Survivor Story: An OhioHealth Associate's Breast Cancer Journey

Barbara Schmenk, an oncology advisor at OhioHealth with a background in physical therapy, has 25 years of experience working with cancer patients. Last summer, she was shocked to become a patient herself after receiving a breast cancer diagnosis. This is her survivor story in her own words.

I’ve been exposed to the cancer care processes and have been working with cancer patients for more than 25 years — but I was still shocked to be diagnosed with breast cancer last summer. After my annual screening mammogram, I was called back for additional images. This had happened before, so it wasn’t surprising. After my diagnostic mammogram, I knew this time was different. From the first day of my journey through now, I have encountered the most competent and comforting caregivers and it makes me proud to work within the oncology services here.

I was always so used to being in total control of my world. Being a patient was a big change for me and led to me learning more about myself throughout this process.

I never knew I could be so persistent and patient. Going through additional testing, two surgeries, an infection, radiation therapy and hormone therapy was all difficult. Just as I started to get my footing with one treatment, the start of the next treatment would pull them out from under me again. It felt like a reoccurring cycle where I couldn’t make progress. Persistence and commitment to my care required a lot of patience.

I did not know that I could trust so many others to guide me through my journey. I have always been a scientifically minded person, looking for data and answers to guide me through life. My family always teases that I live in a black and white world and if there is any gray, I change it to black or white. I could not do this during my journey. Researching things on my own felt very heavy and I was already carrying enough. I had to rely on my providers and medical experts to be my “science”. I trusted in their expertise to guide me through my care plan. 

I learned I could be vulnerable which was really hard for me. I tend to be very private about personal things, but in this, I found that the more I shared about how I was feeling physically and emotionally, the more my care could center around that. This is how I was ale to participate in my own care. Sharing my needs helped others make referrals and adjust my care to what I needed. This included acupuncture, massage, counseling, bra fitting and physical therapy.

Through oncology counseling, I have learned a lot about my self-talk and self-image. My counselor was able to help me think differently about my situation and identify where my self-talk and self-image could be altered. Her message was always to be kind to myself and to celebrate the small wins. The tools she offered have helped with the anxiety I feel when talking about my journey and at medical appointments.

Here’s my biggest learning: I learned that my professional experience as an oncology physical therapist did not mean I should be my own. After weeks of doing my own “therapy” and working through some shoulder and chest tightness, I realized I was not getting very far. Admitting that I needed help from my own profession was hard. However, one of the best decisions in my care was switching to taking care of myself instead of creating my own therapy plan. This allowed me to focus on my recovery in a different way. My therapist was also able to identify other deficits that needed to be addressed outside of the original concern I had with my shoulder.

I learned how to celebrate being a survivor. After months of surgeries and radiation therapy, my family and friends started sending me “survivor” shirts and signs. But at the time, I was still not feeling great and not feeling like a survivor. I am cancer free. I am a survivor. But I still have medications to take, a skincare regimen to complete and exercises to do. It still felt like a lot. Nine months since diagnosis and I am starting to feel like myself again. To celebrate, I have decided to add a breast cancer awareness ribbon to a tattoo I already have. While working on the design, I decided to add “Survivor” to the ribbon. This is my “Keep Making Plans” moment.

To learn more about breast cancer care at OhioHealth, click here.