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Koko McDowell

In December of 2004 at the age of 28, I felt changes in my right breast.  After visiting with my doctor in January 2005, I was advised that I had a cyst that was not cancerous.  As the “cyst” continued to grow in size, it also grew to be very painful and I found myself frequently in my doctor’s office questioning the pain, mass, cyst, and discomfort that was becoming more profound.  After four months of prescribed testing and reexamining of my right breast, again, I was reassured that I only had a cyst.  However, I disagreed with my physician’s diagnosis and requested to have it removed as a precautionary measure to give me a peace of mind and reassurance for my family and future husband, as I became engaged on March 30, 2005.

  On July 13, 2005, the surgeon opened my right breast and found three tumors and my lymph nodes under my right arm overflowing with cancer.  On July 15th the cancer was confirmed by the lab and on July 25th I transferred my services to the City of Hope for treatment.  During my consultation with my soon to be Surgeon and Oncologist, I was advised that I didn't just have breast cancer, I had Inflammatory Breast Cancer and my treatment would be very aggressive.  The initial plan was for me to have treatment biweekly for six consecutive months, which would affect my wedding date of October 29, 2005  because it was in the middle of my chemotherapy schedule.  Fortunately, my Oncologist was sympathetic and allowed for an extra week before my scheduled treatment and I was able to get married, bald head and all.

  After only four months of intensive chemotherapy my surgeon and oncologist agreed that the tumors had shrunk enough and could be removed.  On December 27, 2005, I had a mastectomy and my right breast and most of my lymph nodes in my right underarm were removed.  On January 3, 2006 , I was advised that the chemotherapy was very effective and it did not appear that the cancer spread within my body.  As a result of the mastectomy, I lost 90 percent mobility in my right arm, subsequently, in February 2006, I began physical therapy to regain movement. Simultaneously, I underwent radiation therapy as a precautionary measure just in case the cancer metastasis (spread).

  Then, in July 2006, three lumps formed in my left breast, however not cancerous at the time.  For months my surgeon watched these lumps and they were growing slowly.  As an IBC patient, my surgeon and I agreed that a mastectomy of the left breast was necessary because the two lumps were very suspicious and the statistics for a reoccurrence were not in my favor.  Thus, we arranged to have a skin spearing mastectomy and reconstructive surgery of both breast at the same time.  On July 2, 2007, I underwent a 16 hour surgery where the tissue in my left breast was removed and both breast were reconstructed with the tissue, some muscles and blood vessels from my stomach.  With few complications, I am proud to say that I have recovered from that quite well.  Amazingly, my husband and I welcomed our son, Christian Elisha McDowell, into the world in March 2010 and we truly believe he is our miracle child.   
 
  I thank God for the large prayer team I had working with me during this journey.  I know the Lord has a plan for my life.  This journey was just a way for me to show Him how much I trust Him with my life and how it is so important that we as Christians “trust in the Lord with all [our] heart[s] and lean not to [our] own understanding.” Prov. 3:5

Because of my experience with IBC and resources I have gained along the way, I was inspired to start a foundation that would help support cancer patients undergoing treatment with non medical expenses and educate others about IBC.  Like many aggressive forms of cancer, timing is critical for IBC victims and according to my research, education is lacking for this rare form of cancer.  Even more importantly, the proper treatment of IBC is critical to a person’s survival rate, however, often times IBC is mistaken for a rash and is misdiagnosed.

The Kommah Seray Inflammatory Breast Cancer Foundation is a non-profit 501 (c) (3) organization that seeks to meet the challenges of educating others about IBC, while becoming a breath of fresh air for all cancer patients. 

Hello, my name is Kommah Seray McDowell and I am a walking miracle.