey recalls that week of recovery as awful and emotional with moving their son to college at Luther. To make matters worse, their campground flooded! Then, Aubrey started radiation every day in La Crosse for six weeks from September through November 10. She described the radiation as the getting the worst sunburn ever and then keep repeated it with the same intensity every day. It would peel and the burning continued under the skin.
“I never had to drive alone a single day to my radiation. Someone was there by my side every day! My coworkers at the bank were incredible. They accommodated my schedule and thought of everything to make sure this was easy as possible. They truly cared how I was doing and went above and beyond the call of duty to support me and my family.”
The congregation at her church, Greenleafton Reformed, were also amazing and did more than she can ever thank them for. “My family, friends, everyone pitched in and people I didn’t even know brought food, sent cards and did random acts of kindness. The outpouring of love from our community was amazing!”
“Today I feel a sense of obligation because I’m one of the lucky ones and am alive,” Aubrey said. “Every chance I get, I talk about my experience and encourage others to get mammograms. I’m teased that I’m a walking PSA (Public Service Announcement) for mammograms. Pretty ironic from someone who didn’t think she should get one. If I had waited another year, who knows where I’d be today.”
Aubrey is on Tamoxifen for five years and goes for annual 3D mammograms, which is recommended for women that may have dense breast tissue. “Don’t put a mammogram off. Because of the dense tissue, it is difficult to feel something suspicious with a self-exam. I didn’t feel a lump. It was the mammogram that saved my life, plain and simple.”
Photo submitted
Photo submitted