For so many reasons, Melissa Tierney says she’s one of the lucky ones.
Diagnosed last spring with HER2-positive breast cancer, Tierney said loving support from her union community and strong treatment protocols improved her odds of survival.
“If this was 10 years ago, this would have been a death sentence, but research has really turned this around and made this one of the cancers with the highest survival rates,” said Tierney, a member of NYSUT’s Board of Directors and a math teacher at Wallkill Senior High School.
NYSUT has been a flagship sponsor for the American Cancer Society’s Making Strides Against Breast Cancer events for 23 years. During that time, NYSUT members have raised more than $18 million to support groundbreaking breast cancer research, ensure greater access to quality care, influence public policy, and provide critical patient support.
Tierney’s own breast cancer journey was hard, but she remains grateful for NYSUT’s support.
“It was a long haul, but it’s because of my NYSUT family that I got through it,” Tierney said. “That’s what we do. We organize.”
Initially, Tierney sought treatment at a local breast care center, but when scans revealed that a lymph node was involved, a friend convinced her to transfer to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. The care there was top-notch but required weekly trips to Westchester for chemotherapy for four months, then daily trips for radiation for another six weeks, followed by infusion therapy every three weeks. “It was really something how people just quietly and without fanfare kept supporting me,” Tierney said.
The treatments took a toll on Tierney, who was hospitalized twice for dehydration. When she couldn’t keep anything down, it was her NYSUT colleagues who did research and discovered a plant-based medical food specially formulated for cancer patients, she said. “Then cases just started showing up at my house.” Colleagues also filled in for her in class and even made regular deposits to her Venmo.
Tierney said the support was unbelievable and moving. “I’ll be the first one to jump in and help someone, but it’s really hard for me to ask for help,” she said.
The cancer diagnosis was like a weight she carried, and it didn’t fully lift until she had her port removed. “Suddenly, I could laugh easier. I could take a deep breath again. I felt lighter,” she said. “Slowly, things are becoming normal again.”
If Tierney had any advice for others, it would be to get regular mammograms and ultrasounds, and in the event of a positive result, lean on your network.
“Reach out to your community, because you will need support,” Tierney. “Don’t stay quiet. Find that one person you can talk to and ask for help.”