Hello, my name is Candace Schaefer. I am a mother, wife, daughter, sister, friend and I’m also a breast cancer survivor. I tell you this in that order to show that breast cancer hasn’t defined me and will not define me moving forward. While I love the color pink (and probably have more of it than I’d like to admit in my closet), I’ve chosen to wear yellow today – to show that my future is bright, OUR future as survivors is bright. This is true because of people like you in this room today. I’ve been asked to share a little bit of my story with you to show how your efforts and fundraising has helped me, and how your efforts help fighters and survivors on a daily basis.
In October 2017, after three mammograms, two ultrasounds and a breast biopsy came the words I dreaded: “You have breast cancer.” It was two days before my 32nd birthday. My first thought was, how can this be real, how can this be happening? I’m too young for breast cancer, I’m too healthy and fit for breast cancer! I am a fitness instructor, I don’t smoke or drink, I eat well, I take care of myself, so this has to be wrong! Unfortunately, I was wrong. I immediately thought of my daughter growing up without her mother and it scared me to death. I was going to fight – there was no choice but to fight!
That day in 2017 started a yearlong journey I never thought I would have to take. After receiving my diagnosis in Concord, I sought out a second opinion at Dana Farber in Boston. I would then undergo 20 chemotherapy treatments, 28 radiation treatments, two hospitalizations, a double mastectomy and reconstructive surgery. I am now cancer-free and thriving, but my journey was not without its hiccups.
At my first chemotherapy visit I was in good spirits! I arrived with my fuzzy socks, blanket, water bottle, book and a smile on my face. I had read so much about the treatments and was ready – I was going to beat this! The first two drug infusions went on without a hitch and I was feeling great – even “high-fiving” my mother. The nurses then started to administer the third drug, Taxol. I immediately had an allergic reaction and fell into anaphylactic shock. I couldn’t breathe, I felt pressure in my chest, I started to shake, my vision became blurry and I panicked. Thankfully the nurses were well prepared for this and assisted in bringing my vital signs back to normal, but how was this possible? How was it possible that I was allergic to the very medication that was supposed to save my life? What was I going to do now? I honestly thought there was no hope.
Thankfully my team at Boston told me that through research and fundraising a treatment called “desensitization” had been developed in Boston – and that I was going to have access to this treatment at one of only a few locations in the country. Through working with a team of allergists, physicians and nurses, I was able to receive the chemotherapy I needed. Instead of having my chemotherapy infused over a duration of 1 ½ hours, my therapy was infused over a 6-hour period. Let’s just say, I knew EVERYTHING about my nurses after those 24 weeks. This treatment and advancement in medicine would not have been possible without all those who had fundraised before me. Every dollar matters in the fight against breast cancer.
As I mentioned before, I am a mom. My daughter, Lydia, who is now 8, was one of the many supporters with me at every step of my treatment. Lydia asked questions well beyond her years during our family conversation about my diagnosis, called me beautiful when she helped to shave my head, held my hand when I was in the hospital with sepsis and even picked out my rainbow wig for my last chemotherapy treatment. I am ignited to walk and raise funds in an effort to help my daughter’s generation – to cure cancer before my daughter, her friends, their mothers, sisters, aunts, uncles (it does happen to men!) etc. deal with this horrible disease. I hope that through our efforts, along with the efforts of every other team across the country, a cure can be found for breast cancer. I hope that my daughter, or anyone’s daughter, will not have to endure the same horrendous year I did and the uncertainty that we all have now wondering if a recurrence is around the corner.
I am blessed to have found this cancer when I did. I have learned that there is no such thing as “too young” or “too fit” for breast cancer. If I can serve as a beacon of hope for others, my journey will have been worth it.
