Surviving Breast Cancer with Determination — Susan's Story
Susan Rall had been working out and felt, at age 44, that she was in the best shape of her life. When a lump surfaced in her breast, she told herself it must be a sore muscle.
“I had just had a mammogram a few months before,” she said.
But it didn’t go away, so she had it checked.
“Much to my chagrin, it was cancer,” she said. And it was aggressive. She was quickly scheduled for surgery, chemotherapy and radiation near where she lived at the time in Southern Maryland.
“I always told myself, you will have good days and bad days. Celebrate the good ones, and the bad ones...I would remind myself that everything will be different the next day.”
Cancer treatment can be difficult, and life doesn’t stop while you’re getting treated. Susan lost her father to stage IV colon cancer during her own treatment, which was an additional grief, though she worked to keep a positive outlook.
“I always told myself, you will have good days and bad days. Celebrate the good ones, and the bad ones — well, there might have been some bad words to go with them, but I would remind myself that everything will be different the next day.”
Susan said she was determined not to be a victim.
“I came out stronger, because I had to,” she said. “The hair loss was hard, the chemo was hard. But now I tell people, if I can get through it, anyone can.”
"People with any type of cancer need a strong support system."
She recommends seeking support services and groups so patients will have someone to turn to who will understand. She even volunteered for Komen of Maryland, which held annual walks in Ocean City before it was folded into the national chapter in 2020.
“My family, husband, Scott, and close friends kept me going,” she said. “People with any type of cancer need a strong support system.”
Susan completed most of her treatment elsewhere, but when she moved to Delmarva, she was very impressed by the follow-up care she received.
“Having a cancer center here, you know where you’re going, everything is all together. You start getting to know everybody.”
Now she works as a general surgery residency coordinator at TidalHealth and knows the team even better.
Become part of TidalHealth's Drive for Mobile Mammography. TidalHealth will be raising funds to bring a mobile mammography unit to Delmarva. This unit will drive to underserved areas to offer breast cancer screenings to our friends, families, and neighbors who may not have access to healthcare. Learn how you can donate and help us save lives.