Heidi Harper was a happy and healthy woman in her mid-30s when she received a totally unexpected cancer diagnosis. Starting in 2013, she underwent an aggressive regimen of chemotherapy to combat the equally aggressive triple-negative breast cancer. Triple-negative breast cancer, as defined by the American Cancer Society, refers to the fact that the cancer cells don’t have estrogen or progesterone receptors, and don’t make any or an excess amount of the HER2 protein. After testing positive for a mutation in type one of the breast cancer genes (BRCA1), Harper underwent a bilateral mastectomy and hysterectomy to complete her treatment.
April 15, 2014, Harper had her final chemotherapy treatment, followed by her mastectomy in May and hysterectomy that fall. Luckily, the only complication she’s had since her treatment almost nine years ago was the surgery she had to undergo to replace her implants, one of which ruptured last December. She’s been in remission for eight years.
After beating cancer, the lasting impact for Harper has been the connections she’s fostered with other cancer survivors and the fundraising efforts she’s made for the cause.
Harper has worked as the receptionist at the New Albany Early Learning Center since 2015. She and her husband, Mike, have two daughters, Ava and Reese, who are 15 and 13, respectively.
Her interview with HNA Magazine has been edited for length and clarity.
Healthy New Albany Magazine: It’ll be nine years since your breast cancer diagnosis in November. Tell me about your experience fighting cancer. What did it entail?
Heidi Harper: I was 35 at the time and had no family history of breast cancer; it was something not on my radar at all. One day, I noticed one breast looked different than the other; like, you could see a visible lump. I’m like, “Well, that’s weird, I haven’t noticed that before.” I didn’t think much of it because … I had (not) been having mammograms because I wasn’t recommended, not 40 yet, so it wasn’t really something I thought of. I do go to my annual exam where they check you out themselves and I had just been a couple months prior, and there was nothing unusual. So I went and, long story short, with the help of a neighbor, got (myself) into the James really quickly to have the mammogram and do the biopsy. Still, everyone was like, “Oh we don’t really think it’s anything: You’re so young, healthy, surely you have no family history of breast cancer.” They were like, “It’s going to be fine.”
Then I got a call. It was my daughter’s birthday; we were getting ready to take her lunch to school. She was in first grade, my oldest daughter. Literally got the call maybe a half an hour before I was supposed to bring her lunch and they said, “You have cancer, it’s triple negative, it’s an aggressive cancer.” So we had to pull it together and still celebrate her birthday lunch. And eventually (we) got around to talking to the kids and all that, but they were pretty young at the time.
From there, I did all the scans and everything like that. With my type of cancer, they recommend that you do chemo first and then surgery. I had the four doses of what they call AC chemo, which is also known as the “Red Devil,” which is supposed to be the worst of all the chemos for breast cancer. That’s when, you know, you lose your hair and all that. And then after that it was 12 weeks of once-a-week chemotherapy. And I was really hoping that would be it, plus like a lumpectomy. I didn’t want any major surgery; that was the scariest part for me. But once I had the BRCA diagnosis, they were like, “It’s up to you, but it’s really in your best interest to do the full bilateral mastectomy plus a full hysterectomy.”
So I went ahead and did that, and when it was all over, we did what we called our Thank You Party. Because they tell you don’t write thank you notes when you’re going through this. Take all the help and (do it) at the end. So at the end, we had a huge party with a DJ. My gift to everyone was an open bar and some snacks. With my fundraisers, too, I like to have a party, so it fits in with what I like to do.
HNA: How has the experience changed you and changed your life?
HH: It’s so funny, because I feel like I haven’t had this massive overhaul of my life. I still do everything normal. I definitely made different lifestyle changes. I try to eat more of a plant-based diet.
One of the things that came out of it, which is nice for the community members, is a friend of mine and I started the New Albany Breasties GroupMe. … We have this app where it’s friends or friends of friends, it’s all people you know, and we kind of just get everyone in one local group. So if people have questions about certain doctors or “Do you have a recommendation for a plastic surgeon?” or “Has anyone had this happen after surgery?”
We typically try to get together once a month or so, sometimes every other month, and just hang out, have food and meet some of the newer people face-to-face to help people through it. We actually had a get-together just the other day and one of the gals brought red Jell-O shots in a syringe that were supposed to be like the AC chemo.
For me, it’s a way to give back because so many people helped me. Probably the biggest change is that I still try to stay connected with people who have been diagnosed.
HNA: How have you been involved in fundraising efforts and raising money for cancer research?
HH: We did take the past two years off because of COVID, but we typically do our events in February. The last time, we did a Hawaiian-type luau theme. But back to the beginning, our first-ever fundraiser was Race for the Cure, and my girlfriends named our team Team HUGS because they make fun of me because I don’t like to hug people. It was just silly. Team HUGS stood for Heidi’s United Guys and Girls Support Team. That’s what all of our bracelets and shirts ended up being. Our whole fundraiser is Team HUGS.
I have a friend whose dad, right before I was diagnosed, passed away from brain cancer. They always did a fundraiser at Indian Lake and the money all technically goes to the James, but it gets funneled through Buckeye Cruise for Cancer. So what I ended up doing with my fundraisers is write a check for them, so it helps a greater cause. So we did a Karaoke for the Cure, which was really fun, but most recently, we’re doing a fundraiser – 150 people come, and we’ve raised $25,000 so far. We do a lot of different auctions and things like that, so it’s a fun time.
HNA: Do you think you’ll have an event next February?
HH: Oh, for sure. Everyone’s like, “Are you going to do that again? That was so fun!” So definitely – I love doing it, and it’s nice to able to give back to the James, since they cured me of my cancer.
HNA: What do you do to stay healthy these days? What do you live by in terms of health?
HH: Everything in moderation. You still have to be able to eat French fries now and then, have some wine, but I do go to the Heit Center and work out there. I love doing the classes there, I definitely love going for walks, I make sure I get outside and get my steps in. I make healthy eating choices and try to keep my stress level down, which is why I make sure to do the walking and have a positive attitude.
HNA: What else do you want people to know about your journey?
HH: Just that things can be hard during the journey and it’s important to keep your eye at the end of the tunnel, and just know that there will be a time when you won’t think about it every day. There is a time when you don’t think like, that ache or pain, is it coming back? You don’t think those things forever. I didn’t know if I would ever get there. Because it’s scary. But there are so many treatments and so many options out there that there’s a lot of ways to live a happy and healthy life.
Claire Miller is an editor at CityScene Media Group. Feedback is welcome at cmiller@cityscenemediagroup.com.
