080: Erin Gratsch | Ductal Carcinoma In Situ | Unilateral Mastectomy | Invasive Ductal Carcinoma

On this episode of the @CancerInterviews podcast, Erin Gratsch tells host Bruce Morton how she twice survived breast cancer.  First, she was diagnosed with Ductal Carcinoma In Situ.  Then, six years later, the diagnosis was HER2+ ER-Negative.  Her regimen of TCHP chemotherapy was grueling, but about two weeks after its completion, Erin began to feel normal again.   A marathon runner, Erin Gratsch of Cincinnati, Ohio, felt like she was in the best shape of her life in 2016.  At age 45, she went in for a mammogram, and was diagnosed with Ductal Carcinoma In Situ, a cancer existing her milk ducts.  It was Stage Zero, but a very fast-growing type of breast cancer.   Erin opted to address this cancer with a unilateral mastectomy.  She chose to have her left breast removed, and do nipple sparing.  Her care team believed this procedure would cure her cancer.  And it did.  For about six years.  Then in July 2022, a second lump was found.   In 2022, Erin was going for a run and felt some chafing on her right breast, and on her left breast where she had had nipple sparing, she felt a lump.  Because of her mastectomy, she no longer qualified for mammograms, so her only screening was self breast exams.  Because Erin conducted self exams on a regular basis, she found the lump very early, it was Stage II Invasive Ductal Carcinoma HER2+ ER-.   Erin's care team decided to "throw the book" at this diagnosis.  They did TCHP chemotherapy, six rounds over four months, followed by surgery to remove the tumor, followed by 25 rounds of radiation treatment.    For Erin, the chemotherapy experience was like that of many patients.  There was the fatigue, the hair loss, the nausea, and what she detested the most, that being metal-like taste of food.    Erin Gratsch is a marathon runner, and when dealing with chemotherapy and radiation, she put her mental toughness utilized as a distance runner to work when facing her cancer journey.  She chose to take each day, make it a singular challenge and try to meet that challenge.   Eventually, Erin not only began to feel normal, but she up to resuming competitive running.  She could not run nearly as fast as she did before her diagnosis, but said it still felt great to sign up for a race and cross the finish line.   Erin Gratsch says she feels extremely blessed and even after the cancer, she says she is the happiest she has ever been.    Additional Resources:   Support Group:   Move Beyond Surviving: https://www.movebeyondsurviving.org