Editor’s note: This is one in a series of stories exploring the survivorship journeys of Novant Health Cancer Institute patients. You’ll find all the stories here. We celebrate our survivors and share their stories to showcase how surviving – and thriving – after a cancer diagnosis is possible.
Renee Dayton, 51, lights up when she talks about her five young grandchildren. These days, whether they’re watching sports together, swimming in the pool or taking trips to the beach, she’s grateful to spend time with them.
“Sometimes we’re just hanging out at the house,” she said. “My whole life now is my grandchildren. They’re just amazing little people.”
Renee works as a surgery scheduler for Dr. Peter Turk at Novant Health Cancer Institute in Charlotte. While she helps patients each day, she found herself in need of care following her life-changing cancer diagnosis. Now that she’s in remission, she uses her experience to help others who are also battling cancer.
“I remember being in the shower and I felt a lump on my right breast,” she recalled. Her husband, Robert, urged her to get it checked. But Renee forgot until she received a reminder in the mail that it was time for her annual screening. After her mammogram, she was asked to return for an ultrasound and another mammogram.
“The tech came to get me, and I noticed her face changed,” she said. “She just looked like the air was sucked out of her. Then the doctor came in and said, ‘We need to get a biopsy in the next two days.’”
Empathetic, expert care throughout your cancer journey
Her biopsy results confirmed what her care team suspected. On Oct. 31, 2016, which happened to be the last day of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Renee was diagnosed with breast cancer. “Hearing the news was a total shock and somewhat of a blur,” she said. “I just vividly remember seeing my husband crying.”
Together, they would get through this.
“I was not comprehending any of it,” she said. “I just kept looking at my husband because I was like, ‘Why is he crying?’ You know, it did not want to click for me, and he couldn’t even talk.”
Renee underwent a double mastectomy with reconstructive surgery and later needed subsequent surgeries after experiencing painful complications.
She even tried Tamoxifen, but the side effects – fatigue, hot flashes, pain and weight gain – were difficult to bear.
In total, Renee had 11 surgeries throughout her cancer journey, including removal of her ovaries, which can reduce hormone levels in the body and help keep cancer from growing back. Following removal of her ovaries, she lost 23 pounds and started to feel better overall.
Renee was grateful for the support from her loved ones and members of support groups she joined. Now, she aims to help others. Every year, Renee supports the American Cancer Society breast cancer walk at the zMAX Dragway in Concord, North Carolina.
She speaks to people who currently have breast cancer and encourages them on a personal level. She also advocates for women who decide to have a mastectomy and reconstructive surgery and hopes for more awareness about the importance of being compassionate with anyone faced with such a tough decision.
“It’s not a boob job,” she said. “It’s to save your life. I was scared about a recurrence. I don’t regret my decision.”
And while Renee says she won’t let cancer define her, she never wants to forget her journey.
“I’m grateful,” she said. “God allowed me to see things about myself that I didn’t know. It made me a stronger person.”
