Breast Cancer Awareness Month - Faith Dawson

Shawn Kennedy
Sep 29
2 min read

"I was given the option to have a mastectomy or a lumpectomy but I was getting married in six months (October 2018)."

During the first week of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, TEAM CHICAGO is highlighting one of our members, Faith Dawson. Dawson is a 57-year-old mother of two sons; Chapter President of the Sigma Epsilon Zeta Chapter of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc.; Iowa State Nominating Chairperson; a retired Chicago police officer; lifetime member of The National Hook-Up of Black Women, Inc.; and member of Light House Church of All Nations.

Faith Dawson: “I received annual mammograms starting in my 40s. After my doctor later found calcifications in my right breast tissue, my mammograms changed to every six months. During a checkup one year later around April 2018, my doctor recommended a biopsy due to increased levels of calcifications. It was malignant so I was scheduled to see an oncologist and surgeon. My lymph nodes were fine. I was given the option to have a mastectomy or a lumpectomy but I was getting married in six months (October 2018). So I made another appointment with a different doctor for a second opinion.

During that examination, they conducted an ultrasound, MRI and biopsy on the other side of my right breast. I was told that I was not a candidate for a lumpectomy. The cancer was contained in a small area in the milk duct, known as Ductal Carcinoma In Situ (DCIS). The doctor told me to go ahead with my wedding plans and she would plan my surgery in January 2019. The doctor made me feel very comfortable and explained things to me in detail. The team of doctors at Rush Hospital were phenomenal and were a good support system. A friend referred me to the Rush team. She had a more aggressive form of breast cancer and had gone through a double mastectomy and reconstructive surgery herself. I was 50 when I had my mastectomy in January 2019, and reconstructive surgery in June. I took Tamoxifen for five years after surgery and I am a breast cancer survivor and cancer free for six years. I still get a mammogram and ultra sound every year. I feel very blessed based on what I went through. I had good support from my family and church. My message to other women is to take everything about your body seriously. Don’t neglect regular checkups and mammograms. Ask questions and know what is covered.”

#WalkingWednesdays #2ndYearAnniversary #WalkingForAHealthyHeart #TeamChicago #TeamNittany #TeamLosAngeles #BreastCancerAwarenessMonth #FaithDawson #MammogramsSavesLives #IAmASurvivor #SixYearsCancerFree