Community Corner

Breast Cancer Survivor Heidi Hurtado

Hurtado was diagnosed with breast cancer in March. Now she's trying to help other women faced with the same journey.

It's hard to believe that it's been less than a year since Heidi Hurtado was diagnosed with breast cancer.

The West Park Village resident, wife, and mother of two talks like a person who has the experience of years fighting and beating cancer.

Over the past few months, she's undergone rigorous treatment including a mastectomy and chemotherapy. It hasn't all been easy. She's overcome setbacks like an infection. And along the way, she's gained confidence to sport her bald head (a product of chemotherapy) proudly.

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But perhaps her boldest accomplishment yet is accepting help from friends and enjoying life despite the challenges. And if that wasn't enough, Hurtado is currently working on changing the way patients are notified of their diagnosis. After a less than ideal experience of her own, Hurtado is working to have the news come from medical professionals who can help the patient feel confident about their next steps, instead of defeated.

Patch caught up with her recently over pizza. Here's what she had to say:

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Patch: What's been the hardest part?

Hurtado: Emotionally it's been the hardest. The unknown of how this journey is going to end for me.

Patch: What do you remember about the day you were diagnosed?

Hurtado: I had just left the ICU at _University Community Hospital_ where my younger sister, Heather, had been for several days.  She'd been battling Multiple Sclerosis for many many years and was spiraling downward. She'd had a heart attack, was battling many infections and was unresponsive. I'd left the hospital to go back to Tower Diagnostic to have a suture reapplied. I was in the lobby waiting to be called back when my ob/gyn called my cell phone.

Patch: How did your family (Hurtado has a husband and two young children) take it?

Hurtado: I talked to them directly, letting them know it was OK to ask questions. They were armed with as much information as I could give them. I made sure their teachers knew so they could keep a watch for anything. My son plays baseball, so I told everyone on the team. I told them when my hair started to fall out. I remind them of what's going to happen and let them know what will happen along the way. We went to McDonald's to celebrate my last day of chemo.

Patch: Do you have a family history of breast cancer?

Hurtado: I have breast cancer on both sides; my paternal grandmother and a maternal great grandmother. Arming yourself with your family history is critical to feeling conficent and asking for what you want, i.e. you may need to get a baseline mammogram earlier than age 40. You need to know your history.

Patch: What do you do to keep yourself optimistic?

Hurtado: My kids are my pick me-up. They are distracting and fun. I'm exercising again and I have really good friends. I wouldn't be able to get through it without my husband. I'd always been the one to take care of everything and everyone. I also try to find the silver lining. It really helps you get through the difficult times. When I found out I didn't have to get radiation, I celebrated. I have to take Tamoxifen for 5-8 years. I was really bummed, but when I found out that it is as effective, if not more, effective than chemo alone, it gave me a really positive outlook for recovery.

Patch: Why go public about your breast cancer journey?

Hurtado: I wanted to encourage other women that they can get through this, and also share some things that could help them. One thing that's been very helpful is being as open as possible. It helps me to feel like I'm making a difference.

Patch: What's been the most surprising thing about this experience?

Hurtado: I surprise myself by being OK with not wearing hats and scarves. It encourages conversation about breast cancer. I used to really think I had to wear them, but I thought to myself "What am I doing? It's not like I'm wearing my butt out." It encourages conversation about it.

Heidi's top three tips for people facing breast cancer:

  1. Accept help - "If you just act like everything is OK you take the opportunity away for someone to make a difference in your life and help," Hurtado said.
  2. Look into catastrophic insurance - "You don't plan for things like this," she said.
  3. Know your family health history - "It's critical to feeling confident and asking for what you want."


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