Some mornings when Megan Pischke looks in the mirror shes able to forget what shes going through.
The reflection peering back at her looks normal; a strong, slim physique from years of riding powder as a professional snowboarder, a glowing tan from last month's warm streak and sun-kissed long, flowing hair.
I wanted to keep my hair because I didn't feel sick, Pischke says. I wanted to feel normal.
In November, 2012, Pischke was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer. Now, less than a year later, and having undergone surgery, Pischke has received her 16th and final chemotherapy treatment.
The mother of two has come through it with a smile and her hair.
While undergoing chemotherapy Pischke used a cold cap to prevent her locks from falling out. It's a practice widely used in Europe, but Pischke became the first cancer patient to use the treatment at the B.C. Cancer Agency.
The treatment isn't covered by B.C.'s Medical Services Program. Every cent came out of Pischke's pocket. The B.C. Cancer Agency doesn't offer it either. In a statement to The Chief, an agency spokesperson wrote officials feel more evidence is needed before considering whether to make it available to patients.
An hour and a half before chemo treatment, Pischke placed a cap filled with dry ice on her head. The wrap hits temperatures of -35 degrees Celsius and freezes her scalp so that the chemo drug doesn't travel into her scalp's tissue, killing off hair follicles. She had eight caps that she rotated through ever two hours throughout the eight hours of chemo.
You definitely have to have help, Pischke says, acknowledging the hard work of her husband David.
If Pischke had a theme song it would be Alanis Morissette's Ironic, she jokes. Fifteen years ago she started volunteering with Boarding for Breast Cancer (B4BC), a foundation formed when a fellow pro boarder died from the disease in her mid-20s.
Since then, Pischke has become an ambassador for the organization and founder of wellness treats for breast cancer survivors Re Treat Yourself.
This is obviously my path, she says. This is time for me to walk the walk.
Now, armed with a firsthand experience, Pischke wants to let other people know about the options available to them including cold caps. It's not for everyone, she says, but it's another tool to add to the tool box.
I wanted to be a little bit anonymous of what I was going through, she says.
To learn more about B4BC visit www.b4bc.org.
