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Memphis woman speaks on breast cancer journey, how clinical trials helped

For Memphis resident Amy Pollan, her family is her fight.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The Junior League of Memphis and Vitalant have partnered to raise awareness to breast cancer and the need for blood donations. More than 25% of blood donations go to cancer patients. 

A member of the Junior League of Memphis who is fighting stage IV breast cancer spoke about her journey.

“If anyone ever asks me, they’re the reason I get up every day. They’re the reason that I keep going,” said Amy Pollan, a breast cancer survivor. 

For Pollan, her family is her fight.

“In 2017, I’d been on a run in the neighborhood with my two kids. It was hot. When I came home, I sat back on the couch and was kind of grabbing catching my breath. I kind of felt a lump in my left breast,” said Pollan. 

She just turned 40 and was two months away from her first mammogram. Pollan saw her doctor and began testing. 

“I kind of left the biopsy knowing that it was cancer,” said Pollan. "It was cancerous."

Pollan went through eight rounds of chemo, had a bilateral mastectomy, and reconstruction; however, four years later, Pollan felt another lump.

“At that point, I was stage IV metastatic breast cancer,” said Pollan. “It has metastasized to my spine, my left lung, my chest wall, and my ribs.”

Pollan did not expect that diagnosis.

“That first couple of days was extremely hard. I thought it was doom and gloom … I was writing letters to my kids, my family. I was already ready to plan my funeral … I’m not going to be here for you for certain things as you grow older.”

That was the hardest to grapple with but a reason to fight.

“I want to grow old with my husband. I want to see my kids graduate high school. I want to see them go on to college, get married,” said Pollan.

The question wasn’t whether or not she would fight but how.

“It was going to be a really big roll of the dice for me. It was either going to be standard care or to go with this trial that I would be one of the first humans to try,” said Pollan.

She joined a clinical trial.

 “I’ve had now 42 chemo treatments and all my past scans have been stable. That means that they’re not shrinking, but they’re also not growing. I will take that over progression any day.”

She reminds herself of her fight every day.

 “I wear this bracelet that says 'Amy Strong',” said Pollan. “My goal is to beat this cancer … It’s trying to kill me, but I want to live.”

For Pollan, living is a fight in itself and her legacy proves the victory.

 “I want my legacy to be for my kids to say that my mom was so strong. She was courageous and she fought every day. My mom was a warrior. That’s what I want them to say,” said Pollan. She wants to encourage more breast cancer patients to explore clinical trials especially those diagnosed in later stages.

Vitalant and the Junior League of Memphis will be having a three-day blood drive. The drive will be October 21-22 at the Junior League of Memphis Headquarters at 3475 Central Ave. from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. and on October 24 at Believing Church at 4798 Summer Ave. from 4-7 p.m.

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