A breast cancer journey has given her purpose
By Shannon Traphagen

 

A six-year breast cancer survivor, Tamala Ebo, known as Tamee by friends and family, says she couldn’t see the future right away after being diagnosed. It was at a routine check-up with her primary care physician in 2013 when it was recommended that she make an appointment for a breast exam. Tamee was diagnosed with stage three double-negative breast cancer, a highly aggressive form that had a high likelihood of spreading to other areas of her body, which made her decide to have a single mastectomy in February of 2014 at just 37 years old.

“I had been doing self-exams for a long time, just because I knew it was good to be proactive. My breast had felt really sore at that time, but I was not expecting to hear the words ‘breast cancer.’ I panicked and called my mom. I was so nervous; the thoughts that run through your mind when you hear those words can be dark and scary,” said Tamee.

According to the American Cancer Society, five to 10 percent of breast cancer cases are thought to be hereditary, passed on from an inherited gene mutation. However, in Tamee’s case, there were no immediate family members with cancer or the genetic mutation. “I had two cousins with breast cancer, but no immediate family members, and my BRCA tests were negative. So, I was surprised when I found out,” she says. Like, Tamee, many believe that the absence of a family history or a genetic mutation prevents them from getting breast cancer. However, the truth is that the average woman in the United States has roughly a one in eight, or about 12 percent, risk of developing breast cancer in her lifetime, regardless of these factors.

Tamee’s journey was not an easy one. During chemotherapy, she had an allergic reaction to the type of chemo they were using and fell gravely ill. The doctors put her in a medically induced coma for three days. “I have two children, a son, 22, and a daughter, 17, who is just starting college. I was told that my son knelt by my bedside to pray during that time. I don’t remember much of it.”

Tamee says that her faith and hope carried her through. “I had a conversation with God, I remember it so clearly. He told me my journey was purposeful. I didn’t get it at the time, but I’m starting to get it now.” Today, Tamee owns a dance company and hopes in the near future to help women and children with cancer through dance.

“I’d like to use dance as therapy and be a resource to help others through this journey. My family and the kids I teach give me life. I give back because so much has been given to me,” she says, adding, “I’m a fighter—my purpose now is to fight for others going through this.”