Breast cancer survivor says early detection saved her life

FOX 2 (WJBK) - This Saturday will be a sea of pink with thousands of survivors and supporters making Strides Against Breast Cancer in Detroit.

Lori Nimmo is a breast cancer survivor.

"My daughter was very young when her dad went through it and I didn’t want her to see me go through it," she said.

The 'Big C"' is something we all fear and yet, the American Cancer Society estimates his year there will be nearly 2 million new cancer cases in the US.

Dr. Stephanie Cole is a surgeon at DMC Huron Valley Sinai Hospital and says among women, breast cancer is the most common.

"One in eight women will get it in the United States in their lifetime, and most of us more than eight women," she said.

The American Cancer Society estimates nearly 300,000 new cases of invasive breast cancer this year.

"The large majority of new diagnoses of breast cancer are people who don’t have any or strong family history, it’s not necessarily genetics," Cole said. "A lump, a bump, discharge, changes in the skin on your breast, abnormal lumps or bumps in your armpits that could be enlarged lymph nodes, those are reasons to go see your doctor sooner."

That’s how Lori Nimmo’s cancer story started. Never in a million years did the 58-year-old wife, mother, grandmother, daughter and friend, think it would happen to her.

Especially after watching her husband’s journey.

"With my husband having it, it was a large battle, a big battle, he went through bladder cancer, bladder removal, he has a new type of bladder," she said. "I was the caregiver, so i took care of him throughout the whole process."

She also took her of her mom, who ultimately lost her battle with cancer. Lori has also been taking care of her dad who was diagnosed with aggressive prostate cancer. But this time things were different for her.

"In the middle of his radiation treatment, that’s when I found my lump and started the process of trying to figure out what it was," she said.

Lori went from caregiver to patient.

"I knew there was something not right about it, because it just didn’t feel right," she said.

Doctors, including Cole, recommend women start mammograms at the age of 40. Lori did that and she also performed self-exams.

But it had only been 22 months after Lori’s last mammogram, that she found that suspicious lump on her breast.

"On Friday I had my biopsy and on Monday I was on the portal.and it was right there - invasive ductal carcinoma.

On Lori and her husband’s 24th wedding anniversary, she found out she had cancer.

"I had the MRI and then surgery it went very quick," she said. "We had our first grandson three days after my surgery."

Thankfully, Lori’s margins are clear and she starts radiation next week. But per her prayers, she doesn’t need chemotherapy

Lori says early detection saved her life.

On a personal note, I want to share that I recently had my first mammogram...breast cancer runs in my family and like Lori, I choose to be proactive...that’s our hope for all of you.

For more information about Making Strides, GO HERE.

Lori Nimmo