Photo by Erin Nelson.
Erica Mitchell, left, and Baret Steed, right, stand beside their mother, Renee Steed, at the Steed’s home in Birmingham on April 23.
It was because of a prevalent history of cancer on both sides of her family that Renee Steed decided to apply for admission to the UAB Breast Health Clinic. Her cousin encouraged her to become a part of the program, which she was accepted into in 2016.
“I started being followed there,” Steed said. “I had a mammogram once a year and six months later have an MRI. My August 2018 visit showed nothing, but when I went back in March 2019, the mammogram showed a 3 millimeter tumor that was biopsied and was actually invasive tubular carcinoma breast cancer.”
Steed, who is a resident of Shoal Creek, said it was caught in the early stage, and the estrogen positive/HER-2 negative type was “the best you can have.” She ended up choosing to do a double mastectomy. Since there was no lymph node involvement, she didn’t have to have chemotherapy or radiation and has been cancer-free ever since.
For a while, she had to see her breast surgeon every six months, but now goes once per year. She continues to see her oncologist every six months.
After her diagnosis, Steed wanted her daughters to undergo genetic testing. This is an advancement in cancer research that allows participants to know if they have specific genes that may cause cancer later in life.
“Mom asked us to have the testing as a birthday gift to her, said her oldest daughter Erica Mitchell, who lives in Oak Mountain. Her results came back positive. “I didn’t struggle with the decision because I wanted to know. There’s so much evident cancer history in our family that the chances of me having it were 9 out of 10.”
Steed’s younger daughter, Baret, struggled more with the decision to get tested, but did decide to do it because she loved her mom. Her results came back negative.
“I’m happy I did it, not because I’m negative, but because I think it’s important to know and I’m happy my sister knows,” she said.
Mitchell is 29 and mom to a 3-year-old and is expecting her second child this summer. She said people feel bad for her because she has the gene, but she is being watched under a microscope and if anything pops up, her doctor would know about it.
“I’m not glad I have it, but I’m lucky I’m getting to be in that clinic,” she said.
Baret, 23, says she will enter the Breast Health Clinic by the time she is 30 and begin getting mammograms even though she tested negative for genes.
Steed said that one of her friends asked her to be on the board for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation of Alabama.
“I had never been on a board, but it was basically raising funds,” she said. “If I can do anything to help raise funds to eradicate this disease, I will. Almost all money stays at UAB.”
Mitchell also serves on the BCRFA’s junior board. She said she will probably choose to have a prophylactic mastectomy (an elective operation to remove the breast so risk of cancer is reduced) in the future.
Since walking through the process with her mom, Baret said they know UAB has the doctors and resources. She also did an internship at the UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center and said seeing everything the staff does, and how they work so intently to save lives. She wants to continue to be an advocate for breast cancer.
“If all I can do is raise funds and awareness for women to get checked in early detection clinics, it’s the least I can do.”
Steed says that she strongly recommends women get mammograms because it is important to catch it early.
Baret said she and her mom and sister have always been close, but going through this as a family brought them even closer.
One in eight women are diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetimes. In Alabama, it’s expected that 4,460 women will be diagnosed with the disease this year and 720 will die.
In 2017, UAB received a Women’s Choice Award for being one of America’s Best Breast Centers in the United States. For more information about the UAB Breast Health Clinic, visit uabmedicine.org/breastcancer.
