Name: Katie Deutsch
Diagnosis: Triple-positive invasive ductal carcinoma
Care plan: M Health Fairview breast cancer experts enrolled Katie in an innovative clinical trial through the Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota, which offered the possibility of successful treatment with fewer side effects.
Her thoughts when she was diagnosed: “I saw my entire life, the life that I had before this, the life I envisioned for myself, for my family, for my children, fly by me at a really rapid pace. That life that I expected was gone in the breath of a phone call with a single sentence: ‘You have cancer.’ And that is jarring. It's infuriating, devastating, and really terrifying all at the same time.”
On meeting her care team: “[M Health Fairview oncologist Damé Idossa, MD] was prepared with her responses to my questions and had confidence that we could find a path forward together. But also [she was] just so empathetic and understanding about the journey that I was to go on, which is an incredibly vulnerable and intimate journey, particularly for a woman experiencing breast cancer. I felt safe, I felt like I had a partner in this, and I felt like I would truly, in an outstanding way, be heard as part of this treatment plan together.”
On enrolling in clinical research: “The clinical trial targeted the cells in my body specific to [the cancer]. It gave me a chance to shrink my tumors or eliminate this cancer before moving to surgery. I had the clinical trial, but if it didn’t work, I could still move into a block of standard chemotherapy. Having a shot at two treatment options was really powerful to me.”
On advocating for herself: “You are the expert of your body. My expertise in what I was feeling, who I am, and what this cancer is in the context of my body [was honored]. I think in a room full of experts, it's easy to defer and not want to ask questions. I urge anyone to lean into being the expert of their own body and working with a team who takes that seriously, just as seriously as they do the path that they’ve laid out for you.”
On parenting during treatment: “Having two young kids (ages 6 and 4) throughout this was really difficult. I think the natural inclination initially was to shield them from this, but we worked with a child psychologist and really leaned into making sure we were talking about cancer and how it was different from any sort of sickness—that it isn’t something they could catch. … I see them building compassion in a really wonderful way that wouldn’t have happened if we’d gone the route of wanting to protect them. So it’s brought our family a lot closer.”
On seeing her future again: “After the clinical trial, I ended up having a complete response, which was what we were shooting for, which was awesome. So I moved directly to surgery and was able to skip traditional chemotherapy. Getting that call was like what I imagined winning the lottery was like. I felt like I could see the rest of my life. It was a wonderful feeling.”
On beginning to heal: “Little moments are that much sweeter. Small celebrations are that much bigger, because I am just so happy to be here with [my family]. I’m still technically in active treatment through the end of October, but as I move into healing my mind, body and soul, I think it will be an evolution and a process.”