Ellen Bullinger

Shortly after our lives all changed due to COVID-19 when we all started working from home, were quarantined, couldn’t find any toilet paper in the stores, I found a lump in my left breast.  I ignored it for a little while, hoping that it was somehow a result of being stuck at home.  However, after a short time, I realized that wasn’t a very smart thing to do so I made an appointment with my gynecologist.  On June 25, I had my appointment and after my doctor did a breast exam, she told me that I needed to get a mammogram (because I was due) and because she could feel the lump and was concerned.  I had a mammogram, an ultrasound and a biopsy in July and got the results that I didn’t want to get—I have breast cancer.  August was full of doctor’s appointments, tests of all kinds and consultations.  I found that I have a very aggressive form of Triple Negative breast cancer. The kicker—it is probably a result of having radiation when I was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Disease in 1995—yay, I have cancer because I had cancer before and was treated for it.  Unfortunately, my prior cancer diagnosis created another problem---there are certain chemotherapy drugs that I cannot take because the human body can only have a limited amount of them in one lifetime.  I also cannot have any more radiation to my chest area because of the amount I had before.  A team of oncologists, oncological surgeons and a radiologist consulted and came up with my treatment plan.  I was to undergo 18 weeks of a chemotherapy and then have surgery.   I had to go to a cardiologist because some of the chemo drugs are very hard on the heart (the physical organ as well as the source of emotions) and I was put on medications to help protect my heart.

I had a catheter implanted in my chest because they can’t use regular veins for chemo for an extended time and started chemo 2 days later.  I had a lot of very unpleasant side effects.  They got worse as I went through each treatment (or at least I have had less strength to fight them as time went by).  My hair started to fall out in large clumps so I shaved my head---at least then I was in control!  The good thing about aggressive cancer (at least mine) is that it responded well to the chemotherapy.  After my next to last treatment, I had a consultation with the surgeon and we discussed my options.  I decided that since my chances of getting cancer in the other breast were high, I decided that I don’t want to undergo this ordeal again and I chose to have a bilateral mastectomy.  So now, in 2 days, and less than 1 month after my last chemo treatment, I am having surgery.  When they go in, they are going to take tissue samples and lymph nodes that will be sent out and biopsied.  If there are any living cancer cells, I’ll start another course of chemotherapy—this one will be different—it will be pills that I have to take every day (but at least I won’t have to spend an entire day in the hospital getting pumped full of poison AND I hear that the side effects aren’t as bad)

I have been completely blown away by the caring and support that I’ve gotten from family, friends, co-workers, and leadership at Allstate.  EVERYONE has been amazing throughout this entire ordeal.  It is strange because even though I’m physically isolated because of COVID, I feel like the outpouring of support through social media, phone calls, cards has overcome that.  I couldn’t have made it this far without the support and prayers of so many people.  And even more, no matter what lies before me with surgery and afterwards, I will continue to be okay.  Little did I know at the Kickoff Meeting for the Capital Auto MCO, when I was telling everyone that I would again be the Coordinator for the Bring Out the Good Month, how true and how personal my words would be.  When we face difficult times, we realize what is really important—the sense of community and caring.