When Colleen Ochab of Wheeling, IL, was diagnosed with stage 1 breast cancer, she asked the question any woman would ask: “Will I make it to Antarctica?”
Then again, Colleen may not be a typical breast cancer patient. She was only 26 years old at the time she was diagnosed. And she had more than just the vacation of a lifetime booked. She was seeking a publisher for her novel, comparing graduate school programs for screenwriting and relishing the first months of a new relationship.
Cancer threatened all of it. But Colleen never stopped planning for the day after breast cancer. With her mom, her friends, her boyfriend and the Ascension Alexian Brothers care team in Elk Grove Village, IL, she made sure the answer to her question was “Yes.”
Breast cancer diagnosis under 30
Colleen didn’t give the lump in her right breast much thought when she first felt it.
“I thought it could have been muscle inflammation,” she recalled. Colleen had gotten into weightlifting and had just bench-pressed 100 pounds, her personal best. “Like every young person, I was, like, it’s nothing. So I put it off for a couple months.”
But the breast began to hurt and Colleen quickly found herself referred to Steven L. Kanter, MD, an oncologist affiliated with Ascension Alexian Brothers who delivered her diagnosis. That meeting was a blur for Colleen, but she remembers how thick the binders of information felt in her hands, and what Dr. Kanter said to her.
“He told me, ‘I don’t get young people often, but you’re not the youngest.’” Colleen said. It made her feel like less of a novelty, and gave her hope that her cancer was treatable.
Breast cancer nurse navigator by her side
As Colleen personalized her care plan with Dr. Kanter, she met the person who would put that plan into action and guide her through every step of it, Lucy Ziccardi, RN, OCN. An Ascension Illinois cancer nurse since 2002 and cancer nurse navigator since 2015. Lucy has also been a tireless advocate in her community for preventive screenings.
“I feel like I have the best job in the world,” Lucy said. Besides getting her patients from diagnosis to treatment quickly and “lowering their stress from a 10 to a 2 or 3,” Lucy is often the only person who is by the patient’s side throughout their entire journey. She helps connect them to whatever support they may need along the way – nutritionists, financial assistance, social workers, support groups, emotional therapy, wigs.
“It doesn’t matter what stage a patient is at, or whether their tumor is only the size of an eraser tip,” said Lucy. “That’s still their cancer. It’s a really big deal to them, so we treat them compassionately with all the tools we have.”
Lucy felt an especially personal connection to Colleen and her situation.
“Treating a person with breast cancer who was younger than my own daughters was quite alarming,” Lucy stated.
Planning for the future during six rounds of chemotherapy
At the suggestion of her care team, Colleen had her eggs frozen before beginning treatment; this kept her options open for having children if her fertility was affected. She also began applying to graduate schools.
Making long-term plans helped Colleen get through the toughest part for her: six rounds of chemotherapy. She discovered that she was allergic to one of the drugs, so the doctors prescribed antihistamine that sometimes made it hard to stay awake during her session. Due to hypoglycemia, she often had to lie down during chemo and receive fluids afterward. COVID restrictions unfortunately meant that her mom couldn’t be there with her in person.
“The week and a half after each round of chemo was rough,” Colleen said. “And just when I’d start to feel better, it was time for the next round.”
As grueling as chemotherapy could be, it proved to be extremely effective. A biopsy after Colleen’s mastectomy found no cancer cells in her removed breast tissue or lymph nodes.
The memory still moves Lucy to tears. “She had no cancer! That was a really happy day for all of us.”
And thanks to the efforts of Lucy and her team, Colleen completed her chemotherapy by Christmas. She even got three weeks to rest before her trip. When the ship made anchor off the coast of the Antarctic Peninsula, Colleen was aboard.
Support through breast surgery and radiation therapy
Once Colleen had returned from Antarctica, it was time for the final two phases of treatment. Constantine Godellas, MD, breast surgeon and medicator director of the Ascension Illinois oncology program, performed her double mastectomy in February 2023.
In the summer, once she had recovered from surgery, Colleen completed 30 sessions of radiation therapy along her chest walls with Ramji Rajendran, MD, a radiation oncologist affiliated with Ascension Illinois. The weeks between surgery and radiation therapy were the most emotionally difficult for her.
“I had no hair. I had no breasts,” said Colleen. “I felt hyper masculine and was dealing with notions of femininity and this new body. I think it takes a really strong person to be OK with it, because it's such a drastic change.”
To help Colleen cope, Lucy connected her to an Ascension Illinois psychiatrist who met with her regularly over the phone. To help her cover the costs of treatment, Lucy also nominated Colleen for a portion of the proceeds from a local golf charity benefiting breast cancer patients. But Colleen is perhaps most grateful for how “I’d call [Lucy] and she would call me back very quickly, so I always felt like I was on her mind even though I'm sure I was one of many.”
To celebrate after her last radiation therapy session, Lucy asked Colleen if she would like to throw out the first pitch during a Schaumburg Boomers baseball game on Breast Cancer Awareness Night.
“I made it across the plate and that’s all that matters,” Colleen said with a laugh.
Recovered and ready for life’s next adventure
Lucy has loved watching Colleen’s outlook improve over the past year. It’s a transformation she never tires of seeing in her patients.
“Colleen described herself as Type A before her illness and was understandably angry at times during her treatment,” Lucy said. “And now that she’s come out the other end, she’s realizing what’s important in her life and what she wants.”
Colleen concurs. “I feel like I healed better and faster because I had a semi-positive outlook.”
Now that breast cancer is behind her, Colleen will focus her energies on learning to write and pitch screenplays. Every day, she feels a little more like herself. Her energy is slowly coming back, as is her appetite. She will be eligible for breast reconstruction surgery this winter. Her hair is growing back steadily. If all goes well, it will be waist length again just in time for Colleen to be officially declared cured in five years.
Lucy hopes that Colleen shares her story with others because her case is no longer an anomaly. Lucy is unsettled by the fact that more and more of her breast cancer patients this year have been around Colleen’s age.
To those women, Colleen advises, “Don’t give up on your goals if you have breast cancer. Even if something has to go on the backburner, find a little thing you can do to keep moving that goal forward.”
Breast cancer is easiest to treat when detected early. Protect your health at any age with monthly self-exams and an appropriate screening schedule. Visit ascension.org/ILmammogram to learn more.