Dorothy: [00:00:00] Today’s guest, Shanna Fernandisse, didn’t think that she had much of a story to share. That’s what she told us when she first arrived at our studio. But her breast cancer experience was the inspiration behind a huge fundraiser for The Rose, hosted by none other than her daughter, Destiny. Shanna’s, positive attitude and her ability to see the brighter side of life is truly, truly refreshing. And I know you’re gonna enjoy this episode.
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Let’s Talk About Your Breast, a different kind of podcast presented to you by The Rose, a breast center of excellence, and a Texas treasure. You’re gonna hear Frank discussions about tough topics, and you’re [00:01:00] gonna learn why knowing about your breast could save your life.
Shanna, thank you so much for being with us today. It’s just a delight to have you here. We are so happy that you were able to join us after hearing Destiny’s story because oh my gosh, what, what a tribute to her mother. All the fundraising she’s done to make a difference in the breast cancer world. And so tell us a little bit about you and your breast cancer experience.
Shanna: Well, I, I guess I’ll probably have to back up to my mom because when I was 14, my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer, and she was a single parent with three small children. And so she had her breasts removed. And, um, I remember, you know, seeing the, uh, the scar and, and just, it was so traumatic. We were afraid we were gonna lose her, you know? As a child. So I’ve been [00:02:00] kind of traumatized and in fear of, of breast cancer my whole life.
Dorothy: Well, you would be of course.
Shanna: Yes.
Dorothy: And back then surgeries were very, very difficult. I mean, they were,
Shanna: More savage, really.
Dorothy: Yes. Yes. Than in defense. It was a good surgery so that you never had breast cancer again. But it was so debilitating.
Shanna: Yes.
Dorothy: And, and so many women, you know, Dr. Dixie, who used to say, uh, if you had ever seen your mother go through that, you probably wouldn’t jump right out there and have a mammogram ’cause you sure wouldn’t wanna fight it.
Shanna: Yeah.
Dorothy: So I can only imagine, I can not even imagine how that must have affected you at 14.
Shanna: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Um, so she was 36 when she had breast cancer the first time, and my mom didn’t smoke or drink and she was, you know, um, a very religious person. So we were [00:03:00] real shocked by it. Um. Uh, so I, I was always a little paranoid and I, I started getting my mammograms at 30, um, because of my mom’s history.
Dorothy: Mm-hmm.
Shanna: And then again, my mom got breast cancer when she was 61, so, um, she had her right breast removed then, but the surgeries were so much better then.
Dorothy: Mm-hmm.
Shanna: And, um, it was in, in, in, in a great deal to The Rose that she was able to, because since she was a single mom, she raised the three of us and she didn’t wanna ever accept help from, uh, social services. So she would have two or three or 10 jobs at a time.
Dorothy: Oh my goodness.
Shanna: Just to make ends meet. But she was a hard worker and a single mom, and she didn’t have insurance. So, um, the second time that she was diagnosed, she, she used The Rose. So, uh, I, I feel like The Rose Foundation, you know, really gave me a childhood and, [00:04:00] and, and, and just a, a great deal more time with my mother.
Dorothy: Oh, that is so good to hear. Yeah.
Shanna: And I, and I know you’ve met my daughter.
Dorothy: Mm-hmm.
Shanna: And, um, I don’t know if she told y’all, but her 21st birthday, she spent in the hospital with my mom because her breast cancer had come back and metastasized at this point. Destiny was there on her 21st birthday. It just seems like her, I know her whole childhood was affected by the breast cancer because it was, you know, my mom had it and then me, um, so. It’s just something that we’ve always, you know, it’s been apart, been a in fear of, actually, I know for me, I was always afraid. So my last few times of coming here to The Rose after I lost my mom, I’ve cried the whole time sitting in the, from the time I pull into the driveway just crying and, and everyone’s so nice [00:05:00] and the staff’s wonderful, but it just brings up all those memories of my mom.
Dorothy: Oh, yes. And we hear that often. And we also hear so many times when a woman has already been diagnosed. And she’s coming back for her annuals.
Shanna: Yes.
Dorothy: How scary that is.
Shanna: Yes.
Dorothy: And I, I’m sure you can attest to that.
Shanna: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Dorothy: So let’s go. How old were you when you were diagnosed?
