Lorrie Irwin never saw a doctor until 1998.
That was the year she turned 36, and was diagnosed with leukemia after running a 104-degree fever for four days.
“Not a good idea,” she said of her reluctance to see a medical professional. “It was a wakeup call. My most important thought for anyone is, please go to a doctor.”
Experts from the MedStar Health Cancer Network will answer calls and questions about breast cancer myths and genetics Wednesday, Oct. 19, 2016 between 4:30 and 6:30 p.m. Call 410-481-2222.
She beat the disease then—only to have breast cancer invade her body four years later.
In retrospect, the Middle River woman said, it shouldn’t have surprised her. Breast cancer runs on her mother’s side of the family.
After aggressive treatments and having both of her breasts removed, Irwin’s breast cancer went into remission before returning in 2010. A doctor told her she had less than a year to live.
“I said, oh hell no,” Irwin, now 54, recalled.
She began undergoing treatment under the watch of Dr. Mahsa Mohebtash at MedStar Union Memorial Hospital, where she has worked as a receptionist for 15 years. And once again, she made it through to the other side.
The whole ordeal has made Irwin “a wildly different person,” she said.
“Just because you’re diagnosed with something, it doesn’t mean it’s the end,” Irwin said. “It could mean a whole new beginning.”
She says that’s what her history of cancer has meant for her. In the almost two decades since her first diagnosis, she’s ended an abusive marriage, quit smoking and met her girlfriend, Donna Marshall.
“She said, I don’t know how much longer I have to live,” Marshall said in a recent interview. “And I said, well, neither do I, so let’s live day by day.”
Irwin attributes her positive outlook on life to her faith, saying she believes God has kept her alive because she still has a purpose on earth.
“Never give up. You don’t know what God’s plans are for you,” she said.
But Irwin says she has an even more important message, and it’s something women and men need to hear before they are diagnosed.
“Early detection. Then you wouldn’t have to go through having both your breasts removed as I did, having massive amounts of chemo,” Irwin said. “These things could happen to you. It’s very important to see your doctor and get checked early.”
To her dismay, she said, she still has family members who refuse to get mammograms, despite the family history of breast cancer.
Yes, it’s uncomfortable, she said, shaking her head.
But it’s vital.
“Don’t be afraid to be tested like I was,” Irwin said.
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