When CMedEd Founder Phyllis Pittman met Becky Ayers, a breast cancer survivor with an unshakable spirit, the result was an unforgettable interview. Becky’s story isn’t just about surviving—it’s about finding purpose, perspective, and compassion in the face of life’s toughest challenges.
Phyllis: Today we have the honor of hearing Becky Ayers share her personal journey through breast cancer. Becky, thank you for joining us this morning. I appreciate your time so much.
Becky: Thank you for asking me, Phyllis.
Phyllis: Oh, absolutely. Um, so the first question we're going to talk about is, as a cancer survivor, what is the best advice you could pass along to other women?
Becky: I think trusting your medical team and the first advice I got when I visited with my doctors was your cancer is your cancer. You'll have friends come up and say, "Oh, I had that cancer too or I've done this and I went to this doctor and I tried this." Just know that your cancer is unique and trust your team to lead you in everything that you need to know. Tell them about supplements people say you should take. Uh, one person suggested I take a supplement and the doctor said it's great for everybody except for you because of the cancer treatment you're going through. It will interact with your chemo.
So, I think knowing that you've got a care team that does care about you, uh, I'm not a worrier by nature anyway. Daughter of a Marine. Pull up your bootstraps. So, you know, I just wasn't very anxious about anything. I just learned to trust the medical team.
Phyllis: You know, it's so important to communicate with your medical team, uh, and keep them, uh, in the loop as to anything that you're going through, any bodily changes that may be happening, any physical changes within your body, uh, the appearance. It's just so important that they know about all these things. And I mean, communication with the doctor years ago, you used to be kind of afraid to talk to a doctor, but now, you know, it's very vital that you befriend them and that you spend time, um, with them in discussing your treatment and your side effects and, you know, what all of the scope of the next few months in your life is going to look like.
Becky: And that piggybacking on that, that is so true because when I was getting ready to go through my last chemo, number 12, the doctor called that morning, see how I was doing? And I just happened to mention, is the neuropathy, the numbness in my legs supposed to be all the way up to my knees by now? And she said, whoa, you didn't tell me you were having all that.
Phyllis: I know.
Becky: And she canceled the last chemo. We stopped at 11. That was it. She said, you are now done. And I should have told her that two times before when it started and probably I wouldn't have gone through number 11.
Phyllis: Yes. Well, let's back up and talk about, uh, when you received the news and what your actual diagnosis was, Becky.
Becky: Well, I received the news on New Year's Eve in a phone call and I knew it would come in a phone call so I was prepared for that. And it was funny because 16 years prior my husband was diagnosed and received that call on New Year's Eve also. So we had that 16 years apart. Not a good night for us, but anyway, it was fine. And I was diagnosed with um invasive ductal carcinoma in the right breast and then in the left breast it was ductal carcinoma in situ. Uh, so it was in the ducts at that point and that's kind of the majority of the breast cancers are going to be that invasive ductal carcinoma. So 70 to 80% I believe are going to get that kind of diagnosis.
Phyllis: That's correct.
Becky: So for me it meant nine months of chemo, uh, surgery, radiation, removal of two lymph nodes which happened to be benign, uh, and reconstruction. So it was a long journey but we got through it.
Phyllis: Uhhuh. Well and ductal carcinoma in situ means, um, that it's not actually, uh, it's waiting. It's not an active breast cancer, but they can see a spot on the mammogram and it's something to be concerned about and so it's waiting. Is that how they explained it to you, Becky?
Becky: Well, for me, it was in the duct. Oh, and I had a lot of calcifications in the breast tissue. So I had, I didn't have tumors yet, lumps yet like I did in the right breast. Uhhuh. But we had those calcifications which, you know, they did go in and remove. Um, so that it was something to address. And I was stage two but my cell growth was stage three which is a very active, aggressive growth. So probably within a week, I think it was within a week to 10 days, they had me doing the first chemo. They wanted to address it quickly.
Phyllis: Yeah. I'm glad that they did. So, let's talk about, um, the type, you know, you had been taking hormone replacement and, and, you know, your prior years and so let's talk about the type of breast cancer that, um, the biopsy showed. Becky, your progesterone.
Becky: Yeah. Yeah. It was the invasive, as I told you, the invasive ductal carcinoma but the cause of it, what we thought the cause of it for me was pretty obvious, was from the hormone replacement therapy I was taking. I had started, uh, menopause at 44, started taking all the hormones that everybody gave you at that time. Uh, but I switched to bioidentical hormones. I thought they were a little bit better for you. They were more natural. And my doctor sat down with me and we had a very frank discussion about this can cause breast cancer. And I had a mother who had had horrible hot flashes all her life. In fact, she did until she died at age 80. She was still taking hormones. And I thought, well, okay, my mom was fine and I'll probably be great. She died of lung cancer, not breast cancer. And it was a quality of life issue for me because I had hot flashes all day, all night. It was pretty miserable. And I went into it knowing that it could cause breast cancer. And for me, it was not a matter of if I was going to get cancer of some sort, but kind of a matter of when because my mother died of cancer, my father died of cancer, and my little brother died of cancer. So, I knew that there was a pretty good chance. It was an informed decision that I made just because I was so miserable with the hot flashes.
