Words of wisdom from a breast cancer survivor
courtesy photo from Jackson County Memorial Hospital
Suzy Frey
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When asked to speak about breast cancer, Suzy Frey has a few words for people. Just a few words, but they are powerful ones.
“I just want people to believe in early detection. We should have breast cancer awareness 12 months out of the year. October just puts a spotlight on it.”
Frey, Assistant Director of Human Resources at Jackson County Memorial Hospital, had been on vacation the week before she was diagnosed.
“I was playing golf in Scottsdale on vacation. I had been doing my regular mammograms since I was 40. When we returned from vacation, I did my regularly scheduled mammogram, never dreaming I would hear back about it. I have no family history of breast cancer. I had no sickness, illness, or pain,” said Frey.
She was diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer at the age of 50.
“I was lucky that we caught it when we did. If I had waited to get the mammogram, or waited on treatment, I would not have had the same successful outcome,” said Frey.
Her treatment wasn’t a breeze.
She had 32 chemotherapy treatments, one each week after she confirmed her cancer with a needle biopsy. After the chemo, she did 20 radiation treatments.
The main thing she wants people to know about her cancer: “You can get through it. A cancer diagnosis changes you. It is a difficult process. I am so happy to be on the other side of it, I’ve had two years of clear mammograms now,” she said.
Frey knows what it is like to go through difficult treatments and come out victorious.
“I would like to tell people it’s not the end of the world if your hair falls out. A good support system is so helpful. You can keep going when you are strong and the people around you help you to be strong. I know people don’t always know what to do or say. Be there for them. Check on them. Text them. It is horrible to hear the words you have cancer. I would love to help people know they can keep on keeping on. I had people do that for me, especially my husband, RJ. It keeps you strong when you don’t want to be,” said Frey.
Her last line of advice: “Don’t be afraid of a diagnosis. Make your mammogram appointment every year. Do the scan.”
(Editor’s note: Suzy Frey is a Polson High School alum, class of 1987, and the daughter of Darlene and Steve Schiefelbein of Polson. Frey currently resides in Altus, Oklahoma.)
