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Woman Was 'Stunned' By News: Cancer found after Price's first mammogram
Lyons resident Dawn Price was 40-years-old and was following the advice of her family physician to get her first mammogram.
The test result left her shocked and changed her life.
Dawn found out in October 2008 that she had breast cancer.
She hadn't had any symptoms, no pain, no discomfort.
But there was no denying it that the mother of a 5-year-old daughter, Adria, was in for much more than she ever anticipated.
The days ahead would be a challenge for Dawn's husband of 13 years, David, but he became a very active and supportive part of her fight against cancer.
"We were stunned. There is no family history (of cancer) ... none," she recalled. "It's something that you never expect to hear. I thinking I was stunned. I was in shock. It's just something you never dream of. I had no symptoms, no signs, nothing. I go to my OB/GYN doctor regularly for exams and there was nothing detected in all of those years.
"They (the doctor) did say that the tumor had been growing for 10 years."
Dawn also had genetic testing done and it showed she is not a carrier.
"That just means I got it by chance. I was the chosen one," she said with a good humor laugh.
Dawn, the daughter of Ron and Judy Shake, who live in Linton, underwent a double mastectomy in December 2008 and found out that her cancer had spread into the tissue but it had not progressed dangerously into the lymph nodes.
"When they (the surgeon) got in there they found out the tumor had started to spread into the tissue but it had not gone to (the lymph) nodes yet. It hadn't spread," Dawn, a 1986 graduate of the former Switz City Central High, said.
She underwent four surgeries in a period of five months -- which included the reconstruction surgery.
"My husband was wonderful through this. He and my mom were there. I made probably 60 visits to Indianapolis (for treatment and surgery). I had the surgery at IU (Indiana University) Medical Center. I do have to give praise to both of them. They were wonderful," she stressed.
Last August, she had a hysterectomy because her type of cancer was estrogen fueled.
"I did donate my tumor, my nodes and my fallopian tubes to cancer research," she explained. "A person does not completely understand what the need is for a cancer cure until you truly go through it. If I could donate parts of my tumor or anything that might help in researching that is what I wanted to do."
Dawn, a 2000 graduate of Indiana State University with a degree in elementary education, didn't have to undergo any treatments after a series of surgeries, but was prescribed what she called the "cancer pill' -- Arimidex a first-line treatment of post-menopausal women with hormone receptor-positive or hormone receptor unknown locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer.
In May 2009, she was invited to Los Angeles to speak to more than 50,000 attendees at the Revlon Run/Walk for Cancer Research.
"One of my consultants for my surgery was an oncologist from L.A., Dr. Dennis Lehman, and he invented the drug Perceptin. He was the one I was in contact with who kind of steered me in the right direction. I didn't know where to turn," she explained. "I have a family member, a cousin, who knew him. He was just a person that really helped me. I think we were all stunned and didn't know where to turn to."
Dawn's cousin Lisa Paulsen is president/CEO of the Entertainment Industry Foundation and raises money for cancer research.
"She was a big help to me too because she knows a lot about cancer," Dawn said.
Dawn has made finding a cure for cancer part of her own personal platform. She has frequently walked in a variety of events to raise money for cancer research. She recently participated in the Susan B. Koman Walk in Terre Haute.
She also is co-chair of the Greene County Relay for Life and sponsored a team in last year's event that raised more than $7,000 in a six-week period.
"It's kind of a passion of mine now to raise money and bring awareness to more people that it (cancer) can happen at your very first mammogram," she stressed.
Officials recommend getting a mammogram after age 50, but Dawn said in her case, 50 would have been too late.
Dawn's best advice to young woman and others is to get a mammogram.
"That's actually what I stood before the group in L.A. and said. I said don't put it off. I didn't have to go, but he (the doctor) told me to go and I did and it could have been a lot worse," Price said.