For Sara Brown del Pozo, 2021 to 2022 brought a rollercoaster of changes.
When she was diagnosed with breast cancer last summer, Sara's initial focus was on surviving. "I had two close friends pass away from breast cancer. I didn't know anyone who was a survivor and who had done well in the process. I just knew people who had died," she says.
Since then, the 34-year-old Havertown resident has had two surgeries, chemotherapy and radiation therapy. She has also discovered how to tap into her inner peace and use her passion for art to thrive. "I feel like a totally different person than I was last year," she says.
An Unexpected Finding
During Sara's annual physical exam in March, everything was clear. Then she developed some pain in her left breast. The pain went away then returned, but she thought the discomfort was caused by hormonal changes. "Then I saw a little bit of dimpling in the skin, like a little puckering," she says.
Skin dimpling and breast pain can both be breast cancer symptoms. Like Sara, almost 290,000 women in the U.S. are newly diagnosed with invasive breast cancer each year.
Sara's nurse practitioner ordered a mammogram, which was abnormal. Later that day, she had a breast biopsy. That's when she learned she had breast cancer.
Sara was seeking the best treatment for BRCA related breast cancers and heard about the research being completed at Penn through a local friend. She encouraged Sara to go to Penn Medicine for treatment. Sara called a breast cancer nurse navigator who arranged an appointment with breast surgeon Julia Tchou, MD, PhD. "Penn was amazing. I did not feel like I was a number when people walked into the room," she says.
Sara's genetic tests showed that she has a BRCA2 gene mutation. This meant that she was at higher risk for the cancer to recur. Because of this, Dr. Tchou recommended that Sara have a bilateral mastectomy, a surgery to remove both of her breasts.
Searching for Inner Peace
The news about the high-risk breast cancer was distressing. "I was having major anxiety and PTSD because my father died from pancreatic cancer when he was 44," Sara says. "No one in my past ever told me about BRCA or to get tested."
Sara has been married to her husband, Fernando, for 10 years. "I have a really supportive spouse, but I respect the fact that he's not a mental health counselor," she explains. "I needed to find a healthy way to manage the anxiety."
The mother of one of Sara's friends is a counselor and hypnotherapist. Sara went to see her and had a hypnotherapy session. "It felt like being taught how to visualize and tap into my real consciousness, to turn off the constant chatter in my brain and learn how to listen to my inner self." The therapist gave her an audio recording of that session.
To help prepare for surgery, Sara listened to the recording for at least 15 minutes each day as a form of guided meditation; she also did visualization meditations. Taking the time to meditate and visualize her recovery became an integral part of her recovery. "Meditation helped me regain control of my healing," she explains. "It was my favorite part of my day. It felt like something I could do. It felt like homework."
Last August, Dr. Tchou performed a double mastectomy. The surgery revealed that the cancer had spread to one of the surrounding lymph nodes. In total, Dr. Tchou removed 13 of Sara's lymph nodes, where the cancer was most likely to spread.
A couple of weeks after surgery, Sara started chemotherapy. Her infusions were every other week for four months, overseen by a Penn Medicine hematologist, Ingrid Kohut, DO.
One of the expected side effects of chemotherapy is hair loss. Sara opted to use a cold cap, a treatment that cools the scalp and may help reduce hair loss. "I didn't want my son, who was 3 at the time, to see me any differently or as sick."
She also wanted to return to work as soon as possible. Sara is an occupational therapist who meets with patients in person. If she lost all her hair, she didn't want to feel obligated to explain her condition to patients.
Sara's insurance did not cover the expense of the cold cap. To help pay for that, she turned to her talent and passion for artwork – specifically painting – to generate income.
She started painting when she was a child and minored in art in college. Although she had previously sold some of her art for small commissions, it had not been a regular thing. "I started painting every day. I posted my paintings on Instagram and started selling them to pay for my cold cap," she explains.
A Transformative Journey
For Sara, painting became another form of meditation. "Painting images of my body made me feel like I had control over how I felt about the changes. It helped me to view myself as beautiful, even when I was covered in bruises and stitches."
She had a friend take photos of her body at different intervals during treatment, starting two weeks post-mastectomy. She turned the photos into mixed media artwork, layering different types of medium like oils and gold-leaf. "I planned to do an art show on my journey through this process," she says. "I felt like it was something that I could celebrate my body's change instead of mourning it."
Sara also painted other visualizations to support her healing, including cancer cells being engulfed or attacked by her body, and a mountaintop scene with clouds carrying away her anxious thoughts.
After finishing chemotherapy, Sara had a four-week break before she started radiation treatment. During that short period, she had reconstructive breast surgery. "When I first started radiation, I was so angry," she admits. "It was just a daily interruption. I was trying to work and raise a family and pursue other things, it just felt like a daily reminder that I wasn't done yet. I was still sick."
Yet the combined meditations, visualizations and artwork continued to empower Sara. "You have more power than you think you do. You feel like you're on a train that won't stop, and your doctors are in charge, and your whole schedule has been destroyed by medical appointments and tests," she says. "You can be angry, and you can be miserable and upset, or you can use the time to be present with your family. And if you control your thoughts, it does help you be more present and enjoy every day."
She had 25 days of radiation treatments at Penn Medicine Radnor under the care of Ross Green, MD. "Dr. Green was incredibly supportive," she says. He encouraged Sara's artwork, which continued to evolve. In 2023, the Penn Radnor Radiation Oncology department will hang two of her paintings on permanent display in the area where patients await their treatments.
Sara's breast cancer patient story has been one of transformation. She continues to create art and showcase it on Instagram. "I always thought, ‘One day I'm going to paint more. One day I'm going to be an artist,'" she says. "Breast cancer has given me the kick in the butt to do this stuff. It's ironic, but my fear is gone. My husband calls me New Sara."
She hopes that other women will find benefit in using the same visualization and meditation techniques that are so integral to her recovery. "Regardless of your treatment plan, take quiet time each day to think about your body being strong and envision the cancer cells leaving," she advises.