Thechare’ McChriston had gone to seven different doctors in 2020, searching for answers. Each dismissed her concerns, despite her insistence that something was wrong.
“A person knows when there’s something going on with their body,” McChriston told The Dispatch. “I had to really become an advocate for myself.”
Finally, she went for a mammogram. When the results came back inconclusive, the doctor gave McChriston the choice of waiting or having a biopsy done. Choosing the latter, those results confirmed she had HER2-positive cancer, one of the fastest growing and aggressive forms of breast cancer.
She chose to have surgery to remove the cancerous tissue instead of undergoing chemotherapy treatment or a mastectomy. The surgery appeared to be successful, primarily because the cancer was caught so early.
“I believe that was just because I advocated so hard,” she said. “I had to. I wasn’t being heard.”
So ended McChriston’s first conquering, as she calls it, of breast cancer. She has battled the disease twice since. After learning the importance of advocating for her own health, she’s found purpose in encouraging others to take control of theirs.
Earlier this month, McChriston shared her story at the Zumba in Pink Boardwalk, an event organized to raise funds to help women pay for cancer screenings, encouraging those in attendance to schedule a mammogram appointment.
“Never allow someone who is not in your shoes to tell you how to walk it out,” she said.
McChriston received her second HER-2 diagnosis in 2021, choosing this time to go through chemotherapy. Traveling to Nashville for the treatments, she received transfusions on weekdays and was given antibiotics through IVs on weekends.
The treatments were successful, but in July 2023, McChriston started to feel her body change again. By that point, she was disappointed with the health care system, the repetitive tests and the same dismissals.
“I knew something wasn’t right,” she said. “I sat in front of those doctors and deteriorated, and nobody said anything.”
She said she had started experiencing symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. Up until that point, she’d kept her fight with cancer private. It was then she decided to open up about her diagnosis, both to the people around her and on social media.
“I wasn’t talking about it, so nobody ever knew about it,” she said. “I had listened to somebody who told me not to share, and it was eating me up. I wanted to yell, ‘I have breast cancer!’”
McChriston received her third diagnosis of HER2-positive cancer about a year ago, except this time it’s stage 4 metastatic, meaning the cancer cells have spread to her liver and other parts of her body.
“This is different. This time it’s a stage 4, terminal diagnosis,” she said. “I still haven’t got to the point where I don’t cry when I say it.”
But there’s no giving up for McChriston – no matter the diagnosis.
She plans to continue advocating for her own health while encouraging other women to do the same. Leveraging her social media accounts, McChriston gives advice to others dealing with a cancer diagnosis, encouraging them to advocate for their health and find a support system.
“I know how easy it is to give up when you feel like no one is listening,” she wrote in a Facebook post Oct. 19. “But we must never stop advocating for ourselves. Our lives depend on it. Don’t let anyone – no matter their title – make you feel unheard. Keep pushing. Keep asking questions and keep fighting for the care you deserve.”
McRae is a general assignment and education reporter for The Dispatch.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 47 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 47 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
