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Breast cancer survivor shares her story to help other women stay proactive
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Jamie Samson is a survivor. In 2017, Jamie was diagnosed with stage two breast cancer. It came as a total surprise.
“I didn’t have a single symptom,” Jamie said.
One night before bed, Jamie noticed something different about her body.
“I just looked in the mirror and I saw it. I’m a sonographer by profession, and I had done breast ultrasounds for the last ten years prior to that. So when I felt it I knew it was all the wrong things,” she said.
The very next day, doctors confirmed to Jamie that she had breast cancer.
“Immediately my thoughts went to my kids. How bad is this going to be? Am I going to survive?” she said.
She struggled to finish chemotherapy, eventually deciding on a bilateral mastectomy to remove the rest of the cancer.
“I was hospitalized and then transferred to the ICU. I had a really rough time with chemo, and so my doctors got together and decided that it was best for me,” Jamie said.
Jamie said that a big part of her recovery was being able to stay home in Baton Rouge while receiving her treatment.
“There's a lot of doctors involved. There's a medical oncologist involved, surgical oncologists, there's plastic surgeons for reconstruction..and all of these doctors were available for me, right here, in my backyard,” she said.
Being at home allowed Jamie to seek comfort and support from her loved ones during her battle with cancer.
“I had a really incredible family, big support system. I couldn't have made it through without that. And just the friends that step up. The people that are strangers. I have several friends now that we call ourselves 'breasties'. They're my best friends. And because we can relate, And they help you through it," she said.
Jamie says now it is her goal to help other women be proactive in knowing their health.
“I feel like if speaking up can save just one life, it’s worth it. So every female in my life knows that. I tell them get your mammogram, go to your doctor annually like you’re supposed to. But my biggest push for people is to know your body because nobody knows your body like you do. You know what your arm looks like on a daily basis, but next month, if there's a bump on your arm, you will notice it.”
It’s been seven years since she was diagnosed with breast cancer.
“It's kind of a roller coaster of emotions. Even seven years out, it's still a roller coaster of emotions. Panic, fear. And then you kind of get in this, I got this, like, I can do this. I can do hard things. When you get surrounded by amazing people that you meet throughout this journey and incredible doctors that I was extremely blessed with and still am blessed with,” she said.
Now she celebrates life as a survivor.
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