Brianne “Breezy” Hunt Sammataro, the daughter of Kari (Dosch) and Rod Hunt and was born and raised in Devils Lake. She was the young age of 27 when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She just turned 28 in August.
She said she did self-exams “occasionally” because she has a strong family history. Her Mom, Kari, had it, her grandma had it and her grandma’s sister had it.
During one of the self-exams, she felt a grape-sized lump in her left breast. She got into see her doctor within a day or two. She said her doctor felt that it was maybe just a cyst, but due to that strong family history, she referred her to the Edith Breast Center in Fargo. An ultrasound was ordered first and then a mammogram and that was followed by a more invasive mammogram. “That one was a lot more painful. I knew when they did that one, it couldn’t be good. I was so nervous, so scared, the tech had to get me a chair. I saw my boob on the screen, I knew….it was all lit up. I cried”
Her fiancé at the time, Jake, was in the waiting room, never expecting her to come out and say she had cancer. Their wedding date was just seven months away. She had just gotten a promotion at her job as a pharmacy tech, and they were preparing to move to Texas.
Brianne said she never thought she was going to die, “I watched my mom beat it’” Brianne was 12, “but I knew I had a fight.” “It was hard.” The doctors told her it was a very beatable cancer and she caught it early.
The fight was on! The mastectomy was performed first, then the chemo, and that began three weeks after the surgery – 12 rounds. Ironically, Brianne said as one of her duties as a pharmacy tech, was to prepare the chemo drugs for patient administration. She said she got sick in the beginning, but after “just got really fatigued and I did get a really bad cold.”
During her chemo, to “save her hair” she went through a process called “cold capping.” “I would get my hair dripping wet, put on a cap that was hooked up to a machine. It becomes very cold. It freezes your hair follicles, so the chemo doesn’t reach them. It was very painful.” This went on for 12 weeks. Ice packs were placed on her hands and feet to prevent neuropathy. For three and a half hours she shivered. “When the cap came off, my hair was just icicles – it saved my hair”
Medical bills: yeah, those are fun…” One of her cousins and a good friend organized a fundraiser that was held at Razor’s in Devils Lake. “I swear the whole town of Devils Lake showed up. That was the boost I needed.” Breezy had just had a round of chemo the previous day and was very tired and fatigued. “But I pulled myself together for those people.”
“This has brought me closer to my family and friends.” adding “My relationship with Jake is 100 times stronger, it was like we were already married. After my surgery, I could only sleep in the recliner and he slept on the couch, so I wouldn’t have to sleep alone. I felt like such a burden – Geez people have to take time off from work…”
“I could tell it bothered my mom, but she was strong. I saw my dad tearing up as I went into surgery. It was tough.”
“The doctors recommended joining a support group and I joined on Face Book for patients under 40 and that really helped to talk to others who are going through the same thing.”
Breezy’s advice to others: “Listen to your body. About eight months before, I was so tired, I could just fall asleep in the shower. I just thought it was because there was so much going. Do those self-exams, it saved my life and it’s so simple.”
Right now, her prognosis is unknown. At this point as she is still receiving infusions. On Feb. 10, 2022, Brianne was diagnosed with stage one triple positive breast cancer that was fueled by those female hormones, Estrogen and Progesterone. It was all contained in that left breast and the next five to 10 years look very good.
Brianne turned 28 on August 3, and she and Luke got married September 15 and now live in Fort Worth, Texas, where Breezy is employed by Sanford and works from home.
(photos submitted by Brianne)
