Darrin Godin: Well, Tammy, thanks so much for joining us today on Talking Hope. It's so good to see you again and thanks for making the time for us today.
Tammy McInerney: Thank you so much for having me.
Darrin Godin: For all of our listeners, we're spending some time today with Tammy McInerney, she's one of our patients here at City of Hope Orange County. She's been through a breast cancer journey and she's been so kind to share her story with us.
And so today, we're looking forward to talking to you more about what's made all the difference for you here at City of Hope Orange County, and perhaps some things you can share about your journey that'll help others as well.
Tammy McInerney: I'm thrilled to be here and I'm excited to share my story.
Darrin Godin: So Tammy, take us back. Take us back to when you were first diagnosed and tell us a little bit about your journey, where it started, and how you ended up here at City of Hope.
Tammy McInerney: Okay. I'm not sure how much you want to know, but I first noticed something was off. I started having some pain in one of my breasts and called up to get an appointment.
And I did not realize that my previous provider had switched me from yearly mammograms to every other year based on the fact that I had had three normal mammograms, three years in a row, and I was of a certain age. So I was 14 months past, so only two months past what my regular timeframe would've been. And by the time I got in for a mammogram, it was a year and a half. So I would've had to wait another six months.
And when I did go in, I thought I had to request to get a mammogram. I thought I needed a referral, I guess. And I guess you don't. You can request one, but you don't need a referral.
And they gave me a quick physical exam and said that they didn't see anything and that pain is not normally associated with breast cancer and told me to come back in six months. So I pushed back on that to get a mammogram, and good thing I did.
Darrin Godin: So tell us more. So you pushed on it because you knew your body and you felt like something was wrong.
Tammy McInerney: Right.
Darrin Godin: And so you did end up getting the exam. And what happened after that?
Tammy McInerney: They had some areas of concern. So they brought me back in and did an ultrasound and an area of concern that they wanted to biopsy.
I think another point I'd like to make is that when I came into this new provider, my old, old provider had me on 3D mammograms because of dense breasts. And when I came into this new provider, I mentioned that, and they said, "Oh, they only do 2D mammograms unless they see something."
So for three years, I only had the 2D mammograms until there was concern, and then they did the 3D.
Darrin Godin: Okay. And so then what did you do after that?
Tammy McInerney: So mammogram, ultrasound, saw something that they didn't agree with, and then they did a biopsy. And the biopsy came back with invasive ductal carcinoma, so IDC. And it just went into a flurry of things from that moment.
I did ask for some genetic testing because I had two daughters, and they were happy to provide that. And that came back about six weeks later. It takes a little while for that to come in, and did come back with a mutated gene called RAD51C.
It's not the one that everyone always thinks of. It's not the one that comes to mind to everybody. So I'm trying to find my way with learning more about that, but it makes you 10 to 15% more susceptible for ovarian cancer.
Darrin Godin: Wow. And then when did you end up at City of Hope and what brought you to City of Hope?
Tammy McInerney: I had a friend that wanted me to get a second opinion. I had gone down the path and had my treatment plan all set up.
Prior to getting my gene mutation diagnosis, I had the choice between a lumpectomy or a single mastectomy. And then once that came into play, the RAD51C, it went from a single mastectomy to the option of a double mastectomy. And I opted for the double mastectomy.
But a friend really pushed me to get a second opinion and was telling me all about City of Hope and all about the fact that one was five miles from my house, this beautiful new facility in Orange County. So I decided to call in, and the first person I spoke to was so delightful and so full of joy that really made me more want to go in there and see what it's about.
So it's those little things when people do that, go above and beyond to be kind and helpful. It really made a lasting impression on me, that one phone call.
Darrin Godin: So you came to City of Hope, and where did your journey go from there?
Tammy McInerney: The experience I had from driving into City of Hope was so amazing. You were still under construction with the hospital and there were a lot of construction workers out there, and they waved. And they were out there with a stop sign and they waved me in, and I came and parked, and someone was in a golf cart and waved at me and asked if I wanted a ride. And I said, "No, no, I'll walk."
And then walked by the valet and they greeted me. These are all things that are registering with me. And when I walked in and those sliding doors opened up, and you have that beautiful lobby desk there with the lobby ambassadors, and there were three people sitting there and they all greeted me and welcomed me.
It was just a calm came over me. It was just all the difference. Without even having met a doctor yet, I automatically did not feel like a number.
Darrin Godin: That's good. We often talk about patients come to City of Hope for the science, and then they also end up talking about how we treated them and their family when they're with us. You're touching on some of that.
