Shadah Arnette
A Heart for Breast Cancer Awareness
When Brunswick native Shadah Arnette was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer at the age of 42, she was stunned.
“My husband found it (tumor) in my right breast on Oct. 22, 2018,” she said. After scheduling a mammogram with her primary physician, Dr. Trent Schueneman, she was diagnosed in November. According to The Centers for Disease Control (CDC), unlike other forms of breast cancer, triple negative does not have any of the receptors that are commonly found in breast cancer and is generally found in younger women. “Dr. (Antonio) Moran (her oncologist), said they don’t know what causes triple negative.” Whatever the cause of her particular type of cancer, African American and Hispanic women are at higher risk of triple negative breast cancer, according to the American Cancer Society (ACS).
Thankfully, Shadah said, her cancer was caught at stage one, but she had to undergo a lumpectomy, followed by months of chemotherapy, radiation and breast reconstruction. Also in her favor—she tested negative for the BRACA gene that can increase the chance of developing both breast and ovarian cancers.