Finding a new normal

“It’s not a big deal.” 

“It will go away.” 

“That doesn’t happen to me, that happens to everyone else.” 

Those were the thoughts that ran through Brook Highland resident Renee Galloway’s mind when she noticed a lump in her breast.

“As women, I think we do that quite frequently,” Galloway said. “We are the be-all, do-all and we don’t take the time to listen to our bodies a lot of times.” 

She had put off getting a mammogram for about a year, and it wasn’t until she was called back in for an additional mammogram that she realized something was wrong.  

“It’s kind of numbing,” Galloway said. “When I went back for the second mammogram, I kind of had that red-alert feeling when they started doing things that weren’t typical of other times.”

When she finally saw the lump on an ultrasound, she knew she was about to go through something serious. A follow-up appointment with a surgeon changed Galloway’s life forever when he told her she “didn’t pass her test.” 

On Nov. 14, 2010, Galloway was diagnosed with stage 2B breast cancer, meaning the cancer had spread to her lymph nodes. She would receive 16 chemotherapy treatments along with other medications to control the estrogen levels in her body, which was the cause of her cancer. 

“My mindset was, ‘I’m not going to let this get me,’” Galloway said. “I’m a fighter, and I have a lot of faith in God. My faith is very strong. My faith, my family and my friends are what got me through everything. I had a lot of support.”

Galloway’s husband was her primary caregiver, and she said words cannot describe what he means to her — he did everything. Her children also wanted to stop their lives to help, but she wouldn’t allow them to do that. 

Also helping her along the way was a group of ladies from Galloway’s church who would clean her house on weeks she had chemotherapy treatments and keep her fridge filled with the few foods she could still eat. 

Faith, though, played a major role in helping Galloway in her battle. She would repeat Psalm 91:4, “He shall cover thee with His feathers, and under His wings thou shalt trust,” over and over again when she needed comfort. 

“I guess I envisioned being cradled, rocked and held and that everything was going to be okay,” Galloway said. “It wasn’t a path that I had chosen per se as we were told, but it was one that I had to take. And I wasn’t going to be alone. I could make it through it.”

Prayer was another comfort to Galloway, and she said every day was just taking one step at a time. She saw doctors and had tests done every week to confirm that she was doing better, until one day she finished her last chemo treatment.    

“That was the kicker for me — I was in fight mode during chemo and the surgeries and all that, and I guess I thought it was all going to be over once you walked out the door after that last chemo,” Galloway said. “I wasn’t excited about that when I got to the end of it, because that was like a security net.”

She explained that she felt like she was on a tightrope with no safety net beneath her because the weekly tests and doctors’ visits were over. She even said she found it harder to cope after the chemotherapy than she did during it, because there is so much information on chemo itself, but not much about how to deal with the aftermath. 

“The old me, the me prior to Nov. 14, 2010, is gone,” Galloway said. “Now this new me has to find the way I am going to make it, because physical makeup, everything is different. Chemotherapy changes everything.”

In November 2014, Galloway will be four years cancer free, and she is ready for the five-year mark. According to Galloway, if she makes it to five years without any issues, the percentage will be much better for her overall survival. Until then she is still in “maintenance mode.” 

“I have had a lot of side effects from various medications and things, so I am ready for the five-year mark to get here,” Galloway said. “I am still a little apprehensive. My husband calls it: finding a new normal. That’s one of those things that I was not prepared for.”  

One in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime. Because of that number, Galloway stressed how important mammograms and self-examination are. Early detection can illuminate the need for chemotherapy and other surgeries for treatment.  

“I am hopeful that things will continue to improve,” Galloway said. “I don’t let things stop me. I press on.”