Starting the new year cancer free

In 2018, Navy Veteran Luz Cervantes had her first mammogram and it came back normal. Several years went by and, in 2021, she felt she needed to go back to the Michael E. DeBakey VA for another one.

Unfortunately, her mammogram came back abnormal. The next day, she came back in for a biopsy and, on Monday, she got the call that she had Metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer.

“They called me to tell me, yes, it’s cancer and it was actually four tumors,” said Cervantes, who was only 43 years old. “And the crazy thing is that I never felt any of them. Cancer was the last thing on my mind because there was no family history and I felt I was young.”

Thankful for the quick information

She said the small amount of time between the mammogram and her diagnosis a few days later were a blessing.

Navy Veteran Luz Cervantes receives treatment in the Houston VA Cancer Center.

“They were fast,” she added. “I’ve had friends who have had abnormal mammograms in private health care and they had to wait a week or two to do the biopsy. And then wait to get the results. Because it was so quick, I didn’t have a lot of time to think and worry. I didn’t have much of the mental stress, and I’m thankful for that.”

Cervantes started chemo/infusion treatment in September 2021 and had a double mastectomy in April 2022. A year after starting her first treatment, she had her last infusion in September 2022.

She said she is beyond grateful to the VA cancer team for the care she received during one of the tougher periods of her life. “I love the VA Cancer Center. They saved my life. I wouldn’t have traded that treatment for anywhere. They’ve been so good to me,” she said.

VA nurse was “Just incredible.”

Cervantes also wanted to thank Nurse Lizet McLat, who administered and monitored a large portion of her treatment. “She was my nurse during pretty much every infusion. Just the smile, the kindness, the warmth. She’s just incredible. She explained everything to me and was always very careful,” she said.

McLat has worked as an oncology nurse for most of her career at VA and in the private sector, and said cancer care is about far more than medicine.

“When you meet the patients, they’re going through so much. You have to engage with them for their care first but also assess their other needs,” McLat said. “You understand that they have fear and need emotional support. They need somebody with compassion and they need to know we’ll take care of them. We’ll go through this together.”

Ringing the bell

In September 2022, Cervantes could have rung the bell in the Cancer Center, but she chose to wait… just to make sure the cancer was really gone.

“The bell ringing signifies so much for different people. I always assumed it meant being cancer free and that’s not what it means. It means you’re just done with your treatment,” Cervantes said.

Just after the New Year, she decided she was ready to declare victory.

“To start the New Year and be cancer free by ringing the bell, I think the timing was perfect. The start of the New Year is symbolic because it gives you a chance to start fresh. For me, it was a little more meaningful.”