Monday, October 27, 2008 11:57 AM CDT
Breast cancer survivor reminds others it is beatable; she helped create support network
By ROB STROUD, Staff Writer
rstroud@jg-tc.com
MATTOON — Tracie Metzger was 30 when she underwent surgery for what she though was a benign breast tumor or a clogged milk duct after having her second child.
While she was in the recovery room on Sept. 8, 2000, Metzger’s surgeon told her the tumor was malignant and she had stage one breast cancer.
“It was just devastating. You can’t even describe the emotions that took over, the fear and anxiety that goes into hearing those words,” Metzger said as she spoke during the Living the Miracle: Breast Cancer Survivor’s Celebration on Sunday at Sarah Bush Lincoln Health System.
Metzger, a Cincinnati resident, said some of her initial thoughts were that she did not have a family history of breast cancer and did not know anyone who had this cancer, let alone any other young women.
“(Still), there was something in me almost immediately that kicked into gear. It was the fighter inside of me asking, ‘What do we do next?’” Metzger told an audience of more than 40 people at the celebration.
She went on to defeat her breast cancer and help many other young women in their battles against this cancer. She joined with fellow survivor Dawn Harvey in October 2001 to form the Pink Ribbon Girls, a support network for young women diagnosed with breast cancer.
Metzger said Pink Ribbon Girls has grown to include more than 800 women, half in the Cincinnati area and half throughout the country.
Some of Pink Ribbon Girls’ services for young women, and the young at heart, include offering educational programs regarding early detection as well as providing assistance with meals, child care and house cleaning.
“Anything we can do to help and support them,” Metzger said.
The support network’s main function is to bring women together. Metzger said women can use the Web site www.pinkribbongirls.com to get e-mail contact information for other women in their region undergoing the same stages of breast cancer or types of treatment.
Metzger said the network holds regular meetings, sometimes just to get together and talk about life. She said the first meeting was attended by 15 women, including some wearing scarves indicative of hair loss during chemotherapy.
“There is comfort in knowing you are not alone,” Metzger said.
She experienced hair loss while undergoing six months of chemotherapy. Metzger said she chose to undergo a double mastectomy with reconstruction instead of treating her breast cancer with a lumpectomy and radiation.
“I just felt like I wanted to do everything I could do to make sure this cancer won’t come back,” she said.
Metzger said she was fortunate that she detected her lump through a self-exam during the first stage of cancer. Metzger also said she was fortunate that she came out of the menopause that was caused by her chemotherapy. She and her husband have since had two more children.
Looking out at the breast cancer survivors in her audience, Metzger said it is important for them to share their stories with their children and grandchildren. She said those loved ones may someday experience breast cancer themselves, or in their own families or circles of friends.
“What a vital lesson we are teaching these kids just by talking about (breast cancer) and surviving it,” Metzger said. “It’s going to create a good memory in their minds. They are going to know it’s beatable and treatable.”
Contact Rob Stroud at rstroud@jg-tc.com or 348-5734.
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