(upbeat music)
Welcome to Living Healthy Chicago.
I'm Jane Clauss, support is so important when it comes
to facing any sort of health challenge,
having your loved ones and your medical team by your side
can make all the difference.
Just ask our first guest, who says the support of her family
and friends helped her keep focused on the future, while
going through treatment for breast cancer.
- [Jane] The ring Kara Cardinale wears,
is no ordinary piece of jewelry,
a present from her coworkers that holds
a very special meaning.
- It's a nail. And they said,
because I'm tough as nails and that it's just,
and I wear it, at every appointment, I wear it.
It's honestly a great reminder of, okay,
people believe in me, I can do this.
- [Jane] Kara's health journey began
with a routine mammogram.
- It was a snowy night and I was tempted to cancel.
And I said, Nope, I need to go. And they called back.
- [Jane] Kara had been called back before.
So initially she wasn't concerned,
but a biopsy confirmed her diagnosis of breast cancer.
- I'm HER2, H-E-R two.
Triple positive.
And it sounds horrifying and scary.
I've never been sick before.
I've never had health issues.
So this was a new dimension for me.
- [Lisa] About one and eight women over the course of
their lifetime will develop breast cancer.
Breast cancer is a malignancy that typically develops within
the ducts in the breast, common more in women, obviously.
And in women as they age,
family history can be a risk factor.
So patients who have first degree relatives
with breast cancer, specifically cancer at a young age.
Diagnosis in this country and other developed countries
is typically via screening mammograms.
So we tend to recommend starting mammograms at age 40's.
- [Jane] After extensive testing to learn more,
Kara's doctors started her on a treatment plan.
- It isn't a one size fits all, her tumor was one
of about 20% of breast cancers that over express something
called HER2.
So HER2 is a growth protein that can kind
of drive cancer growth.
These HER2 driven tumors can behave more aggressively,
but importantly,
we have lots of evolving therapies that can help to treat
or target those types of tumors. And in fact,
with appropriate treatment, although there are,
although they can be aggressive,
the treatment is very successful. And in fact,
the prognosis is often excellent.
- I started chemo, so I had six rounds and then you have
the mastectomy.
And I wanted,
I felt very strongly about having a double mastectomy.
- She had a very, very good response and had a
very minimal degree of cancer left
that was then removed with surgery.
- [Jane] And well Kara still has radiation and a booster
of chemo ahead. She's keeping her focus on the future.
- I'm going to do everything in my power to make sure that,
this is, one point in my life.
I have the most amazing children and husband and dog
and parents and siblings and friends that absolutely rally.
And remind me and keep me, keep me standing up when I,
when I need that lift. And it's very, very powerful.
- [Jane] Both Kara and Dr. Flaum hope to inspire other
women to stay on top of their regular doctor visits.
- We know that as much as we worry about COVID,
we worry about delays in cancer diagnoses as well.
And so we don't want to see,
people diagnosed or presenting at more advanced stages.
- I just think it's so critical,
to get these wellness checks, even during COVID.
Because again, if I would have delayed,
I would have been, a lot worse story.
I love life.
I love my life.
I love, I, I absolutely have full intentions
of living a very long, full, amazing life.