Fran Barker, a former civil engineer turned New Albany photographer, lives with husband, Michael Barker, who works for the city of New Albany, and their two sons, Michael, 13, and Garrett, 11. This interview was edited for clarity and space.
Healthy New Albany: What were the events leading up to your breast cancer diagnosis?
Fran Barker: It was March of 2018 and I actually felt a lump in my right breast and it was extreme. It was something that you could actually feel just by the softest touch on my skin. It wasn’t something that you needed to press and poke and prod to feel. I had nothing similar to what I have felt before.
A lot of women will tell you, “Oh, I’ve felt lumps, I’ve had cysts or different things and it’s just going to be benign.” We all have that, but quite honestly, as soon as I felt it, I knew it was something different than anything I had felt before, and the very next day I got into my family doctor. They did an exam and wanted to refer me over to the (Stefanie Spielman Comprehensive Breast Center at The Ohio State University) and I proceeded with a mammogram, ultrasound, biopsy – the whole nine yards.
I was 39 years old. I had no history of cancer in my family at all. It was about a week until I went immediately for the mammogram and then it was about another week before the ultrasound and biopsy. So, from the day that I felt the lump to the day that I received a phone call with the diagnosis, it was about two weeks.
I specifically remember I was in the car when they called – we had been waiting all week for the phone call – and I answered it right away. And she said, “Can you talk, or is this a good time for you?” And I said of course. Right then and there, she told me that it was cancer.
I had to basically ask her to hold on for a second while I pull over, get out a pen and paper, and write down some of the things that she was saying because I knew it was going to be a fog to remember.
It was actually right on that phone call that she told me not only that it was breast cancer, but she told me the type of cancer it was and the hormone receptors. I knew right then and there on the phone that I was going to need chemo.
Mike and Fran Barker passing time together while Fran undergoes a chemotherapy infusion treatment.
HNA: How did the diagnosis affect you emotionally and professionally?
FB: It was just a whirlwind of emotions.
I’m very much a planner. I like to have things perfect as far as my work goes. Getting a cancer diagnosis, it takes everything out of your control and you’re at the mercy of the cancer and the medical staff, and for me, it was very difficult in those first several weeks while we were gathering information and making a game plan.
Professionally, real early on in that first month, I basically just shut down everything. I needed such control over my session and I felt so out of control with cancer that I didn’t feel comfortable planning or taking on any clients without being able to give them 150 percent of myself. So, I backed away pretty quickly from work and then, over time as I went through treatment, I slowly did some things here and there. … I have to say that I am beyond blessed with the clients that I work with and everybody was just so understanding.
Michael, 11, and Garrett, 8, hold a sign up about their mother’s breast cancer fight in the early morning of Aug. 4, 2018, during Pelotonia riding event near Obetz.
HNA: At what point did you tell your kids about the diagnosis?
FB: I would say it was about six weeks, … and that was because I wanted to be able to tell them the game plan. I wanted to be able to say, “This is what we found, and this is what we’re going to do about it.” I didn’t want them to be in that unknown. I just felt for us, it was the best option, and in hindsight, I’m glad we did that.
My oldest was just finishing fifth grade and I was deep into helping with his fifth grade graduation going into middle school, and it’s such a sensitive time in a kid’s life. Of course, I’m worried about how he is going to handle this diagnosis. My youngest is sort of my sidekick, he’s always been, and I know just the type of person he is. He’s very sensitive and extremely caring. So I was worried about how this was going to scare him.
Barker underwent port placement surgery, an alternative to needle sticks in the arm. The nurses connect an IV to the port to provide chemotherapy and to do blood draws.
HNA: Where are you now in your cancer journey?
FB: I feel like the cancer journey is going to be a lifelong process for me. I’m three years out from my initial diagnosis. I am two years out from my treatment, and by treatment, I mean infusion with chemo and I also did another drug.
I would go every three weeks for an infusion for that first year. So now, I’m currently taking a drug that I’ll take for five years. I had my ovaries out, one is as a precaution for ovarian cancer, ... and then the other thing is it helps to control and reduce my likelihood of recurrence. But I say that it’s a lifelong thing because no matter how far out of it, I’m always thinking back to it. I’m always sharing my experience with as many people as I can.
Barker’s husband, Mike, places the Paxman Scalp Cooling cap prior to chemotherapy infusion.
HNA: There’s a lot of talk about going back to normal these days. When would you say things got as normal as they could since your diagnosis?
FB: I would say probably a year after treatment. That would be probably two years after my diagnosis because I was in treatment for about a year total. I was starting to enjoy things more. I was starting to let my guard down a little bit. All of my conversations were no longer revolving around my diagnosis and my treatment and my health and the way I felt. It definitely was starting to be normal again, and it was a really, really great feeling.
When I talk to people about it, I actually have a close friend that finished her chemo treatments yesterday and I wrote her a little note that said, “Here’s to life after treatment because eventually, there is so much life left to be lived after treatment, and when you’re in it, it’s hard to see and it’s hard to imagine, but eventually it does come back.”
Brandon Klein is the editor. Feedback welcome at bklein@cityscenemediagroup.com.