So what drew you about the science and what City of Hope is known for with our expertise and our research? What was it about that that made you decide to get your treatment with City of Hope and move forward with the treatment plan that City of Hope offered?
Tammy McInerney: It was really after I met with a couple, actually one doctor automatically I knew I wanted to, Dr. Jennifer Tseng, I wanted to be there. She was so knowledgeable and so caring, and she listened to me and heard me, and I felt like we were in partnership automatically about what my treatment plan should be.
Of course, I'm a patient, so I hear the words cancer and it's like the floor just falls out from underneath you. And she was just so calming and said, "We really need to get a few more pieces of the puzzle together to figure out what the right treatment plan is for you."
And as she described to me what a cancer center does for standard operating care was by far different than what I had experienced before. She said the treatment plan they had me on was not out of the question, wasn't off course of what she would recommend, except she would like to run a couple extra tests that wasn't ran previously that is standard care for City of Hope.
And that made all the difference in the world because the MRI showed something on my sternum, and that led me to a PET scan and another biopsy. And it was discovered that the cancer was in a second location on my sternum, and that changed my treatment plan.
And that might've been something that wouldn't have been found until years down the road had I just gone in with what my original plan was, was just to go in for surgery.
Darrin Godin: Yeah, you're touching on what Dr. Tseng told you about the benefits of a NCI-designated cancer center that does more than the standard of care that most people are using, standard of care not being wrong, nothing wrong with the standard of care, but the ability to have improved diagnostics or additional research or clinical trials, those things all add to the ability to really tailor the plan for you that's best for you.
And in your case, it sounds like they were able to discover something that had not been noticed before that really certainly could have made a big difference for you had it not been realized, right?
Tammy McInerney: Correct. Could have meant years of my life.
Darrin Godin: Yeah. Wow.
Tammy McInerney: It probably does.
Darrin Godin: So you went through your treatment here at City of Hope and how are you doing today? You're looking great.
Tammy McInerney: I feel great. Thank you so much. I went through chemo and radiation and the double mastectomy, the tubes and ovaries removed. That was my most recent procedure. I feel great.
I'm on a medication regimen now and just the care with the follow-ups, with the labs and the appointments. And I'd like to touch on the fact that it's not just the medicine, medicine of it, that there's so many other aspects that are available to us at City of Hope.
The spiritual care has made an amazing difference in me, I think, as far as how I handled my treatment, to be honest with you.
Darrin Godin: Talk to us more about that. What does that mean for you?
Tammy McInerney: Well, I see Dr. Frank, and it's a mindful meditation, and I listen to the recordings that he'll send my way after we have a session. And that will be something I'll listen to before one of the surgeries.
Because you're nervous. You can't help but be nervous. Even with all the research you can possibly do, you just... I hit a panic when my husband and I drove up into the parking lot for my surgery, and I wasn't going to get out of the car. I just had a panic attack at 5:00 in the morning. I'm like, "I'm not going in. I'm not. I can't. I can't."
And he had to, "All right, let's listen to the tape and the recording." The mindful meditation was amazing. I cannot wait to experience all of the immersive experiences in the new spiritual center because that's-
Darrin Godin: I know you had a chance to see that recently, and I know that you made some comments about that center. So you're referring to the Wetterau Spiritual Care Center that we have in our new hospital.
It's an immersive experience that allows people to select their faith experience, or no faith experience if you want to use nature, but it's an immersive sort of setting where the sights, the sounds can be set to what you're looking for.
So if you are of a Christian background, you can choose a Christian setting. If you're Muslim, you can choose that. Or you can choose a setting that's at the beach with the Huntington Beach Pier.
So how did that room make you feel, and what did it do for you?
Tammy McInerney: The fact that City of Hope is thinking of everything possible to make not only the patients and our families and the staff, the doctors and the nurses and the technicians, have access to it too.
This has to be trying on them because we get very close. We spend a lot of time there, patients and our families waiting for us, sitting with us, and we see the same staff members over and over and over.
This sounds so silly, I was sad to stop radiation because I was in there 26 days with the same team, and I was crying when I was leaving on my last day. I brought little tokens of thank-yous because I said, "I can't believe I'm going to say this, but I'm going to miss you." Because you just get so used to this little routine, and they were always just so kind and nice.
And the fact that this center, the spiritual center, is available to the employees of City of Hope is fascinating to me too. I just think it's like you're really thinking of the health and mental health of everyone there.
