Mother Finds Strength in Community During Breast Cancer Journey

Angela Torres takes care of people. It’s who she is. She’s a mom to three kids and works a full-time job. She also runs a food bank with two locations in the Bronx in New York City, a job she took over from her mother, who was also passionate about giving back to the community. But when Angela was diagnosed with breast cancer, it made her question her entire identity.  

“I’d never been the one who had to be taken care of before. “I didn’t want anyone to think I was weak,” Angela said.

At age 39, Angela found a small breast lump. After some testing, she had a lumpectomy and the tumor was found to be a stage 0, or carcinoma in situ. No further treatment was needed. That experience motivated Angela to stay on track with regular mammograms and health check-ups. She also encouraged her friends and family to do the same.

A few years later, Angela’s sister got called back after a mammogram for more testing after the doctors saw something suspicious. Thankfully, the area ended up being benign, or not cancerous.

But Angela’s sister insisted that Angela schedule another mammogram sooner than she was planning. “She kept saying, ‘I just have a bad feeling. So I moved my mammogram appointment up six months, mostly just to get her to quit talking to me about it,” Angela remembers.

Angela remembers exactly where she was when she got the phone call with those mammogram results. She was ironing her son’s shirt for prom the next day. Her doctor told Angela they found several tumors that she never would have been able to feel herself.

Angela had another lumpectomy with breast biopsies to take samples of the tumors and lymph nodes for testing. Unfortunately, Angela’s tumors were cancerous, and there were different types of breast cancer cells found. Most of the tumors were hormone-positive, but one was triple-negative breast cancer, or TNBC. Because TNBC is more aggressive than the other types of breast cancer found in Angela’s tumors, her original treatment plan changed. Her path forward would include surgery, chemotherapy (chemo), and radiation treatments.

A long road ahead

Even though Angela knew getting through treatment wouldn’t be easy, she admits she was in denial about just how hard it would be. She assumed she’d keep running the food pantry, caring for her children, and working full-time. At most, she thought she’d take a few hours off on the days she had chemo. 

“My [human resources staff person] was so kind. She told me, ‘Okay, maybe you don’t need to take any time off, but let’s just get the paperwork started for your leave, and if you don’t need it, I won’t submit it.’ I called her a few days after my first round of chemo and said, ‘Yeah, you’re going to need to submit that paperwork,’” Angela said.

But it was a rough, long road through treatment. After surgery, Angela underwent chemo for four months. She then had a few weeks to recover before starting daily radiation therapy for several weeks. Angela remembers her doctor saying the effects of having both chemo and radiation are cumulative, meaning side effects build up over time. She wasn’t sure exactly what that meant to her or how her life and activities might be impacted. But when she started getting radiation and some of its side effects, she thought back to what her doctor said. Some of the side effects from chemo were still bothersome, and the side effects from radiation added to those.

Her treatment was effective, but Angela believes her positive outlook was a major reason she was able to get through it all. Angela learned to accept help throughout the phases of her treatment. This was something new for Angela, and she admits it was the hardest adjustment to make. She said, “I just didn’t want to feel weak. I didn’t want people to give me that ‘awww’ look. I wanted to be superwoman and just power through, but you have to allow the help in.

During her treatment, Angela says that getting back to work at the food pantry was one of her main motivations. She’s always felt fulfilled by helping others, so even when she was feeling run down, she’d try to make it to the food pantry’s community events and keep in touch with the staff and volunteers. “I remember the first time I came back to the food pantry after starting treatment, people all clapped when they saw me. I’ll never forget that moment."

Sharing her story to help others

Since her diagnosis, Angela has been speaking about her cancer experience as often as she can. She has spoken at American Cancer Society (ACS) Relay For Life events in the Bronx, in news interviews, and to family and friends. Her goal is to use her experience to help save lives and talk about cancer in an honest, straightforward way.

Angela stresses a few key points for people facing a new cancer diagnosis and treatment.

• Ask questions. Trying to figure out a new cancer diagnosis and treatment plan can be overwhelming. Get as much information as you can and ask questions. If you’re not sure what a word means or how it relates to your cancer or treatment, ask for the information to be explained to you again. Take notes or bring someone with you to take notes.
• Don’t overdo it – it’s OK to ask for help. Angela expected to go to work as usual through her treatment, but soon realized that was going to be very hard to do. And accepting help from others has always been hard for her. She learned to overcome this, by seeking help from friends, family, and coworkers.
• Stay positive. Angela credits her faith and attitude for giving her the strength to do what was needed. She often uses humor to ease stress and encourages others to do the same.

Each time she meets someone with a new cancer diagnosis, Angela points them to ACS resources. She often highlights the ACS programs and services that helped her the most, including treatment and research information on cancer.org, lodging assistance through Hope Lodge, or information on how to talk to your children about your cancer diagnosis.

“Every interaction with ACS I’ve had has been positive,” she said. “It’s like a family I never asked to join, but they’ve been there for me. ACS makes the journey more livable. Nobody wants to go through this, but they make you feel like they’re with you for this battle. That’s everything.”