Graduate student Nia Klein was one of the 2.4 million women living in the United States with breast cancer.

Breast caner is a disease where abnormal cells in the breast are divided and multiplied uncontrollably. The abnormal cells then attack nearby tissue and spread, leading to death.

This is what happened to Klein after having her annual mammogram screening.

On Nov. 29 2004, Klein received a call from her doctor formally stating she was diagnosed with stage one breast cancer in her left breast.

“When I first found out, I was immediately scheduled for survey to take the lump out, although I had no idea it was there,” Klein said.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and the time allows citizens to reflect and gain knowledge on breast cancer, a disease that affects many people in the United States.

Klein’s first surgery took place within the next 10 days after receiving the news on Nov. 29, 2004.

Soon she had to have a second survey because they did not get all the smaller cancer cells.

After the removal of the small margins, she then went through six cycles of chemotherapy for a year, making her lose her hair. This process turned into undergoing 35 radiation treatments.

After being diagnosed, Klein said many people choose implants; however, her doctor told her she would have to replace the implants every 15 years.

Instead, Klein decided to have the controversial Tram Flap surgery called Transverse Rectus Abdominal Muscle Flap Surgery. Actress Christina Applegate went through the same surgery in August 2008.

During the procedure, the muscle from the abdomen is brought to the breast level and a breast is created. This means Klein has a non-functional abdomen muscle, making her unable to get up straight or do sit-ups.

By June 2005, Klein completed all treatments, but said she was devastated when she found out her younger sister was soon diagnosed with breast cancer as well.

This prompted her to see a geneticist to seek advice on what to do.

“I didn’t connect the dots because I knew my mom had breast cancer and I knew her relatives had breast cancer,” Klein said.

“But it wasn’t until my sister came up with breast cancer that I started to connect the dots and thought there must be something genetic here.”

The geneticist said since she did not have BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes, her doctor told her there had to be other genes that caused her breast cancer.

After months of research and finding an online support group, she decided she wanted to have a complete bilateral mastectomy with immediate reconstruction to the breast.

This is when she had the Tram Flap procedure.

“I did not want to run the risk of the reoccurrence,” Klein said. “I could not envision myself going through the chemo for round two because it was devastating the first time around.”

The evidence showed the mastectomy would decrease her chance of reoccurrence by 95 percent.

She felt that she could not pass it up.

Sue Songer, international student adviser and friend of Klein, said Klein is brave for what she did.

“I think Nia is a women who has faced the fear of breast cancer that most women fear, and I have had so many friends that have had to deal with breast cancer,” Songer said. “Nia’s story is so compelling.”

An anonymous clinical nurse from the Midwest Center for Plastic Surgery in Decatur said the Tram Flap procedure is common in the area.

She said most doctors want radiation done before any removal of the breast.

She said by having the Tram Flap procedure, a person will get a more natural looking and feeling breast without having a foreign implant.

She added this is an option patients like to hear because unlike impants, they can use their own abdomen and skin to create the breast they lost.

Songer said Klein made the right decision.

Songer also said that it must have been a difficult decision to make.

The surgery took Klein five and a half hours to complete and took the entire summer to recover.

“The body you now have is not the same body you were born in,” Klein said. “There will be many days you will wake up and wonder if you did the right thing.”

Some say this is a controversial surgery because of the risks that include the long length of being under general anesthesia.

Some also say this is a controversial surgery because a person loses the ability to use the abdomen muscle.

“Some people my age need the abdomen muscle to give your lower back support,” Klein said. “It’s a huge risk to be under general anesthesia that long. It’s a huge chance of not waking up.”

After the surgery, Klein said she was relieved.

“The thought of living the rest of my life for the.purpose to check if the cancer was back, I didn’t think I could (live) under that black cloud for the rest of my life always wondering,” Klein said.

“Because once you get cancer in one breast, you have a 50 percent change to get it in the other breast.”

Klein said she encourages people to look into screenings if a person’s family members have any type of cancer.

Songer has already lost a dear friend and co-worker, Nancy Britton.

She said she watched the disease affect Britton’s body.

She did not want to see another friend go through the same, Songer added.

She said she is glad Klein made the choice she did because it took away the chance of getting cancer again.

“Nia is a great example for courage and strength,” Songer said.

Brittni Garcia can be reached at 581-7942 or at bmgarcia@eiu.edu.