Shanna: Um, I had had a lumpectomy, um, uh, in my thirties and then, um, in 2017 is when I had, um, so I was in my forties when I had the breast cancer. Um.
Dorothy: So you’re eight years out, almost.
Shanna: Diagnosed? Yeah.
Dorothy: Yes.
Shanna: Mm-hmm. Yeah.
Dorothy: Congratulations.
Shanna: I’ve already been here this year.
Dorothy: Good.
Shanna: Dr. Dixie already signed me off with a clean bill of health.
Dorothy: She said Your breasts were perfect. Is that what she’s I know.
Shanna: Yes.
Dorothy: And that, that’s such an affirmation, isn’t it?
Shanna: Mm-hmm. It is.
Dorothy: Yes. Especially when you’ve been there. Now, did you have. [00:06:00] What kind of treatment did you have?
Shanna: I just had radiation.
Dorothy: Oh.
Shanna: So what what happened was my mom got sick again in 2017, and in 2016 she was sick and she had had a good clean mammogram and good clean, um, bill of health with her cancer doctors. And then she just, her arm wasn’t doing well and her lymph nodes, she had had the lymph nodes removed and her, her arm was real swollen and she couldn’t really lift it. And we were trying to figure out what was wrong and um, then they found out that it was metastasized. Well, actually, we went to UTMB, she had gone to the emergency room ’cause her blood pressure was up and down and my stepdad and I just couldn’t figure out what was wrong with her.
We were, I was planning her a big party for her 70th birthday, and, um, she came over to my house and she said, I’m not coming to my party. I, I don’t feel good. And my [00:07:00] stepdad took her to the emergency room again, and they, and they ran some more tests. And then I had asked her a few days later, I’m like, did you get your results? And she said. No, I don’t have them yet. Well, they had just started putting ’em online. So I logged in because my mom’s not computer literate. And I read the results were there and I read ’em and I looked up what the word lesions meant because I didn’t know what that meant. And then I went over to my mom’s house and I’m the one that told her that she had, that it had come back and it was in her brain and her spine, and her legs and her femur and her shoulders. It was everywhere.
Dorothy: Oh my goodness.
Shanna: So it was a, a rough, a rough, rough day, but at least then she knew what was wrong.
Dorothy: Right.
Shanna: Um, and then, you know, we just were with her throughout, you know, the, uh, her final, her final six months or so [00:08:00] that she lived after she got, after it came back metastasized, which she always spoke out for breast cancer. She always spoke out for early treatment. She always spoke out as a survivor. My whole life, my mom was thought of as a breast cancer survivor, so although she had it when I was 14, she spent 25 years as a survivor. And everything that she did was because she was a survivor, she always looked at it as a survivor.
Dorothy: That’s good.
Shanna: So then right after she had passed away is when I got diagnosed with my breast cancer.
Dorothy: Oh.
Shanna: And I didn’t tell anyone in my family. When I was reading over your questions that you said, you know, was I in any kinda support group or I said nothing to no one because everyone in my family was so traumatized because of my mom. We had all just been through this with my mom, so, I didn’t say anything to anyone and I just went ahead and had the surgery and [00:09:00] I did the radiation and I rang the bell. And when I rang the bell I put that on Facebook and that’s when everyone knew that I had had a small bell.
Dorothy: Oh my goodness. Wow. I mean, bless your heart. That’s a hard thing to do by yourself.
Shanna: Well, I, everyone was in such trauma really still, from my mom passed.
Dorothy: So it was one way you could support them?
Shanna: Yeah. I, I just, I just couldn’t watch ’em all cry again. You know? They had all been so devastated with my mom.
Dorothy: And your daughter. She didn’t know?
Shanna: No, I didn’t tell anyone until after I had already finished it up.
Dorothy: Oh, that hurts my heart. That was very brave of you. I, I, I understand what you were you were doing, and it was a real gift to your family in so many ways. So. Goodness.
Shanna: But easy. Easy. Easy. It wasn’t hard at all. Um, [00:10:00] Dr. Silva was my doctor and, um, I, there’s no scar. There’s not even a scar. She did such a beautiful job.
Dorothy: Wow.
Shanna: I’m just amazed. Um, the radiation doctors over at UTMB were awesome too, so we, and we actually, uh, were working together. They were treating me, um, during Hurricane Harvey. So.
