Victoria David (Updated)

See Victoria’s update

Hometown: Montreal, Quebec

What school do you attend?McGill University and University of Oxford

Do you work?No. Currently a student

What is your career goal?Water Policy Advisor

How did you find out you were sick? What event(s) led to the diagnosis?
I found a lump in my right breast and didn’t really think much of it. A few weeks later, I had a doctor’s appointment for something completely unrelated but decided to mention it. She referred me for a biopsy but insisted that given my age it was probably nothing. The biopsy was scheduled for two months later. “Nothing” turned out to be cancer.

What year was it? What was your age at the time?
It was in 2008, two days after my 27th birthday.

At what level of education were you at diagnosis? 
Graduate Student (master’s). I had to suspend my degree as I was studying in the UK. I returned to Canada for treatment. I am currently back in the UK wrapping up my degree.

What was your diagnosis?
Stage 2 breast cancer

What were your first thoughts when diagnosed?
Complete shock and disbelief. I was in for a biopsy and it didn’t even cross my mind that it could be cancer. I didn’t know what to do or who to tell. I had only been living in the UK for six months. I lived in the land of denial for the first few days.

How did your friends react? Were you treated any different?

My friends were shocked. Some pulled away, I think partly because they felt helpless and were scared. Others came through like rock stars. But in the end, most offered support in ways they could manage.

Overall, I don’t believe I wasn’t treated any differently. I think the beginning was the toughest for them because they felt helpless while I waited for more information on the cancer and treatment.

I have lived in many places over the previous years, and I had a lot of friends come visit.

What did your treatment consist of?
Medical Side:
My treatment started out with surgery (lumpectomy and axial node dissection). It was followed up with six rounds of chemotherapy (TC - taxotere and cyclophosphamide) and capped with 29 radiotherapy sessions. My goal was not to spend a single night in the hospital (mission accomplished).

Surgery was an outpatient procedure, in at 7 am, out by 1 pm. Ironically, the surgery was scheduled the same day as one of my finals. I had been dreading that day (‘cause of exams) for a while now, but now I was dreading it for far different reasons.  I recovered quite quickly from surgery, and they let me leave within two hours of completing the procedure. The main side effects from surgery were regaining mobility in my arm. They had to cut through muscle and nerve to remove the axial lymphnodes. It took about eight weeks to regain full mobility. At first I was concerned the physio would tear out my stitches, but once I realized they weren’t coming out, physio progressed quite well.

Chemotherapy went surprisingly well. I had six rounds over 18 weeks. I think the three weeks off between each round is what really helped. I had chemo on Thursdays, so the weekend after was usually a write off. My roommate would get drunk the Friday after chemo so he would be painfully hungover on Saturday (just when my steroids would wear off) and then we could face nausea as a team. It was pretty funny. Usually by Monday I would start recovering and by Wednesday (day seven) I would feel 80 per cent. That would leave me two weeks off before the next round. Since I dropped out of school to focus on my battle, I would take these two weeks off and go running and cycling.

The final part of my treatment is radiotherapy. I had 29 sessions over six weeks. They usually lasted five minutes, but I would spend about 30-60 minutes in the hospital. The side effects from the radiation were minimal and my skin took it like a champion. It took a while for the skin to heal.

I also had fertility treatment. Since my tumor was estrogen positive, I could not get invitro-fertilization (IVF) as you need to take estrogen. I had a procedure called invitro-maturation (IVM) when they mature the egg outside the ovary (no estrogen necessary). I did have to take an injection of human chorionic gonadotropin (hcg) (a pregnancy hormone.) The actual procedure took one hour (under full anesthesia). The procedure is not covered by health care, but since I was a student, a cancer fund through the McGill Reproductive Centre covered the costs. I had the procedure done two weeks after surgery before chemo treatment.

Non-medical side:
The hardest part emotionally was the beginning, the unknown. Once the doctors gave me a plan of attack, I knew what I had to do and I felt in control again. I went to the young adult cancer support groups through the Royal Victoria Hospital. I did a lot of running and cycling. I think the running is what got me through chemo. It felt like I was reclaiming my body.

In which Hospital(s) were you treated?
Montreal General Hospital (radiotherapy), Royal Victoria Hospital (surgery, chemo, fertility)

What is your current medical status?
Healthy!

How is life different for you now post diagnosis (physically, emotionally, socially, spiritually)?
Emotionally/Socially:
My primary life goal now is to have fun. I used to be an overachiever, but now, I focus on having fun and just achieving. For instance, last year when I was in the UK for school, I would study every weekend. This year, I’ve been hiking in the Lake District, snowboarding in the Italian Alps, and biking from Belgium to Netherlands. My grades might suffer, but I have way more fun, better pics and better stories.

Physically:
I used to be quite active. I was training for a triathlon prior to being diagnosed, and I will actually be competing in my first tri next month in London. So not much has changed on that front. I don’t really drink anymore. I’ve had enough nausea for a lifetime, thank you.

What was the toughest part of your challenge?
The unknown, and the mental game. There is a ton of support for the physical treatment, but a significant gap for the emotional support. Being a young adult going through cancer is hard because you are shifted into a world where your future is uncertain. If you are much older, you have lived. As a young adult, you have to contend with the idea you may never get married, have kids, graduate, etc. Getting medical advice from people whose names were not followed with MD. Granted this wasn’t the toughest, but perhaps the most annoying. I was advised by certain people: not to have surgery, not to go through with chemo, not to return to the UK because the cancer might come back, etc. Frankly, the toughest part was not calling them a bunch of *&!$ing idiots. They all had cancer, so I tried to be nice.

What was the best part about having your challenge?
Winning. A new appreciation for life.