Darrin Godin: Yeah, it really is an incredible space, but I think more than that, what you're touching on is just that whole person care, right? Taking care of your body, taking care of your mind, taking care of your soul, all those things are tied together. We are spiritual beings, and for healing, we need to address all those. And I'm glad that City of Hope was able to touch on those things for you as well.
I got to meet you just recently. You spoke and shared your story with some of the artists who participate in our rotating art gallery at the Lennar Foundation Cancer Center. For our listeners' sake, we rotate the art every six months in the cancer center, and all the artists are from Orange County. They're all local artists who submit their art, and it becomes a gallery, and we change out those galleries twice a year.
Tammy, you came and you shared so specifically about the way that you interpreted the art. And if I get it right, you said something about hope is built like one stroke at a time, just like the art is created one stroke at a time.
Can you talk a little bit about what that art meant to you in the cancer center and why it was important to you and your journey?
Tammy McInerney: Sure. It's another thing that helps us take our focus of the disease away off of... Because we're always thinking about it, but to be able to look at something beautiful and all the different interpretations of hope and joy that these artists are putting into their work, and to see places that are local to Orange County.
And so you recognize, you identify, or their family members. And there's paintings, photographs, there's watercolors, just all kinds of different mediums. And the fact you can just see the love that they put into their work, and you feel it, and you just... It is.
Art is like hope, brushstroke by brushstroke, moment by moment. We're building faith and hope at the same time.
And that's what I would do when I was early, not always early, but maybe when I needed a moment to compose myself. Because it's taxing, these meetings and these treatments, and sometimes I need to compose myself before I go home and see my family. And I would take a moment, grab a coffee, walk around, and look at the art.
Darrin Godin: Such a great reminder of those little things are important. And we're so grateful to those artists. And you expressed your gratitude as well the other night, and really exciting. Many of those artists have donated original pieces of art to be hung in the bedrooms of the hospitals.
Tammy McInerney: I agree. That's so nice.
Darrin Godin: So Tammy, as you talk to your friends and your neighbors and so forth and other women, what is your message about listening to your body, first of all? And then secondly, about where to go if you suspect you're having some sort of a concern, what's the message you share with people who you're closest to?
Tammy McInerney: Well, as the campaign is always out there all year long, and especially in the month of October, early detection is huge. But don't put yourself on the back burner, taking care of your family and your friends and work or whatever you have going on in your life.
Make sure you are staying in tune with your body and your emotions and your feelings, and staying up on those yearly checks and checking yourself out as well. Because what I noticed was a shiny, small patch of skin that I didn't notice looking down. I noticed when I got out of the shower and saw myself in the mirror, and I was looking like, "What is that?" It's just a shiny little patch of skin on one breast.
I let it go for a couple weeks, and then I started experiencing the kind of a stabbing pain. So really listen to your body, that, hey, that's not normal, and go to your provider. But it never hurts to get a second opinion.
And you have to find where you feel home and connected with, because worst case, you get the words said to you: cancer. You're going to spend a lot of time in the hospital or the treatment center, and you want to feel comfortable.
Darrin Godin: I also heard you say earlier, you didn't say it with your words, but you want to feel heard. I think you advocated for yourself, right?
It was kind of like, "Well, you're doing okay. You've had okay scans, and let's just wait." And you said, "I'm not sure that's the right choice for me. I want to advocate for something a little bit more right now."
And you did that, and it's a good thing you did, right?
Tammy McInerney: I did. And I would say in the moment I didn't advocate for myself. I said, "Okay." And I left the appointment feeling defeated and scared.
And I happened to have another appointment the next day with a different type of physician and mentioned that, and they had a completely different outlook on it. And they said, "No, you have a concern and it's been over a year. Yes, let's get you a mammogram."
So I could have advocated for myself, but everyone gets that, I think they call it white coat syndrome, where you just glaze over and you just forget your questions. Which is why you hopefully go in with your spouse or somebody to... a second set of ears.
It's always great to listen and take... My husband went with me every single appointment to take notes so that I could focus on the doctor and listen and look them in the eye and ask questions. And he just sat there and took notes. Or my sister did it for me too, who went with me as well.
Darrin Godin: And you also mentioned with Dr. Tseng, feeling that she was a partner. Partnership means she's listening and she's hearing you and hearing your concerns and walking it through. I think that's so important too.
Well, thank you for sharing that. I have a question for you that we ask all of our guests, which is, what does hope or the concept of hope mean to you?
