A family disease: Centennial Hills woman, 77, faces breast cancer after losing mom and watching daughter go through chemo

When Centennial Hills resident Nancy Ghilardi was diagnosed with breast cancer, it didn’t come as a shock.

Her mother died from breast cancer, and her daughter is a nine-year survivor

The 77-year-old Ghilardi didn’t cry, nor did she get mad. Instead, she decided to face her illness head-on.

“When I received the diagnosis, I proceeded to handle it and move on,” Ghilardi said. “I’ve always been aware of what could happen, and I have always been very cautious in regards to breast cancer. To be honest, it didn’t frighten me as much as it would frighten other people.”

As her mother died when Ghilardi was 29, she has made it a point to do monthly self check-ups and get regular mammograms.

Her journey with breast cancer began in October 2013 after she pulled down a box of Halloween decorations, which hit her on her left breast. She soon noticed a bruise formed that wouldn’t go away.

She didn’t take any chances and had it checked out. After doing a 3-D mammogram, a lump was discovered, which a biopsy later proved to be invasive ductal carcinoma — the most common form of breast cancer.

When caught early, patients have an 84 percent chance of survival, according to the National Breast Cancer Foundation.

Ghilardi was referred to 21st Century Oncology, 2851 N. Tenaya Way, and placed under the care of board-certified radiation oncologist Susan Reisinger.

A lumpectomy was scheduled on March 19, 2014, and Ghilardi was put on aromatase inhibitors for five years, which are hormone therapy drugs that can slow or stop the growth of hormone receptor-positive tumors.

To further prevent the cancer’s spread, Ghilardi chose to do a series of 16 radiation treatments. She finished treatment on July 7, 2015.

“We were able to give her more radiation each day to get her treatment done early,” Reisinger said. “Her anatomy allowed us to do it.”

Ghilardi seemed to be in the clear until July when she was diagnosed with basal cell carcinoma, a type of skin cancer that begins in cells that receive the most sun. She did roughly 14 treatments of radiation.

“She just finished radiation for skin cancer, but it’s not even a month out yet, and it’s too early to make a judgment call,” Reisinger said. “But as far as breast cancer goes, her last mammogram looked fine.”

She found comfort in her daughter, Christine Ghalardi-Solomon, who experienced a much more turbulent journey with breast cancer.

“The first thought that went through my mind was we cannot be going through this again,” Ghilardi-Solomon said. “I was misdiagnosed for a couple of years until it finally grew to a stage 3. It was a huge sigh of relief when we found out she just had stage 1, and it didn’t go beyond that point.

“I always tell women to listen to their bodies and find the right doctor. Believe your body when something feels wrong.”

Ghilardi-Solomon said her sister did a genetic testing and found that there were no indicators of a genetic mutation for breast cancer. However, she cautions everyone to be safe and take extra precautions.

Now that she is finished with treatment, Ghilardi is back to enjoying her family and hopes to help other women in a similar situation.

“It’s a very scary diagnosis, but if you proceed logically and have a good doctor and listen to what they are telling you, then it takes a lot of the fear out of it,” Ghilardi said. “Take it step by step. I think having a positive attitude is key when something like this appears in your life.”

To reach North View reporter Sandy Lopez, email slopez@viewnews.com or call 702-383-4686. Find her on Twitter: @JournalismSandy