Breast cancer survivor Dena Houchin shares her story of resilience and preparedness. After losing both her mother and sister to breast cancer, she always suspected that one day she might face the same diagnosis. In her early 70s, that moment came—Dena received the news she had breast cancer. Her journey reflects strength, awareness, and hope for others navigating a similar path.
Phyllis: Dena, thank you for joining me today. As we celebrate breast cancer awareness month this October, CMedEd is proud to highlight survivor stories, connect patients with top doctors, and share information that can save lives. It is my honor to introduce my friend Dena Houchin, a highly skilled registered nurse who began her career in 1974 at St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital and the Texas Heart Institute, specializing in heart surgery care. For more than 40 years, Dena has made a lasting difference through her work in patient care, nursing leadership, research, and training support for the Texas Heart Institute surgery programs. She retired in 2018 as administrator director of cardiovascular surgery at the Texas Heart Institute, leaving behind a legacy of excellence, compassion, and leadership that continues to inspire others.
Dena: Good morning to you. That was rather glowing. Thank you.
Phyllis: Oh, all very, very true. Dena, as a survivor, breast cancer survivor yourself, what advice could you pass along to other women?
Dena: Well, I'll start at the beginning. When I first got my diagnosis, I just took a very deep breath and reminded myself that it was not the right time to panic. And then I just said a prayer. I rely on prayer a lot and it seemed like that was the perfect thing to do right at that time. And then you start to deal with everything else just as it comes.
Phyllis: Well, I really believe prayer is important because we're whole people, spiritual, physical, intellectual, and emotional. I mean, when you first heard the word cancer, what went through your mind? And I do believe that in moments like that, prayer is such a source of strength. But, you know, I guess everyone reacts differently. When you hear the word cancer, most people think of dying. And that is so not the truth in today's medicine. Cancer we believe is something that you go through and it is not a life-ending event anymore. If you're diagnosed early, cancer survivorship is over 95%. So, we've come so far, but yet everyone reacts differently. Were you fearful? Did you think of dying? I mean, what was that like?
Dena: Well, it's a daunting word for anybody. For me, I was almost of the opinion that, well, I knew it was going to happen at some point. I have a very strong family history of breast cancer. I didn't live in constant fear of it, but when I got the diagnosis, I quite honestly wasn't that surprised. I just thought it's my time and we deal with it at that point.
Phyllis: Yeah, you know history breast cancer, if you have the history of breast cancer in your family, of course that is always in the back of your mind. But even if you don't, one in eight women are diagnosed with breast cancer or will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year. And it's proven that, you know, things like your environmental factors, your diet, obesity, habits that you might have like smoking or alcohol, alcohol heavily involved in your lifestyle, that can lead also to a diagnosis. So, there's so many factors now that even if you don't have it in your family, you can still be diagnosed with breast cancer. What were those helpful support groups and resources that you found, Dena?
Dena: Well, first of all, my husband Don, he's always been my rock. I have a very strong family situation. One of my sisters lives close and we talk every day, so there's no secrets there and she was a great resource to me immediately. Another very good friend here in town has been through this and so all of these resources are trusted resources. That's probably the bottom underlying constant. I trust them already, so anything that they said to me was going to be helpful. And then another person was my primary care physician just because she was sensitive to the whole issue. She wanted to be helpful and she offered a number of different options that I could pursue, not the least of which was where to get my care. So, I valued her opinion. I am a registered nurse. I know a lot about taking care of patients and dealing with them when they're going through challenges, but it was a bit of an adjustment just for me to take on the role of the patient rather than the provider.
Phyllis: Oh, I'm sure that it's so valuable to have a friend or a family member who's walked through the breast cancer journey herself and can share their experiences with you. And it's just such an important support system to have. And also, I think, you know, most people want more information after they're diagnosed, not just only from your family, which of course and your primary physician which are extremely important, but I mean it's like the more you know, the more powerful your outcome and positive your outcome will be. And so they often go to the internet and they'll go to Dr. Google. And I know that where you were treated in Anderson Cancer Hospital, the first thing they say is don't go to Dr. Google because most of the information is outdated and not reliable and it just produces a lot of fear in a human being. So you were smart not to do that because you being a kind of having a medical background in the first place had all the resources available to you that you need. Primarily the public, that is the first place that they go. So that's really why we created CMedEd and I know you've been on the journey with creating this website from the very beginning. And we've really tried to make a difference for those who do go on the internet so that they will have a source of very reliable information about their diagnosis and won't have to, you know, go through any type of fearful reaction as to what they're reading.
Dena: I like CMedEd a lot and I will tell you how I've used it in the recent past is with two other friends, one a nurse, one a non-nurse, but both having developed a particular kind of cancer, not breast cancer, but their diagnoses were very similar and, you know, each of them had looked to me saying, what do you think? And I thought, well, that's not even in my area of specialty at all. So, CMedEd was an excellent resource for me to help them.
Phyllis: Oh, thank you. That's very kind of you. Well, what lessons have you learned from your experience and would you like to share them with our audience?