Dorothy: You know, that had to be an
Shanna: experience. Oh yeah. It was fun days there.
Dorothy: Oh, yes. Oh my goodness. But, but. So you’re, was it diagnosed pretty early?
Shanna: Yeah.
Dorothy: Your cancer.
Shanna: I mean, I, I’m, I’ve been ever since I’ve been 30, I have had my mammogram every year.
Dorothy: Right. So you were diligent about that? Yes.
Shanna: Yes. Mm-hmm.
Dorothy: So when something changed, they knew
Shanna: well, yeah. Yeah. They had just noticed it from one year to the next.
Dorothy: Mm-hmm.
Shanna: Mm-hmm.
Dorothy: Yeah. Well, that, that’s the importance of doing it every year of annual mammograms.
Shanna: Exactly.
Dorothy: And why that can make such a difference. Look at your [00:11:00] treatment. Compared to so many that have to go the whole nine yards because it’s just more aggressive. No fault of the persons at all. But it’s just, we often say the difference in finding it early is the treatment options you have and, and you’re a testament to that.
Shanna: Well, my mom too, because, you know. She never had, she was never able to afford insurance even after she had already had the cancer, which is why she couldn’t afford the insurance because she was already a cancer survivor.
Dorothy: Oh my gosh.
Shanna: So, if it wasn’t for places like The Rose where people could get treated, then, you know, I, I wouldn’t have had, you know, a good childhood.
Dorothy: You know, Shanna, that’s, that’s a reminder of that time when preexisting diseases just, they dictated everything in a person’s life. You know, we are at least one step ahead of that now. With, with the changes that have been made. Thank you, [00:12:00] God.
Shanna: And the surgeries are just amazing.
Dorothy: Yeah.
Shanna: When I was 14, I remember looking at my mom’s scar and we, we, we got rid of all of her V-neck. Shirts and she just, she just changed the way that she dressed at that point. And then my surgery that I had seven years ago, you see no scar at all.
Dorothy: That is just amazing.
Shanna: It’s just amazing.
Dorothy: It’s amazing. 50 years difference. Is that what you said?
Shanna: Yes.
Dorothy: Just amazing. In our lifetimes, we’ve seen that change. Yes.
Shanna: Yes. Mm-hmm.
Dorothy: So even though you made the decision not to tell anyone. How, how afraid were you when you knew you had you had received the diagnosis?
Shanna: I was still numb from the loss of my mom, so I just, we were just all still real numb from that.
Dorothy: Yeah.
Shanna: I don’t know that I was scared of, it just seemed [00:13:00] like I had been anticipating it my whole life.
Dorothy: True.
Shanna: So. I just was more worried about anyone finding out about it. My family.
Dorothy: Yeah.
Shanna: ’cause the kids had all cried so much for my mom.
Dorothy: Mm-hmm. Well, speaking of family. Uh, how proud of you are you of Destiny for what she’s been able to do? I mean, it’s, it’s amazing.
Shanna: She’s just still going on. She’s feeling strong. I think,
Dorothy: I know!
Shanna: She’s gonna do more and more.
Dorothy: I think she is too. And her most recent fundraiser was such a success. Wow. We kept, you know, I sign every letter that says thank you to whoever has donated. And I was going, another one, another one. I mean, it was just, I was so happy, so pleased that it turned out well. ’cause you know, she had to kind of, uh, champion that one and say,
Shanna: oh, yes, she did a great job.
Dorothy: Oh, she did a great job. Yes, we were, we are so lucky to have a supporter, like, like Destiny. [00:14:00] She’s just, uh, just one of a kind for sure.
Shanna: Well, I know that she does, you know, support the breast cancer and The Rose. Because, and a great deal from my mom and her, her, when she was in high school, um, she had a prayer vigil at, at high school for, um, folks with cancer. One of the other parents had cancer there. And because of my mom, they, you know, held this, um, prayer vigil at school, which was so nice and so supportive. And she’s just always done for the breast cancer organization. It’s part of her heart.
Dorothy: Part of her heart, absolutely. So now you described your mom as a survivor.
Shanna: Mm-hmm.
Dorothy: And that was her term?
Shanna: Mm-hmm.
