This patient credits her Maine coon cat with saving her life

Virginia Voros/Carlsen of Eastham has a close bond with her Maine coon cat, Memphis, that began after a serious car accident several years ago when some glass penetrated Virginia’s skull.

As a result of the accident, she has seizures in her sleep. If she forgets to take her medication, Memphis will jump on her head and bite her hair in the area of her injury, so she wakes up before having a seizure.

Virginia will never forget when Memphis began jumping on her right breast while swatting and biting her in January 2022. She kept pushing him away until it dawned on her that he may be doing it for a reason.

“I did a self-breast exam and found a tumor,” said Virginia. “I immediately contacted my primary care physician, Matthew Burdette, MD, and made an appointment. He referred me to Cape Cod Healthcare Breast Surgery - Hyannis, and following all the testing, I was diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer.”

Triple-negative breast cancer is a type of breast cancer that has a tendency to grow and spread faster than other types of breast cancer, with fewer treatment options, according to the American Cancer Society.

Edward Wyluda, DO, an oncologist at the Davenport-Mugar Cancer Center, began Virginia’s treatment with chemotherapy that has the nickname “Red Devil.” Its official name is Doxorubicin a medication that can cause harsh side effects and is a bright red color.

“I had four “Red Devil” treatments followed by six months of regular chemotherapy,” said Virginia.

Upon completion of the intravenous chemotherapy treatments and the prescribed radiation therapy with Jeffrey Martin, MD, a radiation oncologist at the Davenport-Mugar Cancer Center, Jill Oxley, MD, FACS a breast cancer surgeon at Cape Cod Healthcare Breast Surgery - Hyannis performed a lumpectomy to remove the tumor. This was followed by a round of Capecitabine, an oral chemotherapy.

A Sense of Humor and a Positive Approach

“I cope with challenges using jokes and laughter,” said Virginia. “I love rock and roll and ‘80s music, so I’ll put on some good music to sing and dance, sometimes.

“They call me the white tornado at the clinic because I go in singing and dancing.”

As a humorous acknowledgment of her tumor, she named it “rat bastard.”

“The strange thing about my tumor is that it had a tail,” said Virginia. “Dr. Wyluda said he had never seen a tumor with a tail. I would always ask him how the “rat bastard” was doing and if it was getting smaller.

“When Dr. Oxley removed the tumor, she found that the tip of the tail had penetrated my pectoral muscle and she decided not to remove it because I would not be able to use my arm. The cancer did not get into my lymph nodes, and I was very happy about that.”

Grateful for the Support and Care

Virginia has been in remission for one and a half months. She is very grateful for all the support and care she received every step of the way from friends, family, especially her husband, Dave, six sons, five grandsons and the staff, receptionists, and physicians at Cape Cod Healthcare Breast Surgery - Hyannis, and the Davenport-Mugar Cancer Center.

“People kept telling me if they were me, they would go to Dana-Farber,” said Virginia. “I said no, no, no, you don’t understand the wonderful care and comfort I received at Cape Cod Hospital. Half the battle was being comfortable with my team and my doctors talked with Dana-Farber all the time; I didn’t need to go to Boston.”

Words of Wisdom

Virginia offers the following words of wisdom for others dealing with the diagnosis of cancer:

• Stay positive but give yourself permission to grieve and be sad about having cancer.
• There were times when I would scream, cry, and punch pillows. It’s okay to grieve, feel frustrated, and be sad. Cancer is a very lonely disease.
• When you go to the positive side, give yourself permission to be happy and have hope.
• There is always hope, especially with the new medicines and treatments.
• Don’t sit and have a pity party because pity parties are lonely.
• Give yourself permission to pick yourself up, feel good, go out, take a walk, or read a book.
• Don’t give up, be a warrior.
• Find your inner strength because everyone has it. You just need to dig deep sometimes.
• Rise up like a phoenix from the ashes.
• Reach for the stars.

She continues to mentor other cancer patients to pay forward all the support and care she received during diagnosis and treatment. She said she is grateful to be able to speak to others about her journey.

“I tell it like it is, I tell my story and my journey,” said Virginia. “My journey isn’t over yet, it’s just beginning.”