Sage Stories: Amy Munson

Amy is a breast cancer survivor from Lyon County in Southwest Minnesota.

Amy, a youth minister and mother of eight, was diagnosed with breast cancer that had spread to other places in her body. One year after her surgery, Amy encourages others to get screened and to not give up, even though the cancer journey can be scary and difficult.

This is not what I though I’d ever have to write about, but this is my cancer story.

Let me tell you a little about our family. My husband is a farmer, and I am a youth minister. We have a wonderful family of diversity. We have three biological children and five adopted children (all that is for another story). We are incredibly blessed. God has led our every step, thank goodness!

It started May 2022; I had a little sore on my lip. It was not a cold sore or something common that we get and it would not go away. I had a son graduating from high school, so my May was busy. June was full with a mission trip. July started with a family vacation but when I got back, I was disgusted with my lip and sick of trying to hide it under glosses and lipsticks! I had tried everything over the counter, and nothing was working. So I decided to go in to get something stronger. It’s so amazing that that lip was what finally brought this busy mama and wife into the clinic to take care of herself. So many women are exactly the same; we lose track of the last time we cared for ourselves. I was a very healthy person - I worked out, I played with kids and ate very healthy. I also have zero cancer in my family. I had nothing to worry about. When I did finally go in for my lip and she mentioned I am little behind on my mammogram, I didn’t think anything of it. I agreed to an appointment that very Friday. This is where the story gets more exciting, and I believe you know where I am going with this.

Everything was like a blur, going so fast. I was so happy that I had brought a couple girlfriends with me to my breast biopsy because it was right then and there that they told me that I did have breast cancer and it had already moved to my Lymph nodes.

I had zero signs that this was coming, no symptoms at all. I vaguely remember walking out of the appointment in udder shock. I couldn’t believe what was happening. It was like a bad dream, and nothing made sense. I felt like I had been kicked in the gut and was in an utter daze. I think all I could say the hour and a half home were things like, “What?”, “How is this possible?”, “What, what?”, “It doesn’t make sense”, and then more of the same ramblings. “This is shock,” I thought, shaking my head. I think I called my husband in the car. I have absolutely no idea what I said. But he knew when I got home. I had triple negative breast cancer.

Over that next week I spent much time diving deep and screaming in the water. Praying face down on my deck and crying. I have so many friends and family that gave me so much support. I was never alone, and that was good. I didn’t always acknowledge that others were there, but I knew they were there. We prayed a ton, cried together, and listened to many Christian songs. That all helped a ton!!!

After the shock wore off It continued forward, and the battle began. I knew I HAD to LIVE!! My family needed me.

The port was placed within a week. The medical team was amazing, and I could feel a sense of calmness in having something started in this battle. I sort of felt like a bit of a superhero with my new device! I described it like a plug in for the medicine to my kids. Next was the PET scan, this is where everything is truly seen. And that was when they also found a mass the size of a coconut in my ovary. This actually turned out to be a mass that had ovarian tissue on it but wasn’t attached to anything – a gnarly thing! Luckily, it rated only stage 1a ovarian cancer. The main focus was on the triple negative breast cancer. This is an active and aggressive type of cancer. So they needed to get after that right away.

I started my chemo regimen the end of August. How I approached this was that we needed to get after it! Let’s go!! If its active and aggressive let’s show it what we can do! Chemotherapy was tough but these days they have meds to help with side effects. I say, be brave, but honest. Talk to the doctors and then put on your smile. The positive spirit will take anyone in this situation a long way, because we all have a lot of living to do.

It was about week five or six of chemo that there was no hope to keep my hair. So we had a head shaving party after church on October 2. The house was packed with friends and family, and whoever wanted a crack at shaving my hair off… it was all theirs! It was a crazy day, a memorable day for many. I have two daughters who also chose to shave their heads to make a wig for me. It was AWESOME to see and be a part of so much love and compassion!!!

I also remember those ice bags on the hands and feet during chemo- DO IT! It is awful at the time, but I do not have any neuropathy! I will say friends got me through that too. Watch something that makes you laugh… helps with the pain! And don’t try to parent in the pain. Let them take care of you.

And then the headaches started!!! I remember one night my husband was at the farm late and I was lying in bed half unconscious. I asked my ALEXA “Alexa, how low can blood pressure go?” Ha- she wasn’t very helpful. My blood pressure was very low! One of my daughters was up and she helped me eat some salty chips and drink pickle juice. I went in that next day; they did a CT on my head and did more blood work. I turned out that if I had any more chemo, I would lose my pituitary gland. They asked if we wanted to continue. That was easy, lets fry this thing… I can live without a pituitary gland by taking a med, but I definitely cannot live with cancer!

After that next dose of chemo- my headaches disappeared, and I began taking a steroid twice a day to act as the pituitary. After 24 weeks of hard chemo, we were done (with that part!). Just so you know- you get to ring the bell lots of times throughout the journey!

Surgery was where they took all of my lymph nodes in one arm pit, as well as the lump in the breast, and the coconut in my ovary… and with that coconut mass they took my ovaries and fallopian tubes. I had a month to heal and then got right into six weeks of radiation (30 sessions). Wow was I fried- and no vacation pics to go with the burn! It was intense. I began a daily chemo pill that I had to take twice a day for six months. It really messed with my hands and feet- gross - but anything to get cancer gone and staying gone is worth it!

I did keep on living the whole time in battle, that summer I led a mission to an orphanage in Belize with the youth from our church. I just wrapped my feet daily before we headed out. All my doctors were so helpful on prepping me on how to take care of myself in this different environment. It was a great experience.

The journey is not a fun one- it is hard. But it is worth it! Take each day as it comes and don’t miss an opportunity to use your wounds to help others. Embrace all of life… because we are still ALIVE. During the summer after radiation (still doing the chemo) we finalized the adoption of our last two kiddos. They truly belong with our family, and I WILL BE HERE to be their mama!

When you have to fight, you just do it! And FIGHT HARD! Do whatever you can. There are so many medicines out there to help and save. My medical team is amazing. They are all working together for YOU. But all praise and honor must go to God. He guided my every day. The one thing I really learned is to seize everyday! Do whatever you need to do make a difference every day. I was so blessed by our community. They helped out constantly. Even the school. They decided to do a fundraiser for us, PennyWars. It was a fun way for the kids to bring in and help with a cause. They raised about $1600. With that money we purchased books to give to the local hospitals to give out to new moms with cancer. It is a book called “My Mommy is a Cancer Warrior.” An excellent book to help a mommy in shock explain the something awful. I just remember the pamphlets the hospitals gave me to give to the kids. It was not too helpful.

After the shock wore off, I decided to treat cancer as a journey - A very long journey - and to take each bump and hiccup as each comes (because they DO come). Call your friends often and cry when you need to and mostly keep God CLOSE! He’s got us all and loves us! I am a year out of surgery. Enjoying my family, friends, and activities. One take away I hope I give you today is PLEASE—TAKE CARE OF YOURSELVES for your family’s sake. Get your yearly stuff done. It’s all soooo important! It is life or death.

I also did have to get my lip biopsied that July 2022, and yes that too was cancer. And that had to come out too. I see my dermatologist often- she is such a delight, so it makes my day!

With JOY!

Amy Munson