Surrounded By Support

A Montclair woman gets through cancer treatments with a little help from many.

Jerrie Robinson does not like to use the term “breast cancer.” She prefers to refer to it as B.C. “It was a more acceptable way for me to describe what I was going through,” explains the 25-year Montclair resident, referring to her bout with breast cancer and subsequent chemotherapy and radiation treatments. “‘Breast cancer’ has such a cold connotation. Saying ‘B.C.’ made it easier to accept.”

And the former Newark science teacher wasn’t shy about letting others know that she needed their help. “I called 20 friends and told them that I needed them to be supportive and to be here for me with whatever I needed,” she recalls. “And they agreed.”

It was last fall when Robinson, who was 68 at the time, says she discovered the lump in her left breast while watching a football game with a friend. “I rubbed my hand across my chest and felt something,” she explains. “I thought, ‘Wait a minute. That feels like a lump.’”

A mammography detected the mass and a biopsy confirmed that it was Stage 2 cancer. A lumpectomy was suggested, but Robinson opted for a mastectomy. “I thought about it and decided I would stand a better chance if they removed the entire breast,” she says. The surgery included removing the axillary lymph nodes, which resulted in lymphedema, a condition that occurs when the vessels that carry lymph fluid become blocked and potentially cause swelling in the arm, hand or fingers.

Thanks to a Susan G. Komen grant to the Saint Barnabas Medical Center Foundation, Robinson received the physical therapy and compression garments she needed to treat the condition. “It was really great,” she says, expressing her gratitude to both Komen and the Saint Barnabas Lymphedema Center. “I couldn’t have gotten through this without their help.”

Robinson is thankful for the assistance she received from many sources—her two children, friends, neighbors, a visiting nurse, the free county bus transportation and her faith. “I know I’m here because of God,” she says. “Seeing all the love and support I got, I know that God played a hand in that.”

In May, Robinson organized a team for the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure in West Orange. On the day of the event she was too weak to walk, so her team convinced her to sit out while they walked on her behalf. Robinson’s team raised $1,000.

While the treatments slowed her down at times, Robinson never doubted that she’d get back on her feet. There was too much to live for, including her three granddaughters in California, ages 15, 12 and 10, and some unfinished business. “There are things on my bucket list that I would like to do,” she says. Topping the list is traveling to Europe and visiting every U.S. state. As for the latter, she has 30 states to go.

Robinson hopes to celebrate Breast Cancer Awareness Month by getting back to her routine at the YMCA, which includes walking several miles on the treadmill, lifting weights and doing water aerobics.

She certainly is more than ready. “As my friend recently said, ‘You got rid of B.C. Now it’s time to party!’”