Embracing the Pink
FRANKLIN TWP — Corrie Nye's bright pink wig is really her daughter Hannah's. But she's worn it to her job as orchestra and chorus director at Quaker Valley Middle School in Sewickley a few times since she's lost her hair while undergoing chemotherapy for an aggressive breast cancer.
Her wig is just one of the many changes in Nye's life since the day in April when the 42-year-old mother of three found a lump in her right breast.
“I was just changing clothes when I found it,” Nye said.
Two days later, she was in her doctor's office undergoing a mammogram.
Nye said the COVID-19 restrictions proved a blessing in this case. Because there was no one else in the office, she was able to have a mammogram, ultrasound procedure and a biopsy all in one appointment.
On April 21, Nye got the call that the tumor was “super-aggressive breast cancer.”
Nye said after meeting with her oncologist, Dr. Melissa Cyr, and her surgeon, Dr. Jacqueline Guerriero, they came up with a plan.
She started her first round of chemotherapy May 11.
“It's to kill the tumor and stop it from spreading. I'll be done Oct. 14, and then I will have three weeks of rest,” she said, before having surgery.
“I'm having a bilateral mastectomy,” she said. The decision to have both breasts removed came after doctors found a shadow in her left breast as well.
“I'm not doing this again. These cancers can come back,” said Nye of her decision.
A decision to undergo radiation therapy after the surgery is still pending.
“I don't want it coming back. If radiation is the ticket, we are doing radiation,” she said.
Her positive approach to her treatment is mirrored in her determination to lead her life as normally as possible, despite the fatigue that often accompanies the chemotherapy treatments.In addition to continuing her job at Quaker Valley Middle School, she also cares for her husband of 18 years, Kevin, and their three children, Hannah, 12; Lillian, 10; and Ethan, 6, who has hypoplastic right heart syndrome and medical issues of his own.And before she received her cancer diagnosis, she was accepted for classes to be certified in music therapy at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College in Indiana, which she is attending remotely.“I go to the school every day except for chemo days. I figure if the Good Lord gives me enough strength to get out of bed every morning, I might as well be me,” she said.She credits her faith and her family and friends — “lump them into a large village” — with helping her through this period.“Psalm 91, 'He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust,' that's been my mantra,” she said.
Of course, it helps that many of her in-laws have medical backgrounds and can answer questions as they come up.Most of Kevin Nye's family is in the medical field.And Nye credits Stacy Meyer, the oncology patient navigator for Butler Health System Cancer Support Services, for helping make this time much less scary for her children.“Stacy's the best. She was spectacular. She called me and talked about the possibility of me getting a wig,” Nye said.“I was hesitant about that. But she said, 'They need to see you normal.'“I brought the girls in and she made such a fuss over them and let them pick out hats, wigs,” she said.Nye said she let the girls shave her head when her hair began falling out. Ethan likes to rub her bald head, and Kevin shaved his own head in solidarity.“The children are not too worried. I assured them God's in control,” she said.Nye said people need to know about Meyer's services and, perhaps, consider donating hair for the halos Meyer provides to cancer patients.Nye believes the past few months have changed her.“I think my faith is stronger,” she said. “I would say I am living in the moment more.”
