Beating the odds, Breast Cancer Survivor, Icilda Porter, helps others in their fight to recovery
Published:Sunday | October 9, 2022 | 12:07 AMKrysta Anderson - Staff Reporter
“What did I do wrong?” This was the puzzling refrain playing in Icilda Porter’s mind after hearing the unexpected news that she had breast cancer. Her stage-three diagnosis 23 years ago saw her seeking treatment overseas and with support, she was able to ultimately win the monstrous battle. Today, Porter shares her incredible story and shares how she continues to pay it forward by helping others on a similar journey.
“Breast cancer is not a death sentence. It’s a lonely place to be. I had my husband, two children, extended family, and friends. But I still felt alone. My mantra to get through this tough time was, “Yeah though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for thou art with me,” she told The Sunday Gleaner.
Life before breast cancer for Porter was an enriched cycle of physical activity. Teaching physical education (and mathematics) allowed her to dive right into sports. You name it, she played it or was a part of it. When she transitioned from education to working in the private sector, she decided to enroll in the gym to maintain her healthy lifestyle.
“Since I wasn’t doing physical education anymore, and I was sitting in the office, I had to exercise. And I became a gym fanatic,” she explained. Conscious about her physical appearance, eating well, and maintaining good health overall, Porter ensured that all those needs were met.
So when she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1999, while in her 50s, she had to ask herself where she went wrong. “I didn’t know much about breast cancer at the time. I only knew one lady at my church who had done breast surgery and she told me about it one day. Mark you, I was always doing my mammogram every year. At the time I had found out, it wasn’t even time to do the test as yet; I had done it six or eight months prior and I was fine,” she explained.
One day, she was taking a shower and her hand passed over a tight lump. For a second opinion, she called her husband and confirmed that there was in fact a lump. Because she is a worrier, she decided then and there to go and do a mammogram. Although she had fibrocystic breasts, which meant lumps were already present, something felt suspect about the situation at hand, so she went ahead and did the test. “It would’ve been hard to detect,” she added. And, as it turned out, her detection theory was correct.
From the mammogram, Porter went ahead and did the usual follow-up with an ultrasound, because of the nature of her breasts. The former didn’t show anything. But the latter? The look on my doctor’s face said it all, “He’s usually so bright and chirpy. I had something in the back of my mind and that look just confirmed it.”
His recommendation was to go to a pathologist and do a needle biopsy, which would determine what they were dealing with at that moment in time.
“I was going to Cuba on vacation that year and Dr Clarke said, “Have your holiday. When you come back, we will deal with it.” The wait tipped the scale of unbearable and this anxiety subtracted from the enjoyment of the trip. She waited a little more upon her return and one day at work, she got a call from her doctor to go in and have a talk. She knew then and there that this was serious.
“My feet went dead. I couldn’t get up to go and drive to the doctor so I asked one of my friends from a different department to carry me. I went in and the doctor gave me the pronouncement. You know when you just bawl? I found myself thinking, ‘Cancer?’ At that time, in 1999, they called it the big C and cancer meant death,” she declared. But that would not be her story.
For a few days, she could not get out of the dungeon. But after getting over the initial shock, she took charge of her life, seeking treatment to beat this life-altering illness. Staring into the face of death, she was being introduced to new life in the form of beautiful grandchildren. Her worrying ways tripped in and the thought crossed her mind about leaving them behind. But they also gave her hope to move forward.
When the recommended local doctor didn’t display a sensitive bedside manner, family members encouraged her to seek experts overseas. The doctors there did their own tests and were very patient and understanding about the ordeal. Additionally, she was welcomed into an international church community that prayed for divine intervention and healing. They spoke openly to her about breast cancer stories and experiences, and this was a far cry from the environment she left across the waters.
Things have come a far way from those days of lethal thinking. And now she is bold, proudly telling her story. The surgery (mastectomy) was a success. And from there, she returned home for treatment, going through two rounds of chemotherapy, as well as radiation. The pain from the chemo, raging through her body, and wreaking havoc on her joints, was too much to bear, but she is a fighter. And her family, friends, and even her company were very understanding about her treatment.
Strong and resilient, she crossed the hurdle. Before she knew it, this brave cancer survivor was being invited to run a new leg as a member of the breast cancer arm of the Jamaica Cancer Society, Reach to Recovery. It was an opportunity she didn’t take lightly since the non-profit organisation provides financial and emotional support for breast cancer patients and survivors. Through meetings, they have honest conversations and they are educated about different areas, from the effects of their looks to implementing coping tools like journalling.
“When you are ill, you need support. And breast cancer is such a sensitive one that you need all the support you can get. It’s a cruel joke that is played on you, but you have to survive. We support each other. This foreign thing is attacking them and at home, they feel insecure about their bodies to the point where they don’t want to take off their clothes in front of their husbands,” she said.
The organisation’s annual fundraiser, Pink Run, went through a two-year hiatus due to COVID-19, but Porter is happy to report that it will be back this year, so people can finally be outside and get all dolled up in pink at the end of the month.