Phyllis: Sure. Like so many women. Well, you know, estrogen does play a significant role in breast cancer development and progression. I mean, estrogen stimulates the cell division in breast tissue which can lead to mutations in cancer development. And I remember, you know, years ago there was a, and I guess there still is, even though there's been some recent dialogue, uh, in the media about, uh, removing this black box warning, but there's a black box warning on, um, uh, Premarin or the different types of estrogen pills that they give women today, uh, that says, um, that you know, taking this pill, there has been evidence, um, that it can lead to, uh, breast cancer. The recent study that I just read about was that if you, if you go on estrogen replacement therapy, um, if you, if you start it at the age of 50 and then take it through the age of 59 just for those 9 or 10 years, you, there, there's evidence that says that you, you will not be affected by it and it will not lead to breast cancer. But nothing is 100%. So, it's a decision. You, it's just, it boils down to a decision between you and your doctor and what the both of you decide. And, um, yes, we—
Becky: Well, and in addition to that, Phyllis, not only estrogen, but mine was progesterone driven. Mine had nothing to do with the estrogen. And you've got those, those cells also that, that progesterone can attack or attach to and then it kind of stimulates that cancer growth. So mine, we pretty much figured it was the, it was the progesterone. We figured that out pretty quick. And I even went through the BRCA testing because, you know, I did have some cancer in my family on my father's side but not my mother's side. And, um, we found that, you know, this was progesterone driven. And the good news about doing the BRCA testing—and I know some people would be very hesitant about doing that because, you know, they don't want to know the outcome. Well, for me, daughter of a Marine, pull up your bootstraps, face things head on. I wanted to know because I had a daughter and I thought, if this is hereditary, I want her to know. Well, luckily, I didn't test positive for any kind of cancer gene, which was even including breast cancer. So, that was kind, that kind of led us to believe it was driven by the hormones. But the good thing was she was about ready to start those hormones and she decided not to, which was a good thing.
Phyllis: That is a good thing. You know, for those of you that don't know what the BRCA testing is, BRCA, it's called BRCA, is a gene and it's a gene test that looks for DNA changes that increase the risk of breast cancer and also ovarian cancer. Um, and it's, it's, I think it's, you, you can just, it's by a blood test if I'm correct. Is that right, Beck?
Becky: Blood or saliva.
Phyllis: Saliva.
Becky: Very easy to do.
Phyllis: Uhhuh. Well, so after one is, is diagnosed with breast cancer or any type of, of cancer, you want to gain all the knowledge that you can. And, um, did you ever go to Dr. Google or the internet to look for more information? You being a very highly educated woman, we're all tempted to do that. Did you do that, Becky?
Becky: Of course I did. And I realized quickly, I thought there is so much information out here and I think the first visit with the doctor where she said your cancer is your cancer. Uh, that led me to think okay there's so much stuff out there. How do I know what's right? How do I, it's probably a lot of it's true. Maybe some of it is just personal opinion. Does it apply to me? Will it help me? So I quickly decided I'm not going to deal with Dr. Google. I'm going to deal with my cancer team at MD Anderson. I wish your, your website had it been available back then. Now, I knew your website was backed up with doctors from MD Anderson, so they knew what they were talking about. And so, yeah, I think everybody's tempted to go do it. I think it scares you and maybe hinders things more than it helps you. Trust your care team. If you don't, you need to go find another one.
Phyllis: Absolutely. It really can. Um, that's, you know, so much of the information is outdated or it's not current and, uh, it can be really fearful, some of the information and the, and the pictures, you know, the, can photos of cancer are very ugly and, and at CMedEd everything we have created are illustrations that are very patient sensitive so they are to be a source of, uh, information that's, that's as you said been vetted by the top people in the field, um, so thank, thank you for saying that, um, and letting women know.
Becky: Well, also I’ll mention one thing. You know, I had a friend of mine who had this exact same cancer nine years previously. And this is a good example why, you know, you need to go to your care team, not Dr. Google. She said, “I had the exact same thing.” Well, back then they did surgery first, then they did chemo, then they did radiation, and then they did reconstruction. Well, the first thing they told me is we're all about saving your breast if we can. And we did the exact opposite. We did chemo to shrink the tumors because I had three in my right breast. Uh, then we did surgery to take them out. Then we did radiation. And during the surgery, they did reconstruction at the same time. So a lot of that information may not apply to your particular updated cancer. It might be out of date. So again, go to that care team, trust them. They're up to date to the minute knowing what's best for you.
