Breast cancer survivor finds strength in her journey

Ellysa Harris, Plainview Herald

published

10:25 AM CDT, Monday, October 8, 2018

Julie Rincon left her regular appointments for mammography.

She should have left in December, she said.

"Life has been an obstacle," says Rincon.

She had not felt anything unusual, she was not too worried.

But when she finally went there in March, the doctors found in her chest something that was not going very well. Subsequent examinations revealed a 7 centimeter spot in the center of the chest.

Julie was told that he was happy that the scanners could detect it because it was so deep.

"He suggested doing a biopsy," said Julie remembering the experience sitting at the kitchen table with her husband and son.

"She told us that she had gone to get her mammogram and that they had found a mass," said Jazmine Valles, Julie's daughter. "Just to hear that, it was a little crazy, you have to slow down and say" OK, well maybe it's nothing at the same time. "

Valles, a mother of three with a fourth son on the way, remembers that her parents stopped at her place the day of her appointment.

"They kind of let us know what they were looking at," she said.

The following week, Julie was sent to the Joe Arrington Cancer Center in Lubbock, where the doctors performed a biopsy and diagnosed her with stage 1 breast cancer.

"Fortunately, they found it early," said Gilbert Rincon, Julie's husband.

The weeks that followed were punctuated by fuzziness, as doctors analyzed the mass in Julie's chest, performed tests and tests, and started to fight cancer.

Julie had a partial mastectomy on March 30 to remove the lump. She started a series of radiation treatments a few weeks later.

The treatments required a trip to Lubbock every day for several weeks, she said. Nevertheless, Julie still managed to make it work.

"She's basically superwoman," said Gilbert of his wife.

According to Julie, her husband is just as "super".

She remembered watching him one day while he was sitting on the couch and noticing that he looked exhausted.

Gilbert went to each appointment, worked less time and did as much housework as he could find the time he needed while taking care of his wife.

That day, Julie recalls, she asked him to take a break.

"He said," Do you have a break? "If you do not have a break, I do not need a break," Julie said.

The positive side of her journey against cancer, she said, is creating a closer bond with her husband.

It's something their kids have noticed. Austin Rincon, the son of Julie and Gilbert, said he liked to see his father on the other side and that he was impressed by his mother's strength.

He knew she was scared, said Austin about Julie. But she never let it speak. She kept a brave face throughout her experience, but he could see a hint of fear in her eyes.

"His smile was so much bigger," he says.

That's one of the things Gilbert said he thought he made a difference in his recovery. She remained positive.

The trip is not over yet. Julie now needs to take a pill for the next five years to make sure the cancer does not come back. She hopes that will not be the case.

"We have faith in a great God," she said.