Dorothy: And how she saw herself. Do you see yourself in the same way?
Shanna: Just to me. Seems like my mom’s battle was harder than mine, you know? My surgery wasn’t that hard.
Dorothy: I [00:15:00] know, I know.
Shanna: And the radiation wasn’t that hard.
Dorothy: Mm-hmm.
Shanna: I mean, ’cause I went with my mom, you know, to have the ports installed when she would do the chemo and I would sit with her and, um, I felt like her struggle was just so much harder than mine. But I am a survivor. I, I, I did survive. And, but the medical has advanced so much. That it’s not nearly as scary.
Dorothy: So go back to when you were 14.
Shanna: Mm-hmm.
Dorothy: What do you wish someone had said to you at that time?
Shanna: That my mom was gonna live. We were real worried that she would die and we wouldn’t have anyone.
Dorothy: And you were the oldest?
Shanna: The middle.
Dorothy: The middle.
Shanna: Mm-hmm.
Dorothy: Mm-hmm. Yeah. And is that what you would say to another young woman?
Shanna: Yes. That, that, that their mother can survive.
Dorothy: I think that is,
Shanna: And to get the treatment.
Dorothy: Yes.
Shanna: Always to [00:16:00] go. Even if you cry the whole time you’re at the appointment, go to the appointment.
Dorothy: We probably have a note in your, in your chart that says, have Kleenex ready because she’s going to be crying. But if that’s what it takes. I mean, it is scary and it does bring back a lot of memories. We are never gonna lose those memories. We don’t want to.
Shanna: And then I love when y’all send me my letter that says, I have been found, uh, cancer, no cancer, no history of cancer. I carry that around with me. That letter means so much.
Dorothy: Oh, really?
Shanna: Mm-hmm. Those letters are so perfect. I’ll pull mine out and show it off. Look what I got in the mail. That I’m cancer prayed,
Dorothy: I dunno that we’ve ever had a patient appreciate that letter like that.
Shanna: I love the letter one.
Dorothy: That is wonderful.
You know the things we don’t even,
Shanna: it’s in print. Think of it in print, it says right there, big bold letters. No evidence of cancer [00:17:00] found. Woo-hoo.
Dorothy: What is, gosh, gosh, what a, what a great way of looking at it.
Shanna: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Dorothy: So what else would you want to say to women?
Shanna: Well, you must go, and have your mammograms. Even if you’re scared to do it, even if you don’t have enough money to do it. The Rose offers women a opportunity to come and get this test done. There’s no way, uh, there’s no better thing to do for your family, for your children is than to go and, and have your mammogram every year.
Dorothy: Wow. We couldn’t say it any better. That is, that is so true.
Shanna: Mm-hmm.
Dorothy: Well, thank you so much for being with us today.
Shanna: It’s my honor to be here.
Dorothy: Oh my goodness. It’s been a delight to meet you and to get to visit with you. And I think you’re one of those people that knows what cancer means early on.
Shanna: Mm-hmm.
Dorothy: And knows what it means personally.
Shanna: Mm-hmm.
Dorothy: So it gives you two very [00:18:00] different perspectives and not many people have that.
Shanna: Well, The Rose is so beautiful to be here for people that over the years there’s been so many people that I have sent here and referred.
Dorothy: And we appreciate that here. Yes.
Shanna: Yes. To make sure that we all get our mammograms and get our tests.
Dorothy: You know, The Rose lives on word of mouth.
Shanna: Mm-hmm.
Dorothy: We do not have that marketing budget that so many people do to put billboards out and all those things, so I can’t imagine any better affirmation about our work than to have a patient say, you need to go to The Rose. Yes. Yes. Thank you for that. So special.
Shanna: Thank y’all for everything y’all do for me.
Dorothy: Oh, you are most welcome.
Shanna: I just feel like I wanna hug you now.
Post-Credits: Thank you for joining us today on let’s Talk About Your Breasts. This podcast is produced by Speke Podcasting and brought to you by The Rose. Visit therose.org to learn more about our organization. Subscribe to our podcast, share episodes with friends, and join the conversation on social [00:19:00] media using #LetsTalkAboutYourBreasts. We welcome your feedback and suggestions. Consider supporting The Rose. Your gift can make the difference to a person in need. And remember, self care is not selfish. It’s essential.
