By James Windell
When Della Hasty, 73, was called back to the doctor’s office after her routine mammogram, she expected to hear bad news.
“I knew they found something when the radiologist came in to talk to me,” Della, who grew up in South Haven, said in a recent interview. “He told me they found a cancer spot in one breast and a precancerous lump in another.”
Maintaining her sense of humor, she asked the radiologist if she would come out of this looking more like Dolly Parton. She already knew his answer would be negative.
Her breast cancer was at stage two and she opted for a double mastectomy because both she and her husband Kim had family members who had breast cancer. Della didn’t want to take any chances of the cancer coming back.
Like other women who are diagnosed with breast cancer and feel overwhelmed and confused, Della, who had a career as a nurse before retiring a little more than a decade ago, says she had the same feelings other women typically experience.
“When I was first diagnosed,” recounts Della, who is now recovered without needing either chemotherapy or radiation, “it was overwhelming because we had both had experiences with family members with breast cancer.”
But she says she was fortunate in so many ways. “I had friends who were there with me. One sent me songs that had messages. And I had my family and my faith.”
Most women with breast cancer find that emotional support is an important part of overcoming the disease. So, for Della, not only was her husband a source of support, but so was her daughter Jamie, who came from Minnesota to be with her. Della says she is a Christian and that helped, too.
She describes herself as the kind of person who sees things in a positive light and routinely gives thanks for the good in her life. “At one point I decided that having cancer was something I will learn from and so will my family,” she says.
Among the things she learned was that there is various equipment you need if you have a mastectomy. “I found out what I needed, and I learned that there are many organizations that help you get the equipment you need,” Della says. “I also learned that there are support groups and websites that help you to find out what to expect and how you will feel after the surgery.”
Della, says she didn’t know much about the options during surgery. “You can decide if you want breast reconstruction or just have a flat chest,” she says. “I decided on being a flatty because I didn’t want to have to worry about complications if I had my breasts reconstructed.” She now says that being flat chested is a blessing in disguise. “There are things I can do now, such as more easily put my groceries in a cart, that I couldn’t do before.”
She says that all along she has taken the safe and conservative route. “I have so many things to live for, including my five grandchildren and my husband,” she explains. “Why should I take chances of pain taking me away from intimacy with others?”
Della also says that even though it hasn’t been two years yet since her surgery, she feels like she has already recovered from that surgery and she thinks her positive attitude has helped.
“One of the things I didn’t like was people asking me frequently how I felt,” she says. “That implied that I was sick. I wasn’t sick; I felt good. And now I’m very happy with where I’m at.”
