I wanted to share the story of Army Staff Sergeant Elizabeth Cowie. Sgt. Cowie, a noncommissioned officer with the California Army National Guard, was diagnosed with stage 0 breast cancer, which, according to her physician, is quite rare.
Stage 0 indicates that the cancer has been detected “very, very early,” stated Sgt. Cowie.
Her cancer was discovered during training in Indiana. An inconsistency on her mammogram prompted her doctor to recommend a biopsy. Sgt. Cowie utilized the services of the military-provided Tricare health plan and located a specialist nearby Camp Atterbury, where she was participating in training. The specialist told her that breast cancer is generally discovered when it is already in stage 2 or 3.
Sgt. Cowie’s first priority was learning about her options. After speaking with an oncologist [a physician specializing in the treatment of cancer] and a surgeon, they determined that she was a good candidate for a new treatment known as MammoSite. MammoSite is a “targeted radiation therapy” that administers radiation daily for five days. Because her unit was scheduled to be deployed in just 30 days following her diagnosis, Sgt. Cowie decided to begin MammoSite immediately.
“It was not an option for me personally to back out and say ‘Hey, I have to go home,’” she said. “I was really committed to my deployment.”
Her treatment consisted of about 20 minutes of radiation therapy during a five-day period. “It was pretty aggressive,” Sgt. Cowie admitted.
While her diagnosis and treatment was emotionally and physically difficult, Sgt. Cowie considers herself to be “pretty lucky.”
“I am a perfect example of early detection. I thanked my lucky stars that someone looked close enough at the mammogram.”
Of course, Sgt. Cowie received support from her military family. It was difficult at first, of course, because her commanders were male, but she recalls how “great” her unit was throughout her ordeal.
“They were a big, big help to me,” she said.
Following treatment, Sgt. Cowie was declared cancer-free, and deployed with her unit as planned. Her experience has given her a new appreciation for life in general, as well as a greater appreciation for the constant breakthroughs in cancer treatment research.
Like Sgt. Cowie, many other veterans and members of the military community find themselves diagnosed with cancer. An unfortunate number of Navy vets, for example, have suffered from mesothelioma cancer, a fatal disease that is caused by previous exposure to asbestos [which was not unusual on board naval ships]. Unlike breast cancer, mesothelioma has a grim survival rate – 99% of sufferers lose their battle in less than two years.
October, as you know, is breast cancer awareness month. It’s important to remember the women [and men] who serve our country and have also battled this – and other – diseases during the month of October.