Dena: First of all, maintain a positive attitude as much as you can. I was very fortunate in that honestly I never felt sick during the time from my diagnosis through surgery through radiation. I didn't have to have chemotherapy other than the oral medication that I'm on now. But feeling good lends itself a lot to being much more upbeat and positive. There were days when I was tired, fatigue really hit, but that was not long lasting. So, I think the lesson from all of this is just whatever you're going through, just remember you're going through it. You're not going to live there. It's going to pass.
Phyllis: Well, I mean, I've known you for a long time, Dena, and you take excellent care of yourself. You're in very good health. You're active. You're very involved. You have worked for a number of years and I remember seeing you at the hospital going up and down those halls and everybody knew who Dena Houchin was and had great respect for you. And you know, you're on an estrogen blocker now, I gather that's what you're taking. But we've made such great strides in medicine over the years with immunotherapies and targeted therapies for breast cancer and they're evolving every day. There are ways to cope with side effects. And I also think more and more it depends on your attitude and your source of strength to get through it and know that tomorrow is a new day and that we're all in this together and that you're communicating with your primary caregiver and your physician and your oncologist, and that you have a great support system at home. So it all comes together and gives you a great inner strength, I believe.
Dena: Let me also say that I'll just add to what your context is. When my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer, it was 1969 and mammograms weren't even in existence.
Phyllis: Wow.
Dena: So she was in a tough place even to begin with with treatment. She had radiation. She had chemo. But it was all on an outpatient basis. And quite honestly from what I remember about it, there were days when she didn't feel well, but she soldiered on. But she only lived 11 months. So, that's what put the fear in me when I heard the word cancer, was that suddenly this most important person in my life was gone. When my sister who lived with us developed her breast cancer, that was 2005, and she got through a pretty rugged regimen of treatment but she lived for six good years and she enjoyed them and she really had, she didn't have to live in fear over it and I didn't live in fear of it as well. I look back now and think there were a lot of other things I could have understood better or could have supported her better, but overall six years after diagnosis when hers was a very advanced and aggressive tumor when we first found it, and we'd been doing regular mammograms all along. So in the span of less than one year, she had had a tremendously difficult lesion to deal with. In my situation, my diagnosis was again found very early on the basis of an annual mammogram, and surgery was easy and swift and radiation, I got through it with a rugged couple of first days. But once I got used to what the expectations were, then I was fine through that. So, I just realize how much better it is if you're going to have cancer, it's better to have it now than back in the 60s. There's been so many strides made.
Phyllis: So, I remember your sister and I remember her going through that and I remember seeing you and Don were by her side all the way through those years. You were such a strong family support for her. I admired the both of you so much and your sister, and was sorry when you lost her, but I remember seeing her and she seemed to be joyful, happy and smiling, and I would see her at church with the both of you and she never seemed like she was ill when I saw her during that time. And yes, such great strides have been made. What is your life now as a cancer survivor like?
Dena: I would say pretty normal. I'm doing everything that I want to do. There are days when I don't even think about the fact that I have a cancer diagnosis in my medical history. Sometimes, the orthopedic arthritic joints speak to me a lot more right now than the fact that I have a history of breast cancer. And I love to be able to say I have a history of breast cancer. I'm hoping that there will be no evidence of disease each time I go back. I'm very respectful and cognizant of the need to keep my follow-up appointments. I'm grateful for the team that I have. It's a lot more attention on me than what I used to focus, but there's a necessity and so I just go about life and do what is expected of me.
Phyllis: Well, yes. Look forward to the future and don't dwell upon the past. That is in the past and it is history, you're right. And you've always had such a purpose in your life, Dena. You're involved. I know you teach Sunday school. You're very involved in the church. I know at the drop of a hat you will be there. You've been there for me for so many years and for so many other people. You know purpose is more than just getting up and, you know, what am I going to do today? You are a planner and tell me about some of the purposes that you feel you have in the future for your life.
Dena: When I retired in 2018, I said I was going to put my family first. I enjoyed a long career in nursing. I had a lot of opportunities, met a lot of wonderful people, learned a lot over the 44 years that I practiced here in Houston. But I did so to the detriment of spending a lot of time with my family. So suddenly when the tables were turned I just thought I'm going to say yes to all the things that I can concerning them. So that still is number one. Obviously, you mentioned church and yes, my faith in Christ is utmost. Some people believe that I have a gift of teaching. So I am teaching and trying to make the best of it. I rely heavily on God to strengthen me and help me as I prepare. But that is a strong purpose because in doing that you begin to relate to a lot of other people. I don't have patients in the hospital anymore but I have lots of friends at church that sometimes just need someone to listen and sometimes I need them to listen to me. So the scenario has changed a little bit but the purpose is the same. Just help people, serve where you can.
Phyllis: Well, anyone who meets Dena Houchin, you leave them with an impact of kindness and generosity and just your loving nature. I want to thank you so much for your time this morning. I know the insights you shared will both enlighten and encourage men and women who may be facing a breast cancer diagnosis. And I would just want our audience to remember that breast cancer is something you go through. It does not mean it's necessarily a life-ending event and you will get through it. And we certainly have great centers of excellence here in Texas—in Dallas at Southwestern and Houston MD Anderson—and of course many other wonderful institutions where people are dedicated to saving lives. So Dena, thank you very much for your time and God bless you.
Dena: Nice to be with you, Phyllis. Thanks so much. Bye-bye.
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