Issue #2 - Survivor | Written by Stephanie Erickson Doyle
A vision of physical strength, Hawaiian tennis enthusiast, Miyuki Haught, is faced with her greatest life challenge, breast cancer. She began her battle with the endless support of her friends and family. Hanging up her racquet was never an option.

 

FOR MIYUKI HAUGHT, tennis means more than a strong volley or cardiovascular workout. For her, tennis is a lifesaver.

One day, Miyuki was a homemaker and mother of two sons living in Honolulu and playing tennis at The Oahu Club. The next day, she was a cancer victim.

It was January 5, 2007 when Miyuki's world was turned upside-down. Doctors told her she had stage three breast cancer - it had spread to her lymph nodes. Fortunately, the cancer had not engulfed her organs or crept into her bones.

Yet it all seemed so surreal. No one else in Miyuki's family had ever battled breast cancer. She was not a drinker or a smoker. She was eating nutritiously. Practicing yoga and playing tennis for nearly three years were keeping her in tip-top shape.

 

After the initial shock wore off, Miyuki knew she had just one choice to make: to overcome this new obstacle. The first step was surgery. She had to take a break from her five-day-a-week practicing and once-a-week league play to allow the cut to heal. Three weeks later though, the USTA 3.5 player was back on the courts where she stayed through several months of chemotherapy treatments.

Moving ahead with chemo was an easy choice for Miyuki. Simply said, she was not ready to die. Her husband was not ready either. Within days, after much research, he had become the family's breast cancer expert. Miyuki's physician told her that chemotherapy and radiation therapy would increase her chances of survival to 82 percent. Without treatment, her survival rate would have dropped to just 51 percent within the next five years.

 

 

Miyuki felt physically and mentally strong enough to endure tough chemotherapy sessions that would wipe out her immune system but also kill off cancer cells. For up to five days after a chemotherapy session,Miyuki typically felt extremely tired, physically weak, and sick. She also had little sense of taste. “Even water didn't taste good,'' she said.Miyuki was shocked at the sight of her newly bald head. She lost all of her long black hair just two weeks into her chemotherapy regimen.

After the sickness began to wane, usually day number six post-chemo, she donned a scarf and wig, grabbed her racquet, and headed out the door. “Each time I played, I played as if it were my final tennis practice. I kept this mind frame up until the day before my next chemotherapy session,'' she said, continuing the same cycle throughout her chemotherapy - five days off, and then play, play, play.

To continue bringing her self-prescribed “never give up” attitude to doubles matches for her team's weekly meets, Miyuki scheduled chemotherapy sessions on Monday or Tuesday so she could play on Saturday.

Although she lacked energy to play singles matches,

“This photo was taken after we finished our championship match. Although we did not win the league championships, we came a long way as a team and were worthy of celebration with sparkling wine.”



she felt fortunate to be able to play doubles throughout her difficult treatments. “Let alone be undefeated (ten matches) and being the captain of the league runner-up team,'' the 51-year-old added. Miyuki's physician had encouraged her to play tennis during her chemotherapy treatments, and Miyuki credits tennis with significantly expediting her recovery.

 

 

Miyuki had tried various forms of exercise over the years, including running and karate, but wanted to have more fun while working out. Tennis was the answer. “Since I started to play tennis, I really love to exercise,” she said. “Since joining a league, tennis has brought me physical fitness, laughter, thrill, and great company... great food after the game, too. As a matter of fact, I'm proud to say that I'm addicted to tennis. I cannot imagine my life without it.”

Miyuki enjoys tennis as an individual competitive sport and as a team sport. As an individual entry, Miyuki and her partner recently took second place in a pilot tournament. As team captain, they placed second in C League 3.5 in Hawaii.

“We share the wins and losses, joy, and sorrow as a team,'' she said of league play. “The team becomes a family that supports one another through tough times. The nice people that I have met playing tennis have made my life fulfilling.”

Such strong friendships also helped Miyuki through the difficult times with cancer. Friends, who call her Miki, kept her house filled with flower bouquets and cards. They threw surprise parties for her, drove her to the hair salon, and often delivered dinner to her house. “They have shown nothing but unconditional support,'' Miyuki said, adding that tennis builds camaraderie.

Fighting breast cancer has been one of Miyuki's greatest life challenges. More than a half-year since her diagnosis, she still needs radiation therapy and hormone treatment. She will forge ahead. “I believe that if you have a positive attitude and mental fortitude, you can overcome any obstacle,'' she said. “If Lance Armstrong was able to compete in and win the Tour de France after his battle with cancer, we all surely can return to the activities that we all love.”

 

 

Breast cancer itself will not kill you but if you wait too long and it spreads into your bones, internal organs, or blood, you will have a lower chance of survival.

 

 

Even though she is not as strong or quick as before chemotherapy, Miyuki still gives it her all. Her final chemo treatment was on June 19, and now she's striving to become a “solid 4.0 skilled player” and hoping to improve her serve. “I look forward to coming back stronger and harder with my tennis game,'' she said. She also dreams of one day vacationing in Melbourne, Australia, to watch her favorite professional players compete.

Miyuki hopes her experience will motivate others who are in the same situation and encourage them to be proactive when it comes to their breast health. “If you feel anything wrong with your body, even if you find a curiously small lump, I suggest that you make an appointment with your physician,'' she said. “Regular mammograms are very important to discovering cancerous tissues early enough in order to have an easier treatment.”

Her advice does not stop there. “Maintaining a healthy lifestyle such as frequent exercise is an important factor in defeating the cancer,” she added. “Breast cancer itself will not kill you but if you wait too long and it spreads into your bones, internal organs, or blood, you will have a lower chance of survival. There is still no cure in modern medicine if it reaches that point.”

After she was diagnosed with cancer, Miyuki realized how important it is to live life happily every day. “No one knows what will happen tomorrow,” she said, “so my advice is to live the best you can, enjoy life, and appreciate what is bestowed upon you.”

For her, that includes a “killer lob” she brings to doubles matches. She said, “I look forward to full recovery with years and years of tennis to play in the beautiful State of Hawaii, with the many friends that I have met through this extraordinary and wonderful sport that I love.”

 

 

Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer among women.
The most proven and significant risk factors for getting breast cancer are being female and getting older.
An estimated 182,460 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in women in the U.S. during 2008.
An estimated 1,990 new cases of breast cancer will be diagnosed in men in the U.S. during 2008.
An estimated 40,480 women and 450 men will die from breast cancer in the U.S. during 2008.
In the U.S., a woman has a 1 in 8 (12 percent) risk of developing breast cancer in her lifetime.
One woman is diagnosed with breast cancer every 3 minutes, and one woman will die of breast cancer every 13 minutes in the U.S.
The five-year survival rate for breast cancer, when caught early before it spreads beyond the breast, is now 98 percent (compared to 74 percent in 1982).
Approximately 5 to 10 percent of breast cancers are due to heredity. The majority of women with breast cancer have no known significant family history or other known risk
factors.
A woman’s chance of developing breast cancer increases with age. Approximately 95 percent of all breast cancers occur in women 40 years of age and older.
Breast cancer is second only to lung cancer in cancer deaths among women.
The chance of a woman dying from breast cancer is about 1 in 33 (3 percent).
African Americans have the highest death rate from breast cancer of any racial/ethnic group in the U.S.
In the U.S. today, there are nearly 2.5 million breast cancer survivors – the largest group of cancer survivors in the country.
  Source: The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation