Michelle Mendez with her son Isaiah and their pal (peanut) Butter
By Nancy Eshelman, Columnist
No woman wants to find a lump in her breast. Especially a 38-year-old single mother who is so steady she has held the same job at a dental practice for 19 years. But it happened to Michelle Mendez in April, and it has turned her life upside down.
"I just never imagined this as something I would have to deal with," said Michelle, who lives in MIddletown. The lump resulted in her becoming a patient at the UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, where she learned she has triple negative breast cancer, an aggressive form that's not hormone related. It accounts for 10 to 20 percent of breast cancers and generally strikes women under 50. The treatment usually includes chemotherapy, radiation and surgery, and some doctors also prescribe immunotherapy.
Michelle began her chemotherapy in June. It's been, she said, "a roller coaster ride." She has been able to do a small amount of work for her employer from home, but her life is ruled by good days and bad days and always with a focus on her son, who is 9. She chose to home school him this year to provide the reassurance of being close to her. He accompanies her to treatment, waiting in the wings with her father, Juan Mendez. Her dad, she said, has been a steadying presence, picking up the slack and taking care of his grandson when Michelle is feeling poorly.
While Michelle said, "You don't want to burden the people around you," she is grateful for additional family support, including the help of her brother who pitches in on weekends.
She also expressed gratitude for "a great treatment team." It was a member of that team, a hospital social worker, who suggested she apply for financial help from Vickie's Angels. She pinned an "awesome" tag on Mickey Minnich, Vickie's founder, and said the organization has been paying her rent so she can focus on her health and her son.
Michelle likens her current life to a wait at the train station. Right now, she said, she's been kicked off the train, but she's standing by. "I'm waiting to see if I can get back on." Whatever it takes, she wants to climb back on that train, grab her son by the hand, and move into the future.