Ortonville- Memorial Day weekend 1999 was very memorable for Cindy Bridgeman. It was the weekend she had her head shaving party.
Bridgeman’s husband and sister did the shaving, only weeks after Bridgeman had a cancerous lump removed from her breast and started chemotherapy.
‘I couldn’t stand the clumps of hair coming out anymore,? said Bridgeman, 55, an Ortonville resident and mother of four adult sons. ‘They shaved my head and the kids saw me and everyone cried, but then we got past it and put it behind us.?
Six years later, Bridgeman is cancer-free. She will walk in the Susan G. Komen Foundation Race for the Cure on June 11 in Detroit. The 5k event raises awareness of breast cancer and, according to the Race for the Cure Detroit website, funds support breast health education and breast cancer screening and treatment programs for the medically underserved in Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties. As much as 25-percent of proceeds fund breast cancer research through the Komen Foundation.(http://www.karmanos.org/raceforthecuredetroit/index.html)
Bridgeman will walk with her three daughters-in-law, two granddaughters and one son’s girlfriend. This year marks her sixth year walking and a long journey from when her cancer was first detected.
In November 1998, Bridgeman was working for General Motors as director of global logistics and went in for her annual routine executive physical. Except this physical would be anything but routine.
During a mammogram, the doctors saw a spot on Bridgeman’s left breast. They followed the mammogram with an ultrasound.
‘The doctors were looking and I knew something was up,? Bridgeman says. ‘I thought, ‘Uh-oh.??
A needle biopsy was scheduled, but the biopsy technician couldn’t find the spot. Bridgeman instructed him to keep looking.
‘But he said even if he wanted to, he couldn’t withdraw tissue unless it was from the specific spot,? Bridgeman says. ‘He couldn’t find it, so I stopped insisting.?
Relieved and thinking the earlier mammogram and ultrasound had been wrong, Bridgeman went to a local Catholic church to give thanks to God. She did not return to the doctor who had observed the spot.
Although she believed she was fine because the biopsy technician had been unable to find anything, she says she must have had some fear and doubt in the back of her mind, because she began doing weekly breast self-exams, always checking in particular the area the doctors had seen the spot. In February of 1999, she was doing just such an exam when she felt a lump.
‘I told my husband when I felt it, ‘I know what it is,?? Bridgeman recalled. ‘I went to the doctor that day.?
By April 1999, she had a lumpectomy done and it was confirmed that the lump was an aggressive cancer caught in the first stage. Doctors told her she shouldn’t be having cancer? her risk was low. She was not a drinker, smoker, or overweight. She was young , 49 and had no family history.
She began chemotherapy immediately, which was once every two weeks for eight weeks, followed by radiation five days per week for six weeks. Bridgeman remembers the treatment was tiring and her son’s wedding was approaching.
‘I started to ask myself if I was even going,? recalls Bridgeman, who would still have one more radiation treatment to go after the wedding.
On her 50th birthday, Bridgeman was having chemotherapy at the hospital when she received 50 roses her husband had sent.
‘My family was very supportive and positive,? says Bridgeman.
Through the entire treatment, Bridgeman missed only 13 days of work. She tried to keep her life as normal as possible, but admits to negative thoughts at times.
‘I would sometimes think, ‘I could die,? but then you set that aside,? she said. ‘The wedding became a goal. I thought, if I can make it to that, I can make it a long time.?
She made it, wearing a wig. ‘I felt happy and glad to be there,? she smiles.
Bridgeman would have more to look forward to. She finished treatment in September 1999 and within a year of the first wedding, two more of Bridgeman’s sons married.
For two years after finishing treatment, Bridgeman would have an appointment once a month with either a radiologist, surgeon or oncologist. She held her breath every time.
Every April since her lumpectomy, Bridgeman has celebrated being free of cancer. She celebrated five years in remission, a major milestone for cancer survivors, last April.
‘My faith gave me encouragement,? says Bridgeman of her cancer battle. ‘My family, friends and healthcare pros all helped me through it.?
Bridgeman regrets that she accepted what the biopsy technician had to say and wants others to learn from her mistake.
‘Be persistent and be your own advocate,? she says. ‘No one cares for you like you do. It’s important ot get your exams, stand up for yourself, make sure it makes sense to you. You want every ounce of percentage on your side.?
She took some other lessons from her experience, too.
‘I learned a lot about myself and my life priorities,? Bridgeman says. ? I realized I needed to spend more time with my family and do thing for others. I started to focus more on giving than on working. I got a lot from my experience and people who care and the Lord has given me my life to give back.?