Phyllis: Exactly. That's so true, Becky. Thank you. What support groups or resources were most helpful to you, Becky?
Becky: For me, of course, it was my church. Uh, I know that there are support groups out there and I did talk to—what is it—CancerCan or CancerCare. There's one through MD Anderson. I spoke to a woman who had been there and done that and it was hard to relate because her cancer was different. So my, uh, my church kept me going every single day. There wasn’t a day that went by that I didn’t get a card, I got a call, I got flowers. I, you know, they all wanted to bring me food. And unfortunately, I developed a smell aversion to every kind of food there was. So I lived on peaches and cottage cheese. But that became your, your friend, your, your, your friends, your church. That, that’s your community. That was my best support group there was. They just prayed me through it.
Phyllis: Well, I really believe prayer is important because we're whole people—spiritual, physical, emotional, and intellectual. And so, um, you know, the power of prayer is the most important power there is that any of us can use. And I've been involved with you at some of your church activities and, um, committees that you've led. And Becky is like a force of nature. I mean, once she gets involved in anything, um, it is, um, as you said, you're the daughter of a Marine, you go after it, and you succeed. Everything you touch, uh, turns into excellence and is a success, and people that have worked with you, um, are in awe of how you can accomplish everything with great ease and yet, um, it always turns out to be so enjoyable and wonderful for all those that are here.
Becky: That's so sweet to say that. That's the Lord doing that, not me.
Phyllis: Well, I, I, um, yes. But, um, you are certainly attuned to Him because everything you do, as I said, turns out with a wonderful result. So what was your—how did this affect you? This was a life-changing event, and what was your purpose that kept you going? As you said, the power of prayer and your family, but as I recall, you stayed involved very much in all of your activities.
Becky: Well, I, I only remotely because for me, I didn’t have much of a choice. Uh, two months in, two chemos in, COVID hit.
Phyllis: Oh.
Becky: So, the hospital shut down. My husband, my friends could not take me. I mean, it was a drop you off at the door or drive yourself. So for the entire nine months of treatment, I was isolated. Uh, for surgery, I got dropped off at the front door. They picked me up that night. Radiation, I drove myself. And so I didn’t get a choice. The thing about it is that everybody else was in the same boat. I didn’t miss out on anything because nobody was doing anything. I couldn’t go to church. I couldn’t work. You know, basically my job at that time—I gave myself permission to sit back, relax, and take care of myself. That became my biggest job. And, uh, that's hard for me to do because I want to be involved and do stuff all the time. Um, but that’s what I ended up doing because it was COVID—what could I do?
Phyllis: Well, you survived it and came out on the other side, thank goodness. Uh, what lessons have you learned from your experience with your breast cancer diagnosis?
Becky: Biggest lesson, Phyllis, is one that I did not do self-exams. I was faithful in those mammograms every year. November rolled around. I thought, "Oh my gosh, I haven’t done my mammogram." And I got scheduled for like two weeks later. And the week before I went in to get the mammogram, I said, "You know, I should probably do a self-exam." And I found the biggest lump easily in the right breast. I had three lumps.
Phyllis: Oh.
Becky: And that is like—if I had been doing those self-exams, I would have caught that one at least two months ahead of time because it was an aggressive growth cancer. Um, I plead with everybody—young girls, 20-year-olds, 30-year-olds, men—do self-exams, because if I had found that earlier I may have not had to go through as harsh a treatment as I did. You know, things might have been a little bit easier. And I was in charge of that. I was supposed to be doing it, and I didn’t. And it, you know, when I first started going down to MD Anderson, what was upsetting to me is I saw 20-year-olds, two 20-year-old girls. They were in their late 20s with their babies there. They had breast cancer. The doctors had thought, well, it’s—you’re nursing and it’s, you know, it’s all tied into that. And well, they had breast cancer. And I thought, these are 20-year-olds. I saw men down there. They weren’t there with somebody. They were the patient. And so I was amazed at how many—all ages, all stages, male, female, didn’t matter. That self-exam could maybe stop and save somebody’s life. It could maybe, you know, maybe the treatment won’t be as hard. So if I had to say anything, it would be that—do your self-exams. It can make a difference.
Phyllis: Absolutely. And that is so important. Just what she shared with us today—we just posted, uh, on our website and on social media an article about breast cancer being diagnosed in women, you know, younger than 40, and it's becoming more evident. It used to be a type of cancer that you would think only women that were, you know, older or later on in life would be diagnosed with it, but not anymore. Uh, they’re getting younger and younger. And, um, I wanted to ask you, do you get a 2D or a 3D imaging when you go for your mammograms?
