SURVIVOR SPOTLIGHT

I Can Do All Things

 Gabriela Vasquez holds the memories of her breast cancer tightly in her heart, which may be the secret to her gratitude. While some would expect her to store away that chapter of her life the same way a woman stores her wedding dress – neatly boxed and put away on the top shelf of a closet – Gabriela keeps her seven-year-old story out, to help other women and to constantly remind herself about the miracle of God’s promises. And now here it is for you.

Gabriela was just 30 when she discovered a lump in her left breast in 2016. Her story is one of incredible self-advocacy and perseverance, because like many who are young when they are
diagnosed, several doctors dismissed her concerns for months while the cancer grew inside her.

She was about a year into breast feeding her second child, Isaiah, when she found the marble-sized mass. She had further cause for concern since she had three aunts on her mother’s side who had previously had breast cancer, so she saw her general practitioner. The doctor mistook the lump for a clogged duct. After that, she began noticing that Isaiah also knew something was wrong, too. He stopped nursing on the left and she saw some discharge from her nipple, so she went on to make an appointment with her gynecologist. That doctor ordered the mammogram, but at first scheduling was an issue because her insurance (which she had always considered as “good” insurance) wasn’t keen on doing a mammogram on a 30 year old woman. When they finally found it to be medically necessary, she had the mammogram and the results were labeled as a “fibrocystic breast lump” and the gynecologist also dismissed her concerns.

She saw a third doctor, who also thought the lump was not concerning. But this all didn’t sit well with Gabriela, or her parents, who recommended that she go to Mexico to see a doctor there. By this time, January 2017, the lump had grown in size quite a bit. On her way down to Mexico she remembers praying to God, telling Him that she trusts HIs will, and she said, whatever you have in store for me, God, give me grace to endure this journey. When she did, the doctor said that she needed to have a biopsy of the effected area and offered to do it there, or going to UCLA or Cedars to have it done. The fact that the doctor in Mexico seemed concerned was the confirmation for Gabriela that it was, in fact, breast cancer.

Her appointment in Los Angeles was February 15 – one day after Valentine’s day and the day they closed escrow on their new home. The doctor there reviewed her scans and Gabriela said she could see the concern on the doctor’s face immediately. The doctor told them to go get lunch while she walked over to the breast center with the information, and she would see them again after lunch. Later that afternoon Gabriella heard the grim news she was expecting – that it was not a pretty picture, given the size and the growth rate, it appeared to be an aggressive form of breast cancer and a biopsy was needed. Gabriella figured they would make an appointment for her to return to get the biopsy done but to her surprise, the doctor did it right then and there and said there was no more time to waste. Finally, Gabriela was getting the urgency that this warranted.
Two days later, on a Friday night at about 9pm, Gabriela got the call. Although she ignored the call at first, thinking – why would she be calling me at 9pm? – she finally answered on the fifth time. The doctor said, I hate to give this news over the phone…

Monday she was getting an MRI and Wednesday there was an other biopsy. All of that led to her diagnosis of stage three, grade three, invasive ductal carcinoma. This was almost a full year after her original finding of the lump, and Gabriela always tells women to be advocates for themselves because of what she went through.
I wish I could say that it was smooth sailing from here, but unfortunately the story doesn’t quite go that way. Because of the aggressive nature of her cancer type, she had to have chemotherapy for six full months before her double mastectomy.

Her course was complicated by a staff infection from her chemo port just three weeks into her treatment that caused her to be hospitalized for a week. It took four different antibiotics to find one which didn’t cause a negative reaction. And as if that wasn’t bad enough, the heavy antibiotic doses brought on a case of c-difficile (c-diff)! And – as if that wasn’t bad enough, during her stay in the hospital was when she started to lose her hair. She found herself so uncomfortable in the hospital with her head on that pillow as her hair fell out in chunks, but they wouldn’t allow her head to be shaved because they couldn’t risk further infections in her compromised immune state. (Needless to say, when she got home shaving her head was her first order of business!)

On August 17, 2017 she had her double mastectomy surgery. She said that she feels blessed because she found a surgeon who understood the value of after care, and believed that what a
breast cancer survivor sees in the mirror is also important. Because of that, she was able to have incisions under her breast instead of across the middle, spare the skin and nipples, and they were able to place her implants during that surgery instead of requiring the multiple surgeries that some need. Unfortunately, not all are a candidate for this type of surgery, but she said she was grateful that worked for her. Today, that’s another thing she tells newly diagnosed sisters about, so that they know to ask the questions and find out if that’s an option for them.

After her surgery she had to go through radiation, which was cut a little short due to her skin’s reaction. To this day, her skin is sensitive to tight clothing.

There are a million quotes and bible verses that tell us that it’s always darkest before the dawn. God speaks of the rainbow that He promises to bring after a difficult time, and tells us that
restoration and blessing will come after we’ve lost so much. He says joy comes in the morning.

For Gabriella, that joy, that hope, that promise fulfilled came in the form of a miraculous pregnancy. The oncologist had warned her that because of her severe treatment course, the likeliness of her ever becoming pregnant again was next to nothing, so when she started to recognize those weird pregnancy symptoms, she began to wonder. When she and her husband, Eric, saw that double line on the stick, they didn’t believe it! In fact she peed on four sticks to be
sure she was actually pregnant. They was so surprised!

On December 13, 2019, her daughter, Genevieve, was born. To memorialize her journey through breast cancer, and the prayer that had been answered, that God had given her the grace to endure the hardships, she gave Genevieve the middle name of Grace. The name
Genevieve is associated with Saint Genevieve, the patron saint of Paris who was born in the 5th century and played a vital role in the spread of Christianity. Her name became associated with
strength, resilience and protection. And in Christianity, grace is a gift from God that is undeserved and freely given. Genevieve Grace.
As mentioned earlier, Gabriela didn’t close the door on that chapter of her life once her immediate cancer journey was through. In fact, she has been an amazing supporter of Links for
Life, serving as the board president, speaking at events, and mentoring the newly diagnosed.

Interestingly, she said her continued involvement came in handy when she hit her five year cancer anniversary. While many women say that this mark helps them breathe a sigh of relief,
for Gabriela, the five year mark resurfaced unresolved emotions and made her realize she had never actually mourned the loss of her breasts. She felt herself go through a range of emotions
and was so glad she had stayed involved and had the support of her Links for Life family during those difficult months.

Her husband, Eric, also stays involved with Links, attending the Men’s Strong Hangout at Imbibe with Bob Meadows. Eric was one of the men who first pointed out the need for a “hangout” for spouses, where they could share their feelings as well.

I always ask survivors during our interviews, what would you tell a newly diagnosed person? For Gabriela, besides advising them to be a self-advocate and trusting your own instincts, she said
to remember that you are not alone. We are blessed to live in a community of women ready to stand by you and uplift you. It’s okay to ask for help and to accept help, to allow you to focus on
healing. Allow the village to take on some of your burdens so that you can get well.

My take-away from meeting Gabriela and her miracle daughter, Genevieve, was that for Gabriela, her memories of her cancer journey are not memories that she holds onto with
contempt or sadness, but that they remind her of God’s promises. In Philippians 4:13 God tells us “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” and those are the words that remain
in Gabriela’s heart each day, reminding her to be grateful for the good times and steadfast in God’s presence to endure life’s challenges.