Breast Cancer Survivor: Dr. Anya Silver Shares Her Story

This week, Her Campus is focusing on breast cancer awareness. More than likely, you know at least one person who has been affected by this horrible disease, and unfortunately, one of our own members of Mercer University’s faculty has had to experience this battle. I had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Anya Silver, one of Mercer’s fantastic English professors, about her experience living with breast cancer. Though having cancer is a very personal and emotional experience, Dr. Silver agreed to share her story with Her Campus Mercer.

The questions were kept very general to allow Dr. Silver to answer them as personally as was comfortable to her.

When did you find out you had cancer?

Dr. Silver was diagnosed in 2004 with Inflammatory Breast Cancer (Stage IV Metastatic Cancer), a rare and rapidly expanding form of breast cancer. Generally, IBC causes the breast to become swollen; Dr. Silver stated that her left breast was noticeably bigger than her right. Her breast also felt different: harder, unlike a normal breast. While these symptoms coincide directly with IBC, Dr. Silver was pregnant during the time of her diagnoses, a factor which made her midwife believe her swollen breast was caused by her pregnancy. Swollen breasts are normal for women expecting, but when Dr. Silver’s breast remained swollen, her doctor decided to run tests.

How did you feel after receiving the news?

“Bad, sad, angry. Especially angry because I was pregnant.”

Pregnancy is supposed to be a happy time in a woman’s life, a celebration of new life. But for Dr. Silver, battling cancer made it very challenging to be optimistic about the birth of her child.

What was the most challenging part of your experience?

In general: Dr. Silver shared that worrying was and is a big part of her life. When her son was born, she worried about his wellbeing. Motherhood can be stressful in itself, but Dr. Silver also had to struggle with the fear of leaving her son in the event of her death. She also experienced “frequent panic spirals”, worrying if her cancer would come back at full force. Due to constantly watching for symptoms, it was hard to relax.

Treatment: The most challenging part of her treatment, she noted, is the fatigue. Though she did not experience other direct side effects from treatment, Dr. Silver was zapped of her energy, making it very hard to focus. Because of her constant tiredness, teaching has become more difficult. “I’m exhausted after a class,” she said.

Who or what was the most comforting/supporting in your life?

Upon diagnoses, Dr. Silver found online support groups. She connected with women who were going through the same experience, offering support to one another. Though she did not meet these women but a few times outside of the online sphere, they all became great friends.

She also said that her husband, Andrew Silver, was another important figure of support.

What advice would you give women who find out they have breast cancer?

She says that monitoring your cancer is something very essential and helps you come to terms with the reality of your condition. When living with cancer, it is imperative to not be overly optimistic or pessimistic about your situation, but to “have a realistic outlook on life.”

Dr. Silver also stresses the importance of community. She encourages those with cancer to find other survivors to talk with about their experiences.

Dr. Silver also expressed her opinion about Breast Cancer Awareness Month. She said that much of the breast cancer community is “tired of pink…tired of awareness.” While it is a good thing to be aware of breast cancer and for women to continue to take the necessary precautions, Dr. Silver feels that the idea of awareness undermines the severity of breast cancer. Just because you pin on a pink ribbon does not make breast cancer any less life-threatening. 25% of people diagnosed die. Dr. Silver also brought attention to the increased cure rate for breast cancer. Because of the awareness campaign, more women are getting tested, and many cases found are not considered malignant. However, while the cure rate increases, the death rate does not decrease. The same amount of deaths due to breast cancer has remained the same, which highlights the need for more research rather than more awareness.

Her Campus Mercer thanks Dr. Silver for taking the time to share her story and providing our readers with first-hand knowledge about breast cancer and further educating the community about the need for more research rather than only awareness.