Relay For Life Honorary Chair Katie Hoffmann

My name is Katie Hoffmann, I live in Slayton with my husband, Justin, and our three children. I work as a Physical Therapist at MCMC and I am honored to be chosen to represent so many cancer survivors as one of this year’s Murray County Relay 4 Life Honorary Chairs.

My cancer journey started on February 4, 2021 when I noticed an abnormal spot in my left breast. I reached out to my primary care provider, informing her of the situation. She quickly ordered a mammogram and ultrasound to be completed as soon as possible. At the time of my initial imaging, it was determined the area I had found was concerning as well as two additional spots in my right breast. I underwent 7 total biopsies and when all of the testing was done, I was found to have one lesion in my left breast approximately 3.5cm in size that was ER-/PR-/HER2+ and two separate lesions in my right breast, both between 1 and 1.5cm in size that were ER+/PR+/HER2-. My PET scan showed some involvement in my left axillary lymph nodes as well.

After a myriad of appointments and consultations, we opted to continue care at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester due to the complexity of my situation. The first few weeks following my diagnosis were filled with anxiety, fear, sleepless nights and tears. I spent a lot of time on the phone consulting with my care team at Mayo as well as trying to get our home on track for what was to come while also continuing to work. The most difficult thing I had to do, by far, was to tell our children, who were 7, 5 and 3, that I was sick and while we were hopeful for the best, we didn’t know what the future was going to bring.

On April 14, 2021, I had a port placed in my right chest and I started chemotherapy infusions the next day. I received 6 rounds of chemotherapy (Taxotere and Carboplantin), once every 3 weeks. I was able to take some time to recover and return to work for a few days between each round, helping to keep some sense of normalcy and an elevated activity level. I also received immunotherapy (Herceptin and Perjeta) infusions which happened every 3 weeks as well, for 17 cycles or 1 full year. I was able to do the first 6 of these treatments in conjunction with my chemotherapy. Immunotherapy is poised to be the next frontier in cancer treatments and let me tell you, those drugs were much easier to tolerate than the chemo regimen.

After chemotherapy was surgery. Due to the bilateral nature of my cancers and various other considerations, my physician recommended a double mastectomy. Surgery was completed on August 26, 2021, and in the days following, my doctor informed me I had what was considered a “complete response” to the chemotherapy. She and her team had found no evidence of any remaining cancer in the tissues that were tested at the time of my surgery.

Following surgery, I was given some time to recover and then it was on to radiation. My radiation oncologist recommended 25 treatments of proton beam radiation. This type of radiation is the next generation of treatment and is only available at a handful of places around the country. By opting for this type of radiation, they were able to minimize the radiation exposure to my heart, lungs and other surrounding tissues while pinpointing lymph nodes and other specific landmarks frequently inhabited by rogue breast cancer cells. These treatments were completed 5 days/week, sometimes as late as 11:00pm. I spent 5 weeks in Rochester, returning home on the weekends, and was able to ring the bell after my final treatment on 11/19/2021. Justin and the kids were able to join me over MEA break that fall. The kids enjoyed seeing where I had been going so often and of course swimming at the hotel pool! During this extended time in Rochester, I was also joined by my cousin for 2 weeks. She had been diagnosed with early stage Breast Cancer as well and needed treatment. While I wouldn’t exactly call us ‘lucky’, it was nice to be able to spend time with her.

In early May of 2022, I underwent a DIEP Flap reconstruction, a 13-hour procedure during which my plastic surgeon used my own abdominal tissue and vessels to reconstruct my breasts. I spent 15 weeks recovering and was able to return to work in late August of 2022.

Thankfully, life looks a bit brighter these days. For the foreseeable future, I will continue with monthly injections and daily oral medications to help reduce my risk for re-occurrence as well as regular check-ups in Rochester.

Throughout my journey, I was able to take advantage of some of the most cutting-edge treatments and newest scientific knowledge. In addition to proton-beam radiation and immunotherapy, I was able to utilize the Paxman Scalp Cooling System while receiving chemotherapy. It was a cap that I wore during my drug infusions that helped me retain approximately 70% of my hair. Due to my great results with the cap, the company asked me to share my story on their website. You can find it at https://coldcap. com/stories/kathryn/?lang=us.

My advice to everyone is to know your risk factors and your family history. Do your monthly exams and complete your yearly screenings (of all kinds) and if something doesn’t feel right, push until you’re comfortable with the answer. I had asked for and been denied a baseline mammogram twice by my health insurance provider due to my age. These denials happened despite an extremely strong immediate family history of breast cancer. I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason and while there is no way to truly know if having either of those mammograms would have prevented what I went through, it’s hard not to think about what might have been.

I have been reminded by a higher power that tomorrow isn’t promised and no matter how planned out we think we have our life, there will always be a curve ball. I now have a genuine realization that there is no trophy for getting through life without asking for help or being able to “do it all”. I have learned to say ‘no’ to things without guilt and have a renewed sense of focus on myself and my family.

I have also been reminded how lucky I am. Lucky to have unconditional love from my husband, children and family. Lucky to have parents, in-laws and extended family that will go to the ends of the earth to support me, even from afar. Lucky to have such understanding and supportive co-workers. Lucky to have a circle of friends that I know I can count on for anything and lucky to live in a wonderfully kind and supportive community that has welcomed me with open arms.

While I’m still adjusting to my postcancer life, I remind myself daily that we have to play the game of life with the cards that we’ve been dealt. I will always believe there is a reason for my struggles and this journey and will always find solace in the verse that helped me through my darkest days: “Be Strong and Courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:8-9.