Tammy McInerney: It has changed over these last 16 months that I've been experiencing this, and hope is much more valuable to me than it was before.
And hope is something you have in the quiet moments of your life. And I think I kept myself too busy in my life to be quiet and sit with my thoughts that turn into hope. And I'm much more aware of that, if that makes sense to you.
Does that make sense?
Darrin Godin: Mm-hmm.
Tammy McInerney: I take quiet moments now. I just kept busy before. I've slowed down, and my time is much more valuable to me than it was before.
So I surround myself with people that I want to be around, things that I really want to do, rather than so much of the things I have to do or the people I have to be around.
I realize my hope is very important to me, and my time is very important to me. And I value it and I cherish it and I protect it a lot more than I used to.
I don't know if I answered your question.
Darrin Godin: You absolutely did. I hear you saying just being really intentional with your time because time is precious, right? It's the one thing that we have a limited supply of and we can't get back. So how do we spend it on the things that matter most?
Tammy McInerney: Yes.
Darrin Godin: Yeah.
Tammy McInerney: And that's true of anybody that doesn't have a disease or an illness that they're fighting. We have a limited amount of time and it needs to be cultivated and protected. And if I may, can I say one more thing about City of Hope?
Darrin Godin: Absolutely. Of course.
Tammy McInerney: I love the fact that everything is in-house. So I'm going to the same place for physical therapy, massage therapy, spiritual care. They have drumming. I haven't partake in that one yet, but that's on my list to get into. Everything is there. The boutique there, oh my goodness. I can't think of the name of it.
Darrin Godin: Marybelle's, yeah.
Tammy McInerney: Marybelle's Boutique was so helpful in my time of trying to figure out what I needed in a wig or getting my wig trimmed. And I think that just even more is going to be there.
And it's sad that we need this facility in Orange County, anywhere, but it's so needed. And it's sad that it's going to fill up, but it's so needed because there's so many people that are affected by cancer in their lifetime.
Darrin Godin: Yeah. As you know the stats, unfortunately one in three of us will hear those words from a doctor someday. And we know that need is here in Orange County, and that's why we came. And we are so blessed to be here, and we're so excited to be able to...
I've been working with City of Hope since 2020, before we had anything on the ground except for one clinic in Orange County. And to see the hospital coming online, completing that full continuum of cancer care, fulfilling that promise that we made to Orange County, that we were going to bring that advanced cancer care closer to home for our friends, for our family, for our neighbors, it's really quite a thing to see that it's coming to fruition.
And that's not the end. It's really just the start. We are on a campus here that is going to be a center for research and innovation into the future. And we know that our impact on Orange County will just continue to grow and hopefully continue to help patients like you and others and, I don't know, maybe myself or my family members someday.
None of us hope that anyone gets cancer around us, but we know that if they do, City of Hope's a great place to come and make sure you get the right treatment from the right folks.
Tammy McInerney: Absolutely.
Darrin Godin: Well, Tammy, besides your cancer journey, thanks for sharing all that with us, we know cancer's not your story. That's a part of your story, but tell us what else you do outside of this call. What do you like to do? Tell us about your family a little bit.
Tammy McInerney: Oh my goodness. Well, I have an army of family and friends that have been with me and supported me through all of this. And I have two adult daughters that are 22 and 24, and I'm blessed the fact that they actually like to hang out with their father and I and go on vacations with us. And one just got married.
Darrin Godin: Oh, congratulations.
Tammy McInerney: And we went to Aruba, she got married there and they want to be with us and hang out with us. And that was my goal for when they grew up to be that close. And I achieved it and I'm very happy about that. I love to go out with my friends. I love live music.
Darrin Godin: Well, Tammy, thank you so much for sharing again today. Thank you for joining us on Talking Hope Podcast today. It's been a pleasure to talk to you again and hear a little bit more of your story.
And I really hope that those who are listening have found some hope and inspiration in your story, and I look forward to continuing a relationship with you and getting to know you even more.
Tammy McInerney: Thank you. This has been a silver lining for me to be able to speak at the art insulation the other night, do a podcast. My daughters think I'm pretty cool now.
Darrin Godin: Oh, that's awesome. Well, thank you so much. And this is what we mean when we say, this is hope.
City of Hope is nationally ranked cancer care available right here in Orange County, where we are boldly pursuing cancer cures at the speed of life.
If you need our services, please contact us at cityofhope.org/oc, or you can call us at 877-541-4673.
I'm Darrin Godin. Thank you for joining us on Talking Hope, and we will see you next time.