Wednesday, August 26, 2015 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
7
Cancer survivors thrive together
By Jodi schneider McNamee
Correspondent
When Sisters resident
Jeanie Ogden was diagnosed
with breast cancer just over
a year ago, she was stunned.
Breast cancer didn’t even run
in her family.
A c c o r d i n g t o w w w.
breastcancer.org, there are
about 190,000 new cases of
invasive breast cancer and
60,000 cases of non-invasive
breast cancer this year in
American women.
Just being a woman is the
biggest risk-factor for devel-
oping breast cancer.
“Everything happened
very quickly. After my annual
mammogram, I was told that
my doctor wanted me right
back for a second image. I
ended up with a biopsy that
day,” Ogden said. “I got
the results the next day and
within a couple of days, I had
an appointment for surgery
two weeks later to remove
the invasive cancer.”
Ogden underwent a
lumpectomy on her right
breast.
“I was very lucky my sen-
tinel lymph nodes were clear
and the tumor wasn’t that
big. It was extremely slow-
growing and a non-aggres-
sive cancer,” Ogden said.
Ogden needed to follow
up with radiation for five
weeks following the surgery.
“I was just going to deal
with the situation, and so the
day after surgery I was out
riding my bicycle,” Ogden
said.
Just about the time Ogden
was finishing with her radia-
tion, she noticed that a new
family had moved into the
neighborhood with a black
Labrador retriever.
Ogden had dogs grow-
ing up, but decided on cats
as she matured. She and her
husband Andy are pet par-
ents to two cats that live with
them in their comfortable
home on Whychus Creek.
The new neighborhood
dog was usually outside in
the family’s yard. Ogden
would glance at the good-
looking Labrador every now
and then as she worked out-
side, not only because the
dog was pretty but because
Ogden needed an exercise
routine and just maybe, that
black Lab did too.
“I finally got up enough
nerve to ask the dog’s fam-
ily if I could walk her on a
daily basis. I was happy that
Jay Jay would be able to join
me on my exercise routine,”
Ogden said. “It was like a
new lease on life; I had a
wonderful new friend to
share my walks on the trail
with.”
Ogden looked forward to
walking Jay Jay every day
and it became a therapeutic
routine.
“She’s all nose and all ears
when we’re out on the trail.
She really channels her inner
hunter when we are walking
and is oblivious to anything
else, including other dogs,”
Ogden said.
The events that followed
seemed more like a seren-
dipitous synchronicity than
coincidence.
“One day as Jay Jay
and I were walking on the
Peterson Ridge trail we met
up with Dr. Dana Bailey, a
veterinarian at Broken Top
Veterinarian Clinic,” Ogden
explained. “I guess it was by
habit, because she checked
Jay Jay over for lumps and
bumps, and then commented
on the obvious lump that was
protruding from Jay Jay’s
chest. She mentioned that I
should get it checked out.”
Ogden mentioned running
into Dr. Bailey to Jay Jay’s
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family.
Her family agreed to take
her to Dr. Bailey at Broken
Top Veterinary Clinic and
found out that the lump was
cancerous. It was in early
February 2015.
“I felt a sense of urgency
for Jay Jay, because when I
was diagnosed with breast
cancer I had surgery very
quickly and I thought that
acting rapidly was an impor-
tant factor in her case,”
Ogden said.
It was a financial burden
for Jay Jay’s family to con-
tinue with surgery, so Ogden
offered to adopt Jay Jay, so
she could have the best of
care.
“I had wanted to adopt her
anyway; we were so bonded
after months of walking
together,” Ogden explained.
“Soon after that, her
owner called me on
Valentine’s Day and said that
we could have Jay Jay. It was
a heart-wrenching decision
that affected both of us. He
cared so much for her that he
wanted only the best for her.
“Jay Jay had a mast cell
tumor. It almost looked like a
pink hairless sac hanging off
her skin. Her tumor was big
and they usually are smaller,
like a pimple,” Dr. Bailey
said. “It was a huge surgery
for Jay Jay, but we got the
whole thing off and she’s
doing well with that.
“After surgery Jay Jay
was drowsy, but by the next
morning she was already up
and wagging her tail,” Ogden
said. “But during surgery to
photo by Jodi schneideR McnaMee
Jeanie ogden and Jay Jay are cancer survivors.
remove the tumor Dr. Bailey
noticed a benign mass under
her tongue, eosinophilic
Granuloma, a hyper response
by the immune system, or an
immunity problem.”
Ogden has Jay Jay on a
special diet for that prob-
lem. Right now, Jay Jay is
cancer-free.
“My life revolves around
Jay Jay, and every morning
we go for a long walk down
the Peterson Ridge trail
together. Then another out-
ing during the day and then
one walk after dinner. Its
great exercise for both of us,”
Ogden said.
“We also found out that
Jay Jay’s first family had
her trained as a therapy dog
and had purchased her as a
puppy. That explains why she
is so calm and well-behaved.
We are actually her third and
last family; she has found her
forever home with us!”