When Jamie Pittman of Maben was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer at the age of 41, her sisters rallied around her. 

Jessie Wall, Vickie Anderson and Jennifer Ansley weren’t going to let their baby sister face down cancer alone. 

Triple negative breast cancer is considered an aggressive form of the disease. Jamie’s medical oncology team at North Mississippi Health Services Cancer Care in Starkville led by Dr. Paschal Wilson Jr. wanted to start chemotherapy quickly, before she had surgery.  To prepare for chemotherapy, she needed a port, a small device that connects to a vein to make it easier to draw blood and give treatments. She also required a specialized PET scan to make sure cancer wasn’t active in other parts of her body.

The same day she had the port installed in Starkville, she was scheduled to have her PET scan in Tupelo. 

“I only knew of one sister planning to be there,” Jamie said. “All of them took off work and showed up for me.” 

Better Safe Than Delayed

If Jamie had ignored a swollen lymph node in her groin and a knot in her breast, her cancer journey might have been very different. 

“They found it at an extremely early stage,” Jamie said. 

Jamie was originally more concerned about the swollen lymph node. During the visit with nurse practitioner Anna Cooper, she mentioned a knot the size of a BB that had appeared in her breast during her last cycle and hadn't subsided. Although Jamie’s routine mammogram wasn’t due for another three months, they decided to schedule a mammogram to be safe.
When imaging results were inconclusive, the team persisted in their investigation. A biopsy ultimately revealed that Jamie had triple negative breast cancer. With triple negative breast cancer, the tumor shows none of the markers that allow for targeted treatment, and it tends to be more aggressive than other forms of breast cancer. As Jamie was only 41 when she was diagnosed, her team wanted to move quickly.

“Everything happened pretty fast,” Jamie said. 

The recommendations of her surgeon, Dr. Charles Wall, and family experience all pointed to Dr. Wilson at North Mississippi Medical Center Hematology Oncology. Dr. Wilson, who sees patients in Tupelo and Starkville, had taken care of Jamie’s mother when she had lung and liver cancer. 

“I saw Dr. Wilson the next day in Starkville,” Jamie said. “The good Lord lined everything up for me; I was blessed.”

In January 2022, Jamie began chemotherapy at Cancer Care in Starkville. She was able to keep working through eight rounds of chemotherapy. On her infusion days, she would go to work early to run her routes. She didn’t have to take time off except to recover after surgery. 

“I was scared if I sat down, I wouldn’t get back up,” Jamie said. “Frito-Lay was very supportive of me.” 

In addition to her colleagues, her customers from the stores she served created an incredible circle of support through their churches. 

“Through my journey through chemo, I received letters from different churches letting me know they were praying for me,” Jamie said. “Prayer works; I was blessed to be healed.”

A Team that Listens

It wasn’t just that the Cancer Care team cared about her, Jamie said. It was that they listened to her. 

“If there was anything at all, they want to know,” Jamie said. “Because it could be something they can fix.” 

The first time she had chemotherapy, her infusion nurse Steve Rooker checked in to see if she was having any reactions. Jamie didn’t think the slight headache she had was significant, but when Steve continued to probe, she shared what she was feeling. 

“He said, ‘That just means we need to slow it down a little bit,’” Jamie remembered. 

When she had side effects from post-treatment shots, she talked to her team about the joint pain she was experiencing. After evaluating her white blood cell counts, the team decided Jamie could drop the boosters. 

“They are fantastic,” Jamie said. “They are so caring and have so much knowledge.” 

Jamie wasn’t the only member of her family impressed by the Cancer Care team in Starkville. Her sister, Jessie, who was a labor and delivery nurse at OCH Regional, would sit with her during her infusions at Cancer Care. Jessie was so impressed she ended up joining the Cancer Care team while Jamie was still in treatment. 
 

Surviving & Thriving

As she nears the fourth anniversary of her diagnosis, Jamie has been healthy. She continues to see Dr. Wilson every six months. 

“Once I get to my fifth year, I’ll start breathing a little easier,” Jamie said, looking forward to the milestone where the risk of cancer recurrence drops dramatically.

Because Jamie lost her parents to lung cancer and an uncle to melanoma, she has taken proactive steps to manage her cancer risk. She elected to have a hysterectomy to reduce cancer risk related to her triple negative breast cancer. She also went through oncology genetic counseling with Cancer Care nurse practitioner Angie Taylor. 
While she wasn’t positive for breast cancer-related genes, her genetic testing results showed an increased risk for pancreatic cancer and melanoma. To manage those risks, Jamie has additional scans to make sure any tumors are caught quickly. 

Throughout her cancer journey, Jamie maintained a forward-focused mindset, which kept her strong and resilient. 

“The good Lord prepared me,” she said. “You’ve got to have the right attitude.”