How Hope and Faith Sustained a Woman Through Breast Cancer Treatment

Sarah Gammage is a mom of two, a wife, a friend, and a proud survivor of triple-negative breast cancer.

Before her diagnosis, Sarah considered herself the “healthy one” with no major medical issues. But then something unexpected happened. She was watching a movie with her daughter when she felt a sensation up the right side of her chest. It wasn’t painful, but it was noticeable, so she massaged the area and suddenly felt a lump that wasn’t there before.

As someone who was diligent about performing regular breast exams, had just received a clean mammogram six months prior, and had no genetic history of cancer, Sarah was surprised by the new lump. She was proactive about her findings and made an appointment with her OB-GYN, who, after feeling the lump, decided more evaluation was necessary.

Sarah was then scheduled for a mammogram and an ultrasound. When she was called back into the consultation room after her screenings, she knew something was wrong – and she was right. The tumor in Sarah’s breast had a 60%-70% potential of being malignant.

“It was surreal. I have walked through cancer with so many other people, but I couldn’t believe it was happening to me,” Sarah says.

Sarah met a nurse advocate who helped her schedule a biopsy. “My husband and I were rattled, and I was a little teary,” she recalls. “But the nurse reassured us, saying she would help with the next steps.”

Sarah was told she needed to choose a breast surgeon so if her results came back positive, any necessary procedures could be scheduled right away. She chose Francesca Delach, MD.

The biopsy results revealed Sarah had triple-negative breast cancer, an aggressive type of invasive breast cancer.

“It was life-altering news,” Sarah says. “I patched in my husband on the call while he was at work, and we both cried. Dr. Delach was sensitive and thorough. She gave needed information without being overwhelming. She answered all our questions and never made me feel rushed.”

Together with her oncologist, Dr. Pooja Suresh, they created a treatment plan. “Those first weeks before treatment were difficult, trying to get things in order,” Sarah says. “I had to get a port, get blood work done, find a cardiologist, and make sure my body was ready for chemotherapy.”

Treatment and healing

Sarah’s cancer treatment began with preoperative chemotherapy and immunotherapy at Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center – Jefferson Health Asplundh Cancer Pavilion. For her cancer type, this helped her care team see how the cancer responded to chemo and plan surgery.

Sarah’s chemotherapy lasted 20 weeks. The final eight weeks of her treatment were particularly difficult. “You’re nauseous, exhausted, and lose all your hair. By the end, even my eyelashes and eyebrows were gone,” she remembers.

Sarah leaned on her family and her village during this time while praying for the best possible chemotherapy outcome: a pathologic complete response (pCR), meaning no cancer cells remained in tissue samples after treatment. She felt immense gratitude upon learning she had achieved this response and now faced one last major step: breast surgery.

Sarah was given three options for surgery: a lumpectomy, to remove the dead cancer cells where the tumor used to be; a unilateral mastectomy, to remove one breast; or a bilateral mastectomy, to remove both breasts. Sarah opted for a nipple-sparing bilateral mastectomy with implant reconstruction.

“The percentages are low for triple-negative breast cancer returning in the breasts,” Sarah says. “But I now knew my body made cancer, so I didn’t want to risk other breast cancers showing up.”

While the decision wasn’t easy, Sarah found reassurance in knowing her husband fully supported her decision. “As a woman, you feel grief over the loss of your breasts,” she says. “My husband was my biggest cheerleader. He told me, ‘I just want you.’”

Dr. Delach performed the mastectomy, and the surgery was successful. Sarah can still recall the feeling of relief, after a year of appointments, she was at the end of her treatment journey – she would heal from this surgery and be well again.

Life post-cancer

Sarah found adjusting to life after treatment brings its own challenges, even when the most intense period is over.

“For a year, there was no other expectation on me other than to survive,” she recalls. “After my treatment, I was like, I have to get back to real life? What does that even look like? Because that’s all different now. The things that were once normal are no longer normal. My perception of my body has changed, my energy levels have changed, my priorities have changed. It’s a rebuilding process.”

Sarah enrolled in a Living Beyond Breast Cancer Program at Jefferson to help her reconnect with herself and her new normal. “Meghan Coleman, my nurse practitioner, was the facilitator, and it was a great experience,” she says. “I connected with other cancer survivors. We talked about nutrition and cancer-fighting diets, long-term side effects of treatment, and issues surrounding sex and intimacy post-treatment. There was also a guest lecturer on menopause. My treatment put me into medically induced menopause, so learning about that was so helpful.”

Reflecting on what advice she would offer someone newly diagnosed with cancer, Sarah says there wouldn’t be advice she could give right away. But she would simply offer them a hug, tell them how sorry she is, and let them know they’re not alone. “After the tears and hugs,” she says, “I would say to be gracious to yourself. Just take one day at a time. You cannot look too far ahead. You’re going to need to let others care for you. And that’s OK. That’s not a weakness, it’s a strength. It’s a beautiful thing to have people around you to care for you.”

Visit JeffersonHealth.org/BreastCancer to learn more.