Jean Keffer Herrman found a lump in her breast earlier this year and took quick action.

“It didn’t feel right,” the Great Bend woman said. Knowing there was a history of breast cancer in her family, she scheduled an appointment with her doctor.

More than one lump was discovered, and Herrman had both breasts removed in February. In April she started 13 weeks of chemotherapy. She continues to take Herceptin, an antibody drug, every 21 days through a portal, and Tamoxifen, an estrogen receptor pill.

“Positivity is what has gotten me this far,” the 68-year-old said.

The side effects have not been pleasant.

“I’ve lost my hair but it is growing back,” she said. She has also felt nauseated, which has made it difficult to eat right and maintain her weight. Another side effect has been “a lot of diarrhea,” she said. “A friend told me, ‘never trust a fart.’”

“It’s like going through menopause again,” Herrman said.

With all that going on, Herrman says she had continued to work as a private caregiver and hasn’t missed a day of work other than time off for chemo treatments. By the end of every week she is “pretty tired” but she doesn’t give up. 

“I get up every morning and say, ‘OK God, what’s next?’” she said.

Herrman, who used to own Jeannie’s Cafe in Great Bend, loves to bake and also spends time in her kitchen. This month she is baking cookies for Halloween. 

Even before being diagnosed with cancer, Herrman was being treated for gastroparesis. She has a full team assisting her at the Dreiling/Schmidt Cancer Institute in Hays: Her oncolgist, Dr.Isaac M. Chambers, MD, and Lori M. Williams, PA; her primary physician, Dr. Nathan Knackstedt, DO, at Clara Barton Medical Center; and her surgeons at Clara Barton, Dr. P.J. Stiles, MD; Dr. Roxanne Stiles, MD; and Dr. Jeremy Howes, MD.

“My spirits are good,” Herrman said. Her advice to anyone diagnosed with breast cancer: “Get in (to see a doctor) quickly; get it taken care of. Get a good doctor and stay positive.”