My nephew is on staff with the University of North Carolina football program. As I understand it, after each win, the team dedicates the game to an individual and makes a charitable donation in their name. On November 14, 2020, UNC came from behind to beat Wake Forest 59-53.
The next day Jeremy called to let me know the team had dedicated the stunning win to my daughter, Christine, and donated in her name to an organization that supports those impacted by cancer. He told me I would be receiving a game ball in Christine’s honor.
Pictured above is the football I received from the team. It is a remarkable tribute to Christine. We are forever grateful to Jeremy, the university, Coach Mack Brown, and the team. Special thanks to a friend of my son Chris, Shawn Robertson, for the graphic.
Christine passed away in 2012 after battling triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). She was 42.
What Is TNBC? It is a kind of cancer that does not have any of the receptors commonly found in breast cancer.
Think of cancer cells as a house. The front door may have three kinds of locks, called receptors—
- One is for the female hormone (estrogen)
- One is for the female hormone (progesterone)
- One is a protein called human epidermal growth factor (HER)
If cancer has any of these three locks, doctors can use a few keys to help destroy the cancer cells (like hormone therapy or other drugs). But if the diagnosis is triple-negative, it means those three locks aren’t there. So, doctors have fewer keys for treatment. Triple-negative breast cancers also grow and spread more quickly than most other types of breast cancer.
How is TNBC treated? There are currently four recommended treatment options:
- Lumpectomy – A surgeon removes the lump from the breast. He or she also removes nearby lymph nodes to see if cancer has spread.
- Mastectomy - A surgeon removes the breast and nearby lymph nodes to see if cancer has spread.
- Radiation - Lumpectomies are usually followed by radiation therapy. This is where high-energy radiation is given to the breast to kill any remaining cancer cells.
- Chemotherapy - Cells from the cancerous lump may have spread somewhere else in your body. The goal of chemotherapy is to kill those cancer cells wherever they may be.
Christine first had a lumpectomy, which led to the TNBC diagnosis. Ultimately, she had a mastectomy combined with chemotherapy.
What doctors did not find from the lumpectomy was one of the few bright spots in our terrifying battle.
An article published in 2018 recounted the details of a team of researchers in Rochester, Minnesota, who recently discovered mutations in five genes that seem to increase the risk for TNBC. These genes are known by several names: breast-cancer-risk genes, cancer-predisposition genes, and cancer-susceptibility genes. Fergus J. Couch, Ph.D., Professor of Medical Research and Chair of the Division of Experimental Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the Mayo Clinic, led the research team.
About 10% to 15% of triple-negative breast cancers in Caucasians test positive for mutations in the BRCA1 gene. In the African American population, about 35% test positive.
Christine did not test positive for BRCA1, which is hereditary. Otherwise, her daughter, sister, and nieces would all have had to be tested, and future female children could be at risk. It was one of the few bright spots in our terrifying battle.
In the 2018 article, Dr. Couch explains, "Until recently, BRCA1 was the only gene linked to TNBC. "We used to check one gene at a time, which was very time-consuming. But about four or five years ago, sequencing technology changed dramatically, so now we’re able to check many genes at a time.”
"That means," Couch says, "doctors should consider that women who have any of these mutations will have an increased risk for TNBC. If a woman with breast cancer has one of these mutations, her doctor may need to consider using specific treatments.
The researchers did not learn why African American women have an increased risk of TNBC. They suggest that larger studies with African American patients be done.
Eventually, the side effects of chemo were too drastic, and Christine’s doctors stopped her treatment. Her oncologist confirmed the cancer had metastasized throughout her body. The goal now was to make her as comfortable as possible in a familiar, loving environment.
We then brought Christine from Kentucky to Pennsylvania, where I lived with my son Chris and his family. My youngest son Rob and his family lived nearby, and my oldest daughter Kelly came with Christine from Kentucky. Kelly’s daughter Chelsea also lived close to us in Pennsylvania. Christine's daughter Brittany was working in Kentucky but came to Pennsylvania as often as she could. It wouldn't be long before she left her job and came to stay with her mom.
Christine loved music and dancing and tried teaching her brothers and sister to line dance with little success. Gangster movies and TV were her favorites, especially The Godfather and The Sopranos. She was addicted to the ID channel and jigsaw puzzles. She was an amazing cook and loved to entertain. Mostly, she loved her kids and everyone else's, especially babies. She was funny and smart; she loved Philly sports, the Eagles were her favorite. She loved the styles of the 70s and 80s, and she had the hair to prove it. I miss her every day.
Source Citations & Donation Information:
Triple-Negative Breast Cancer | CDC
Study: New Genes Linked With Triple Negative Breast Cancer
American Cancer Society | Information and Resources about for Cancer: Breast, Colon, Lung, Prostate, Skin
tnbcfoundation.org