What really motivated you to keep going while you were sick?
Running. I think it was my way of saying “screw you” to cancer. I would run five kilometres at least two to three times a week during the second and third weeks following chemo. I ran a 5k towards the end of chemo to raise money for breast cancer. Part of me felt that cancer had taken control of my body and running during treatment was taking back control of my body. My friends were really helpful as well.

What lessons or messages have you taken away from your experience?
Have fun, because you never know what may happen. Be honest with yourself and others. Don’t play a role you were given, do what you want. And screw what people may think.

What are your thoughts and feelings about your illness now?  How have they changed since before your diagnosis?
I was terrified of treatment and I really thought chemo was going to destroy me. But in the end, the treatment wasn’t that bad. I spent a majority of chemo feeling above 80 per cent. It was nice since it was the first time in a long time where I had down time. I have learned many lessons from my illness. Honestly, if I had the choice, I would prefer not to have gone through it. But seeing as that isnt an option, I try to find the positives in it. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. And I truly believe that. I am a better person than I was before.

What are some (if there are any you know of) preventative measures that people can take to lower their risk of having an experience like yours?
Be aware of your body. Don’t discount potential illnesses because of your age. Get things checked out with your doctor.

Did you attend any support groups during your challenge?
Yes. I attended the Young Adults Group at the Royal Victoria Hospital.

Did you find it helped?
I found it was nice to meet other people my age going through it. I connected with some. However, I also met some that would try and dispense me medical advice. I found this frustrating.

How are you connected with Young Adult Cancer Canada? What are your thoughts/feelings on Young Adult Cancer Canada?
Karine used to co-facilitate the young adult support group at the Royal Victoria Hospital. She now works for YACC.

I think it’s a great organization. I think there are so many young adults across Canada, and YACC is a great medium to help them connect.

Profile Update

Age at diagnosis:27

How long has it been since your last treatment?
I finished surgery/chemo/radiation over 18 months ago ( however, 12 months ago I was put back onto additional immunotherapy treatment (herceptin) as a precautionary tool.)

Let me explain: I was diagnosed in the UK while studying and opted for treatment in Canada. About 15 months ago (once treatment was completed), I returned to the UK to complete my master’s. When I went for my check up, my UK doctor asked me how my herceptin treatment was going. I was a little confused to say the least. Turns out the UK pathology report indicated I was HER2 positive, while the one in Canada was HER2 negative. After some discussions between my doctors on both continents, it was suggested I should go on herceptin as a precautionary tool. I am set to complete treatment in June 2010.

How are you today?  How have you changed since your last update?

Physically, I am working towards being in the best shape of my life. In May 2009 I completed my first triathlon. Since then, I started training for a half-marathon. I was running 30 to 40kms a week. However, herceptin can cause heart toxicity and my latest scan shows an ejection fraction that my oncologist is not comfortable with (62 per cent). While this is still in the normal range, it has dropped enough that he feels I should not be running marathons. So I have compensated by biking and swimming but I tend to keep my heart rate a bit lower in those activities. The marathon ban is lifted one month after treatment so on July 8, I will be hitting the ground running…really. I will be competing in a few half-marathons in the fall, and intend to complete them in under two hours. I am also hoping to compete in a few tris. My summer will also include lots of mountain biking, hiking and the Survive and Thrive kayak trip with YACC!!
Oh! And last summer (while in treatment), I backpacked through Europe. The deal was, as long as I came back to Oxford every 3 weeks for treatment, I was free to do what I want. Clearly treatment is not that harsh if I can spend my summer sleeping in hostels, airports, and on trains. My travels brought me on several beautiful adventures including back-flipping into a friend’s pool in Tuscany, riding a donkey up a stair path in Santorini, visiting Omaha beach, swimming in Loch Ness, pub crawling in Rome, and having a beer (or many more) at Oktoberfest dressed in a dirndl.

Emotionally and socially, I feel great! I am excited to be done treatment and looking forward to only have to go to hospital every few months for check ups. I am excited for the next step of my life: continuing my career and leaving Montreal. I still have a lot of fears regarding the cancer, but they have lessened with time, and I know this will continue to get easier.
I am frustrated with the additional treatment, especially now that it has interfered with my marathon training but I know treatment will end soon enough so I am just counting down.

Professionally…This is the current battle I am facing: do I put my career before my personal life? I returned to school in January 2009 and graduated with my master’s in September 2009. I have been working freelance since but looking for more permanent work once my treatment ends (so next month). I have always wanted to move to Alberta or BC (near mountains), but right now there are no jobs in the water policy sector out there. There are several water policy jobs in eastern Canada, but far away from mountains. So the debate is: great location and taking a hit on the career front, or decent location but perhaps a great job. The plan is to book a flight out west and see what happens. High risk, high reward.

What are you doing today? (school, work, recovery, etc)
I am currently working as a water research analyst for a firm in the UK.

What are you goals for the future?
Have some fun, enjoy life, meet some great people, perhaps focus less on my career, and more on fun.

When you see yourself 10 years down the road, how does the picture look?  What’s in it, what do you like, what do you not like?

The picture looks A-MA-ZING! In 10 years, I will hopefully have a great career (and perhaps my PhD). But more importantly, I hope to have a great personal life -- perhaps sharing my life with a guy as obsessed with the outdoors as me, some great friends, and some great stories.

Do you have any advice for other survivors who may be where you once were?

Don’t let cancer define you. Push yourself! It is amazing what a human being can accomplish (physically and mentally) when we really test our limits. I truly believe that the point of life is to challenge yourself. Take up a sport, go back to school, pick up a new hobby. Make a list of things you’ve always wanted to do but never thought you could and go for it. My next ridiculous goal? A half Ironman.

If you are interested in connecting with Victoria David (Updated) please email connect@youngadultcancer.ca.