North Texas man shares story of his fight with breast cancer

DALLAS – Breast cancer is most often found in women, but a North Texas man is sharing the story of his fight with the disease to make sure others know it could affect them.

Stephen Terry, a father, husband, minister and teacher at Roosevelt High, was at work when one day he felt something was off.

“I’ve been feeling some discomfort in the left side of my chest,” he said.

It was a sharp pain that wouldn’t go away.

After getting tested his doctor shared what was growing in his chest, he was diagnosed with Stage 2 breast cancer.

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It spread to his lymph nodes, threatening his life.

“I’m used to comforting other people, so when I heard that I had cancer it was kind of like the first shock. Like, not me. Wow me,” Terry said.

He was diagnosed at just 48 years old.

The risks are higher for African Americans.

“My daughter, her senior year, I am thinking am I going to be around and able to see her graduate,” he said.

A plan was immediately put in place to save Terry’s life.

“I had to get imaging done. Next week I had to get more imaging done,” he said.

But chemo was yet another challenge.

“I was tired and fatigued, and actually during this time I was not working because I wanted to give my body time to adjust to do what it needed to do,” Terry said.

He continued to meet with more doctors, including the woman who would eventually remove the cancer from his left chest: Dr. Katrina Birdwell.

The two have shared a special bond, months before and after his life-saving surgery in August.

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“He is presently cured to breast cancer. Which is a huge success,” Dr. Birdwell said.

Catching the disease early and taking the proper steps to remove the tumor played a vital role in Terry’s recovery.

He also credits his family, friends and students support during a dark time.

“They’ve been right there with me. My wife going to treatments with me, even my father, you know. He’s 88, and he’s still active,” said Terry.

“He has a wonderful family, like, one thing about my patients is that I get to know the whole family. I met his wife, his son, his father. They’re really just lovely people who support him and that’s awesome,” said Dr. Birdwell.

Terry, who is now 49, is on radiation and says he feels better every day.

He also decided to remove both tissues from his breasts to reduce the chances of the cancer returning.