Becky: See, I think I used to get 2D back before I really paid much attention to it because they were always clear. Uh, I started 3Ds at MD Anderson, right? And, you know, and now because of, um, I'd had a benign cyst years, years and years before and it was one where they made a little cut and it, it just deflated immediately, but it left a little scar tissue. So we always did the extra step, did an ultrasound, did things like that. Uh, but I will have to say that it's a mammogram that saved my life because I wasn’t doing breast self-exams except for that week before I got the mammogram. And I think a lot of women—I had somebody tell me the other day, I'm 77 now, so I had breast cancer at 72. And she said, you know, I'm much older now. I don't need to do mammograms. And I said, absolutely not. You do, because, you know, do you want to be proactive and find out you have it and treat it and survive or do you want to wait until it's too late? Because that happened to a friend of mine. She just wouldn't do it. And, uh, finally one day the— I call it the mammogram mobile—was outside her building, and she went out and she had a mammogram done while she was in stage three breast cancer, and she died.
Phyllis: My mother, if you're blessed with a long life—her, um, friend was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 92.
Becky: Oh, wow.
Phyllis: So you, you, you know, you just, you never know. And, and, and it's correct, you're correct. It's good to follow up, do self-breast exams, get your mammogram, and if your doctor or physician tells you there's no need for it, then that's another thing. But don't make that decision by yourself.
Becky: Absolutely not. I'm five years in. I've had five years of clear mammograms now. And now I'll be moved in January, I'll be moved to the survivors clinic and have exams there. I don't know what that means yet, but anyway, I'll be happy.
Phyllis: Congratulations.
Becky: Thank you.
Phyllis: Thank you. Yay. That's wonderful news.
Becky: It's not always a death sentence. So, you know, there's so much they can do now.
Phyllis: No. What do you want people to know about living as a cancer survivor?
Becky: What I learned through the whole thing is what I'm trying to do now is I'm more—I'm proactive and I plan a lot of things, but I live more in the day now. Mhm. I've never been a big worrier, but that taught me not to worry. The Lord tells us not to worry, so I'm going to take Him at His word. And I've learned that anything that you face, you know, it's a big elephant. You eat it one bite at a time, one day at a time, one hour at a time if you have to. But just set your plan, go with it. Don't worry about the whole big picture. You can't conquer it all at one time, right? Live it every day and don't stress yourself out because stress is not your friend during any kind of cancer.
Phyllis: That's so true. Oh well, you know, I think the last thing that I want to say is remember ladies and men—one out of eight people will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year, and the earlier the detection the better the outcome. Um, a word of caution. If you find a lump, do not try to diagnose it yourself by saying, "Oh, this is just a pulled muscle or I lifted up the groceries or picked up a whatever and it was too heavy." There is no substitute for a doctor's evaluation. Remember that the large majority of noticeable lumps or breast abnormalities are benign, but it's always important to report them to your doctor at the first sign of their appearance. I mean, early detection leads to a better outcome every time. And also, breast cancer is something you go through. It's not always a life-ending event. So 90–95% of breast cancers, if caught early, are curable and you can survive it. And Becky, is there another thing you'd like to add before we sign off here?
Becky: I'd say one tip. That first time you go in, you've been diagnosed, you're going in, you're going to see your doctor. Uh, when I went in one day, I saw my oncologist, the breast surgeon, and the radiologist who was going to do the radiation down the road. They all came through at one time together and talked to me. My husband was there, but I took a friend with me because I knew that everything they said, I would not remember. It's overwhelming—a lot of information. She was there to take notes. She was a nurse friend, so that was good. And then they each came in separately after that, and we talked about their specific—what they would be doing. So I would say take a friend with you. Uh, if you go to MD Anderson, everything's going to be online through the portal. You can get all your records, everything you can see there. But have that friend there to take those notes because you're going to walk out and say, "Well, what did they say about that?" That friend has made a notation of it or can help you through that. It's good information to have.
Phyllis: That is so important, Becky. You know, we live in Houston, so MD Anderson is our cancer center, but there are other centers of excellent cancer institutions—Southwestern in Dallas, I mean Mayo, so many of them. Um, yes, and I think most hospitals’ systems are now on the Epic Center which you can access through MyChart, and so all of your information is on that. But, um, it's so helpful to go back and review your tests that are on there, the conversations that you've had with physicians and doctors that you're going through. So thank you for bringing that up. That is so important. Well, thank you, Becky, for sharing your story today. We hope that women listening are inspired to recognize the importance of early detection and screening and that they gain hope from knowing it’s possible to move through a breast or cancer diagnosis toward a very positive outcome like you, Becky.
Becky: Absolutely. There’s a lot of hope out there, and that’s what you want to go for.
Phyllis: Amen. Well, God bless you and thank you, Becky.
Becky: Thank you, Phyllis, for what you’re doing, and you know, you’re just making a difference in people’s lives.
Phyllis: That means a lot to me coming from you. Thank you.
Becky: Thank you, dear.
Phyllis: Okay.
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