TIFTON — While nursing her six-month old daughter, Bridgett Mobley found a lump in her breast. Mobley was 33 at the time, younger than  40, the suggested age to start getting a yearly mammogram.

Thinking it was just a blocked milk duct, she rode it out for a few weeks until her husband Marty made her go to the doctor. If having an infant at home wasn’t hard enough, the next year of Mobley’s life was going to be difficult in a way she never imagined.  

After giving in and going to see a doctor, Mobley was diagnosed with invasive ductal triple positive breast cancer Nov 10, 2017. In short, the disease was in a milk gland that had busted. The biopsy also showed that she was positive for HER2, a protein “called human epidermal growth factor receptor 2, which promotes the growth of cancer cells.” According to the American Cancer Society, “these cancers tend to grow and spread faster than other breast cancers.” Luckily, all of the cancer was contained to one breast with no lymph node involvement.

Often with breast cancer, there is a history of it in the family. Mobley’s father had colon cancer in 1999, but has been in remission for more than 15 years. According to the National Cancer Institute, “People who have inherited mutations in BRCA1 and BRCA2 tend to develop breast and ovarian cancers at younger ages than people who do not have these mutations.” But Mobley had no gene mutations, according to BRCA testing.

What her doctors have speculated is that her cancer was hormone induced. Being pregnant and breastfeeding can encourage hormone inconsistency, even though many studies show that breastfeeding reduces the risk of cancer in younger women.

Dr. Joel Johnson in Tifton gave Mobley the prognosis. She said she was diagnosed on a Friday, but it was not as depressing or disheartening as one might think. She embraced it and tried to live her life as normal. There were only a few moments where she felt anxiety about the ordeal, particularly before PET scans.

On one particular occasion, Mobley sat down in a curtained-off waiting area, nervous about the scan. She was mad because she couldn’t have a book or her phone. In her solitude, she prayed and fussed aloud with God. A few minutes later, the nurses came to retrieve an elderly woman who, unbeknownst to Mobley, was in the holding space next to her. Thankfully, the PET scan came back normal for the rest of her body showing the cancer was contained to a small area.

Because she was HER2 positive, she had to be on six rounds of chemotherapy through a port. She had a TCHP (Taxotere, Carboplatin, Herceptin, Perjeta) regimen to help shrink the tumor. Mobley still goes every three weeks to have an infusion. December 3 will be the last treatment.

Mobley said the coolest thing about her treatment was that she did not lose her hair. She chose to receive treatment at Piedmont Cancer Institute in Fayetteville because they have a Dignicap machine. They are one of two places in the state with this machine and Mobley was the first patient to use it at the facility. The device is a cold-capping system that freezes the scalp during treatments reducing blood flow so that less of the chemo reaches the hair cells. This process helps patients retain their hair and their dignity.

Mobley also had a bi-lateral mastectomy with immediate reconstruction at Emory in Atlanta. She said the experience there was excellent.

“They are the Chic-fil-A of hospitals,” she said. “They are the nicest. Everyone there seemed happy.”

She started chemo Dec. 20. That Christmas was rough. She didn’t have the energy or will to enjoy the experience. The hardest thing about the process was going from being an active family in the community to having everything nearly come to a halt.

The chemo also made her irritable. She felt like it robbed her of an important year of her daughter’s childhood and special time with her eight-year-old son as well. She also lost her appetite and sense of taste.

In spite of the setbacks, Mobley has remained positive and focused on beating cancer. Her motivation was a checklist. She stayed on top of the treatments and continued to work as the logistics and operations manager at the Center for Rural Prosperity and Innovation at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College.

After a cancer diagnosis, some people shut the world out, but Mobley encourages finding groups or others who have been through a similar experience.

“Talk to other people,” Mobley said. “Don’t jump on Google. It’s depressing and will just give you the scariest of situations.”

She joined a Facebook group of other patients and survivors with a similar diagnosis. She even found a friend who she calls her “breastie.” They shared a mentality of mental fortitude and positivity.

Mobley surrounded herself with her family. She said she couldn’t have done it without her parents and her husband. She also had a support group of friends and family who helped watch the kids, bring food and drive her to doctor visits. The encouragement was overwhelming.

Nearing the end of her treatments, Mobley said she feels normal now. She has one more minor surgery for her reconstruction process.

And she has some advice for younger women who don’t check themselves regularly.

“Take care of yourself,” she said. “You are not too young.”