Patient Stories
SUE PORTER
Breast Cancer Survivor
Life doesn’t slow down for cancer. If anyone knows this, it’s Sue Porter. In the summer of 2007, the avid golfer was diagnosed with breast cancer. At the time, her younger daughter was getting ready to enter college at TCU, and her older daughter was preparing for her senior year at Ole Miss. But once you get a cancer diagnosis, every day brings a slew of questions, and they have to be dealt with, just like the rest of life.
Sue needed to know: How fast should she proceed on her treatment? Have the mastectomy right away, or wait till after her daughter is in college? Her surgeon, Dr. Grant, put her at ease. His advice was to get her daughter settled in first, and then they could do the surgery. The day after waving goodbye to her younger daughter, Sue checked into Baylor.
Between the biopsies and surgeries, Sue had seven procedures done within a year. Because her type of cancer could easily spread to the other breast, she had a double mastectomy and reconstruction. Still, she says that, compared to what other people go through, it was like having “fake cancer.” For Sue, it was a matter of getting the best doctors and making the right decisions from day one. She remembers Dr. Grant holding her hand each time she went under anesthesia. And she remembers Baylor nurses surprising her and her daughter with ice cream as they watched a movie in her hospital room.
Now both daughters have graduated, and Sue has moved far beyond her year of cancer. But she’s put her experience to good use. Between golfing, tutoring and traveling, she finds time to speak to others about breast cancer. Three weeks after her last surgery, she agreed to chair the Celebrating Women luncheon. When asked to visit a newly diagnosed patient, she doesn’t hesitate. She says it’s nice to be able to tell someone, “You will get through this.”
More Patient Stories
Your contribution to Campaign 2015 can help Baylor Make Us All Better. Please give online or call 214-820-3136 to discuss your gift today.
Read More