A normal Friday in August 2014 turned out to be life-changing for now-senior journalism major Amber Murphy. She noticed a mosquito bite on her right breast. She found the bump to be annoying and awkward until she reached down to scratch it, and noticed an abnormal lump underneath.
She knew something wasn’t right. Murphy’s family had a history of breast cancer, and her aunt and grandmother told her to check into the lump.
“I always had a scare of cancer, because one of my friends in eighth grade passed away,” Murphy said. “If it could happen to him, it could happen to anyone.”
A physician examined her and immediately sent Murphy to Tansey Breast Center in New Orleans.
Walking in for her appointment, Murphy said she didn’t realize that she was going to be one of the center’s first patients her age with a visible tumor.
Standing in the room waiting for the doctor, she remembers them handing her a white robe with the pink ribbon on it to match her ID bracelet. That was the moment reality hit her and Murphy knew what she was about to go through.
Neither Murphy nor her mother said a word. Both were confused, wondering what the next step was. After the doctor confirmed that the growth in her breast was a tumor, he identified it as fibroadenoma, a type of benign tumor that could be kept in a breast unless it showed activity or growth.
“It’s going to be okay,” Murphy said, confidently, looking at her mother.
Murphy was determined to stay strong on the inside and out, but couldn’t help but wonder, “Why me?”
Around Thanksgiving, Murphy visited her OBGYN who noticed more than one lump in her breast. The doctor sent her to a radiologist for further testing.
Getting out of the car at the radiologist’s office, Murphy noticed pink ribbons leading to the inside of the building. She acknowledged the ribbons as if they were taunting her in a positive manner.
“When I see that (pink ribbon) I think it is more of a comfort to know that this is something that everyone knows about women go through just like any other cancer,” Murphy said.
Sitting and waiting in the office, Murphy thought it would be just another check-up. However, the doctor noticed three lumps in her breast during the inspection.
Leaving the appointment alarmed with unanswered questions, Murphy returned back to school after the Thanksgiving holiday. She tried to stay positive during multiple phone conversations with doctors, and attended counseling sessions but still bottled up this secret.
Murphy’s mom reached out to Dean Will Norton of the journalism school for help. Norton called Murphy into his office. Murphy said this helped her realize she had a large support group and built up the strength she needed to finish the semester.
“They say Ole Miss is a family and I firsthand got that experience,” Murphy said. “At that point I realized that I am powerless unless I have people that pick me up and strengthen me.”
Murphy finally felt comfortable talking about her situation with several others.
With the semester behind her, Murphy knew her next step was to visit the doctor again to inquire about more options concerning her condition.
On Dec. 15, she went to a doctor’s appointment to have some mass tissue removed. The doctor told her she did not need to have her breasts removed, because the tumors were non-active, but would still need to have check-up appointments twice a month.
“I think that is one big thing I learned. I think we all stare because we don’t understand cancer or an illness, but now understanding it and being a part of it I realize there is so much more to life,” Murphy said.
