Woman with rare breast cancer diagnosis explains her survival

DALLAS — Editor’s notice: WFAA reporter Jason Whitely has lined Jennifer Cordts’ story since 2017, shortly after her diagnosis of Inflammatory Breast Cancer. Almost six years since that first story on her rare diagnosis, and much longer than medical doctors initially thought she might survive, Whitely reconnected with Cordts to debate her life with the diagnosis and why she’s so adamant about serving to medical doctors be taught extra about it. This is her story, as informed to Jason Whitely.

I’m Jennifer Cordts. I used to be identified with Inflammatory Breast Cancer in November 2016.

Oddly sufficient, while you Google my title, some of the widespread questions is, “Is Jennifer Cordts still alive?”

For an absence of a greater method of claiming it, my physique’s been fairly mangled. I’ve misplaced a variety of what I felt made me a lady in my earlier years.

Right out of the gate once I was identified, I don’t know the phrase to placed on it, I used to be terrified, confused, and possibly offended and depressed.

It appeared actually grim as a result of my cancer had metastasized to my liver and lymph nodes which is attribute of Inflammatory Breast Cancer – my liver, in addition to my bones and so they estimated that I had three to 6 months [to live].

I keep in mind one feeling particularly. And this hasn’t modified for me for the reason that day I used to be identified. It’s not about what’s in entrance of me that scares me. It’s about what I would go away behind. Saying goodbye is unfathomable to me. So, I put it in that little field behind my thoughts and I don’t give it some thought.

I assume I made a decision early on, alongside with my family members that I wasn’t going to concentrate on the adverse in my journey. I used to be going to solely concentrate on the constructive, the small wins alongside the way in which.

My sister stated to me within the very starting, she stated we’re going to get via this as a result of love beats all the things. We sort of got here up with this household mantra that ‘love is greater than cancer’. In truth, my sister bought it tattooed on her arm. I most likely would have too if I felt a tattoo was protected on the time.

I don’t cry a lot about cancer anymore. I simply don’t. But I nonetheless cry. I nonetheless lose sleep. I nonetheless get a lump in my throat once I take into consideration these little beauties that I gave delivery to ever having a day with out me. Clearly, that stops me in my tracks. It stops me in my tracks that my best possible good friend whom I married and who has sacrificed a lot for me might need to boost them with out me. That chokes me up clearly.

I don’t know that I even knew what my finish purpose was [in my 2017 WFAA interview] aside from I simply needed to shout it from the rooftops so any person else was heard as a result of I felt like nobody heard me for 11 months whereas I used to be in search of a diagnosis. I felt silenced. Ignored. And I simply didn’t need anybody else to really feel like that.

I haven’t shut up since that day. I’ve informed each single person who I’ve run into that I’ve Inflammatory Breast Cancer as a result of I need to educate them. I didn’t know what it was earlier than I used to be identified with it. I didn’t know what it was till I googled it. I don’t know if my physician knew what it was.

There are simply so many extra medical advances, even since I used to be identified, that I simply actually really feel like there’s a strategy to stay with this kind of cancer and it’s not a demise sentence.

I’m doing very well all issues thought of. I’ve come a good distance since I used to be first identified. 

I had a former nurse say to me not too long ago – it was surprising to listen to. She stated you’re the one one left. That sort of scared me for a second. Then I used to be like gosh don’t say that to me. But it’s actuality. I don’t know if that’s the case but when that’s the case, much more cause to maintain speaking.

Over time I discovered to stay with a terminal sickness. The method I checked out it to start with, I used to be dying from cancer. Now I take a look at it as if I’m dwelling with cancer.

Right now, they’ve informed me I might look ahead to possibly 10 years however after all, I consider in miracles and I’m hoping for lots longer to be with my household.

WFAA produced a question-and-answer video through which Jennifer Cordts asks her oncologist to elucidate Inflammatory Breast Cancer. Cordts hopes the dialog helps educate ladies and help medical doctors on precisely what to search for since this cancer doesn’t start with a lump or a tumor and goes undetected by mammograms. The solely indication is when the pores and skin of the breast adjustments barely in colour and may really feel coarse – like an orange peel. Many medical doctors usually mistake it for an an infection. A biopsy is the one strategy to diagnose it.