Survivor: Military spouse redefines the meaning

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Jason Barebo
  • 509th Bomb Wing Public Affairs
The word "survivor" is often attached to many groups of people. Specifically in the military, survivor often refers to servicemembers returning from deployments to hostile territories.

Not all survivors wear the military uniform, instead, they are the family members left behind.

Tish Evans, wife of Staff Sgt. Chad Evans, 509th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron B-2 crew chief, and mother, has survived not only her husband's deployments but also breast cancer, giving the term survivor a whole new meaning.

Just two days before enjoying a Thanksgiving Day feast with her family in 2004, Mrs. Evans was diagnosed with breast cancer.

"The diagnosis seemed surreal and unimaginable," Mrs. Evans said. "How could someone so young get breast cancer? At 24 it seemed impossible. After going through many tests and having a fine needle threaded through my breast, we found out one very important piece of the puzzle." 

Mrs. Evans learned she carried both BRCA 1 and BRCA 2 genetic discrepancies. Normally, these genes help repair damage to DNA, but when inherited as a defect, they increase the risk of breast and ovarian cancer.

According to www.breastcancer.com, only 0.2 percent of the female population carries either a BRCA 1 or BRCA 2 defect, of that group only three percent carry both.

"This was rare," Mrs. Evans said. "I knew I was special, but this was a different kind of special. Because of these mutations, I was able to participate and donate some of myself to the study of these genes. I pray to God that some good will come of this."

Doctors gave Mrs. Evans many options to treat her cancer. When told she had less than 3 percent chance of surviving another year if she kept her breast, Mrs. Evans opted for a bilateral mastectomy, a surgical procedure that removes both breasts to ensure the cancerous material is removed. Though her left side was cancer free, at the moment, too high of a risk existed for cancer to develop.

"At 24, my breasts were an inherent manifestation of my womanhood," Mrs. Evans explained. "I had just found out I had cancer and now I was going to lose both of my breasts; I was going to lose me."

Though the breast cancer was removed, the damage had already been done. Mrs. Evans was given several options to regain her womanhood, including Trans Flap and DIEP Flap procedures that take muscle and skin from the lower belly or back to make a breast pocket; and tissue expanders that slowly regenerate the skin around the mastectomy site so implants can be used to create a breast mound. Once the mound is created, Mrs. Evans would receive saline injections over time to slowly inflate her breasts and expand the tissue material.

She chose the latter due to a higher risk of bleeding issues. In just six weeks she received her first inflation.

The tissue expander process is slow and requires a lot of acceptance and determination, Mrs. Evans said.

"The experience is one I will never forget," she said. "To inflate the expanders, a syringe with a long needle is inserted in a special pocket inside my chest cavity and the saline solution is pushed in. Over the next few weeks I watched my breasts grow 50 ccs at a time."

Mrs. Evans didn't go to just any specialist for her procedure, she was cared for by the same doctors that perform reconstructive surgery for wounded warriors returning home with problems like massive burns and missing limbs.

Nearly a year had passed since her diagnosis and she was due another injection during the 2005 Thanksgiving holiday. Following her injection, Mrs. Evans' family returned home. Though apprehensive, Mrs. Evans was able to talk about her progress and show off her accomplishments.

"One of the best parts about being at a military hospital is that it is used for training purposes," she said. "This includes showing interns how to inflate a breast."

She realized her right side was shrinking. "I was experiencing the side-effect known as inter 'didn't know what he was doing' ism," she joked.

The learning interns had poked a hole in her expander and she was now deflating over a roasted turkey. The saline solution was safely absorbed by her body.

"This brought out the very best in my family," Mrs. Evans said. "They knew I was devastated, but laughter brought us together. I had the nick name boob-clopse and uniboob for a while. That might seem harsh, but they were very funny and are still terms of endearment to me."

After losing both breasts due to breast cancer one may think the worst is over. However, there was more to come. A less talked about side affect of cancer and its treatments are blood clots.

"After all the surgeries and chemo I have been through, blood clots affected me the most," Mrs. Evans said. "I had no warning when the pain and breathing difficulty would begin and when they did I was under the impression that my time had come."

That was not the case, Mrs. Evans had a pulmonary embolism; a blockage of the main artery of the lung. Symptoms include rapid breathing, a rapid heart rate, abnormally low blood pressure and sudden death.

"The fact that there was little to no warning and how close and quick real damage could have been done scared me the most," Mrs. Evans expressed.

Another side effect Mrs. Evans feared was losing her hair.

According to Mrs. Evans, the general population believes a typical cancer patient is usually dark eyed, skinny and bald. Mrs. Evans was 5 ft. 9 in. and 135 lbs. with thick caramel colored hair.

"I feared losing that (image)," Mrs. Evans said. "I feared losing my hair because that's what everyone on the outside would see, not my particular struggle."

Not every chemotherapy patient loses their hair. "I didn't the first several rounds of therapy, so I thought I was in the clear."

Mrs. Evans never shaved her head, as was one option many chemotherapy patients choose.

During one Christmas, Mrs. Evans' grandmother fell ill. While visiting her sick grandmother at the hospital, Mrs. Evans, very much a social butterfly, asked her sister to help style her hair before a Christmas party. Shortly the room full of voices from family members fell silent.

"When I finally turned to ask what was going on I found my sister in tears and a waste basket full of hair," Mrs. Evans recalled.

Determined to not give in, Mrs. Evans still went out that night, though in a more traditional pony tail.

"I cried for the first time that night," she said.

Two days later, Mrs. Evans purchased her first wig. After a week, she no longer needed to shave her head.

Four weeks afterward, Mrs. Evans' breast cancer metastasized, or spread, to her spine followed by another surgery to remove the cancerous cells.

"I still have scar tissue on my spine," Mrs. Evans said. "It is stiff and feels different from the rest of my back. My husband gives me a back massage almost every night." 

Mrs. Evans' is husband is more than proud of his very determined and "stubborn" wife. 

"I love my wife, she is an incredible person," said Sergeant Evans. "She is stubborn and never gives up. Her drive to live and overcome everything that comes her way is inspiring. I can't even put into words how proud I am of her."

Mrs. Evans has undergone 14 surgeries in just four years. She even had one doctor send her home on hospice to die.

"No doctor should tell a person there is nothing more to be done," Mrs. Evans said. "It did make me angry enough to fight like I have never fought before." 

Through trying times, Sergeant Evans and his wife agree that family is what has given them the strength to overcome every obstacle they have encountered. 

"We really just take things one day at a time," he said. "You have to pull it together as a family to make it as easy for her while she is in the hospital and for each other. It's not easy, but knowing that we have each other no matter what comes our way, gives us comfort that everything will be okay. We will survive."

Mrs. Evans has been in remission for nearly three years and received her last surgery in February.

"My reconstruction is finally complete," she said. "Though the scars are still wide and have faded to a light purple, my experience will never fade from my mind or my family's."

With the majority of her medical appointment out of the way, Mrs. Evans plans to pursue her personal dreams and use her experiences to raise breast cancer awareness.

Recently crowned Miss Princess of Hope Ambassador for 2009, Mrs. Evans hopes to use her title to engage as many young women as possible.

"I am here to offer hope to all women who are going through breast cancer," Mrs. Evans said. "They are not alone. Breasts can be replaced, but a woman's spirit is something she will never lose."

This winter, Mrs. Evans will host the first Winterfest Scholarship Pageant in Windsor. The pageant will be open to all age groups, boys and girls, and married and single men and women.

"The point of the pageant is to bring communities together and give people the chance to work for something greater than themselves," Mrs. Evans concluded.