Breast cancer survivor Victoria Carter braved a difficult diagnosis with hope and support from family, sorority
The power of positivity helped Victoria Carter, 50, through her breast cancer treatment journey, along with a rich support system, her care team at Beaufort Memorial and a whole heap of hope.
Victoria was a Beaufort County elementary school teacher until early 2022 when she became a caretaker for her father. During that time, she was diagnosed with stage 2B triple negative invasive ductal carcinoma after feeling a lump in her right breast, near the nipple.
She didn’t initially think that the lump could indicate cancer; she’d had her son Connor at age 36 and had struggled with duct blockages afterwards, so she assumed that the lump was related to those past conditions.
Her daughter, Christian, who was 23 at the time, encouraged her mom to speak with her doctor about the lump. After a conversation with her gynecologist, who then hurried to get her scheduled for a mammogram right away, Victoria was diagnosed with the aggressive form of breast cancer.
“I didn’t think it was anything big. I thought it was nothing,” she admitted. “The radiologist came in and told me it was cancer. My nurse then was so good to me; she hugged me and told me she was sorry.”
The next thing that Victoria had to do – before even telling her loved ones, before beginning treatment – was internalize what that diagnosis meant for her.
“I was in denial,” she said. “I just wasn’t educated about it. People think that when you’re diagnosed, it’s something you should have known about, but it really wasn’t in my circle at the time.”
A Difficult Treatment and a Supportive Care Team
Things moved fast for Victoria following her April 2022 diagnosis. Her treatment at the Beaufort Memorial Keyserling Cancer Center included immunotherapy, chemotherapy and radiation, and the course of treatment took a huge toll on her physically.
She received care from two Beaufort Memorial oncologists at the Keyserling Cancer Center, as well as had her lumpectomy performed by Dr. Tara Grahovac, a board-certified and fellowship trained breast oncology surgeon who sees patients as a part of the Beaufort Memorial Breast Care & Surgery Program. She received radiation treatment under the care of Dr. Jonathan Briggs with Beaufort Memorial Radiation Oncology.
Another critical part of Victoria’s treatment journey was Kianna Brown, LMSW, an oncology social worker at Beaufort Memorial. Brown brought her bubbly personality to Victoria’s journey, and her sparkle was much appreciated.
“I really appreciate Kianna being there; her personality kept me going during treatment,” Victoria said.
Pairing both family support and care, Victoria’s niece Alayshia used her passion for beauty to craft her aunt’s wigs throughout her treatment. These wigs made her feel more like herself and were a crucial form of self-care.
Treatment had some strong physical side effects for the former teacher, but because of the support from her Beaufort Memorial care team, her family and her sorority, Beaufort Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta, she persevered through illness and completed treatment in August 2023.
Despite Victoria’s “long and challenging journey,” Brown said, her huge heart shone through.
"She and her sorority sisters would still put together care packages for the infusion center to hand out to other patients to let them know that others were rooting for them,” Brown recalled. “I was more than happy to be present with her in her moments of fear because being alone can be so incredibly scary and vulnerable.”
The Importance of Education
After a cancer diagnosis, there’s a lot of information to take in, on top of navigating natural body changes that occur during the aging process.
“There is so much that I have learned, just being older and your body changing and learning how to accept not having the body or hormones you used to have,” Victoria said. “These things need to be taught in schools. There needs to be more awareness in younger people.”
That education should encompass more than just basic sex education, she said. It should dig deeper into why women check their breasts and what to do if a woman does feel a lump.
“I think a lot of people don’t understand; they just go and do it and don’t know why,” she said. “And they don’t know who to go to next.”
Her own diagnosis and treatment journey was an educational one for her, and she dedicated herself to researching triple-negative invasive ductal carcinoma, an aggressive form of cancer that, according to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, disproportionately affects Black and Hispanic women.
That need for education spreads beyond learning about the diagnosis, the courses of treatment and where to go for answers.
Victoria, throughout her treatment, sought help for her mental health to help her through the ups and the downs of chemo, immunotherapy and radiation, but there’s a family component that should be prioritized, too, she said.
“After my treatment was over, I took it upon myself to see a psychologist at Beaufort Memorial to start talking about my feelings. No one at home understands; they haven’t been through it,” she explained. “And family counseling is important, too…we don’t think about the kids and what they’re going through.”
Kids feel it all. During her own journey, Victoria’s son Connor was in elementary school, and he felt the ripple effect of his mom’s diagnosis.
“How do you explain that your mom can’t even get up some days? There were days when I couldn’t walk,” she remembered. “How do you explain to a kid why their mom looks so different?”
Victoria’s resilience, and the resilience of her family as she underwent treatment, was bolstered by the love and support from her network.
The Power of Positivity
Victoria’s strong support system comprised of family, friends and her sorority sisters was what kept her going and got her through her treatment, through the side effects, the fatigue, the anxiety and the stress.
The power of their positivity was stronger than all of it.
“During my treatment, I had friends that would call me every day,” Victoria said. “They’d send me a message every day to keep my mental health and my mindset above water.”
Her twofold message to anyone experiencing a cancer diagnosis is a simple yet powerful one: surround yourself with positivity and listen to your body. “Each journey is so different. I believe in the power of positivity,” she said. “Having a positive mind gives me the hope of a positive outcome. When you’re going through it, you experience all the negative parts of it. You need positivity around you. My friends calling me, my sorority, they poured that hope into me.”
Be proactive about your breast health. Request an appointment for a screening mammogram at the Breast Health Centers in Beaufort and Okatie, or at Island Imaging on Hilton Head Island, or schedule one by calling 843-522-5015.