Breast Cancer Awareness Month, in October, has continual reminders about the disease and the importance of self-checks, annual mammograms and listening to your body.
Erin Champion gets reminded every day.
A breast cancer survivor, she works as a breast patient navigator at the Breast Care Center at Cape Fear Valley Health. The center, at 524 Beaumont Road, helps patients deal with the disease, employing staff whose sole purpose is guiding patients through their own private journeys.
Champion has been on the job since early 2020. Her personal journey with a breast cancer diagnosis — she discovered a lump in her breast in 2015 — led to her “professional calling” as a navigator.
Her experience was filled with anxiety and a loss of control. Champion, who was also pregnant at the time, was only 35 when she was diagnosed. According to the Mayo Clinic, breast cancer screening for most women should start at 40.
“I was robbed of peace, and getting back to a peaceful state became my mission,” she said.
Champion reclaimed her peace by making the process of learning about her cancer what she described as a “full-time job.” It was important for her to play an active role in the treatment of her disease, she said, often advocating for herself. Over time, she found herself offering support and advice to other patients who had just started their own journeys with cancer treatment.
In 2016, Champion’s treatment ended with her in remission, after completing chemotherapy, radiation treatment and surgeries. Her work with breast cancer was just beginning, however.
As a breast patient navigator, Champion is connected with patients who are beginning treatments that include surgery, chemotherapy, radiation or hormone therapy. She acts as a liaison and bridge between patients and a care team, advocating for the patient’s needs, answering questions she might have, and working to alleviate fears and concerns.
Jana Sell, another navigator at Cape Fear Valley, is not a survivor herself, but she has worked in the medical field for more than 18 years. Four years ago, her best friend was diagnosed with breast cancer, and Sell found herself going with her friend to medical appointments and helping her by taking notes.
“She jokes and tells people I was navigating her before I came on with the hospital,” she said.
Sell started working at the Breast Care Center in 2021. She said she's a “go-between” for the patients and the doctors, easing the process for patients as they schedule follow-up appointments or look to reach out to their providers.
“(They) can just kind of put their mind at ease, until they get where they need to be,” she said.
Sell said her job gives her a different perspective. Being in the medical field eventually becomes “second nature” and it sometimes becomes hard to remember that for most cancer patients, it’s their first time coping with the disease.
“You want to have someone that's rallying for you, you know, that's pushing these barriers down,” she said.
Sell works with about 20 patients in varying stages of care. According to Champion, the center sees 375 or so patients a year for cancer treatment.
Both Champion and Sell are advocates for early detection, since it leads to much better outcomes. The American Cancer Society reports that with early detection, the five-year relative survival rate for localized breast cancer is 99%.
For Champion, that meant advocating for herself when it came to her treatment plan and expediting the process, despite her low-risk level.
“I thank God every day that I advocated and was heard and got that biopsy,” she said. “My story would have been a lot different if I would have waited until after I gave birth.”
Sell highlighted Know Your Lemons, a breast cancer awareness campaign, as a helpful resource. The nonprofit offers guides on the signs and symptoms of breast cancer, risk factors, as well as how to do routine self-examinations.
Cape Fear Valley Breast Cancer Center also has resources on its website for routine testing, genetic testing, and other ways to promote early detection of the disease.
Contact Char Morrison at cmorrison@cityviewnc.com.
