Sherry Bell, a dedicated Tidelands Health team member, wife, mother and now grandmother, never imagined that her routine mammogram would change her life.
At 47, Bell was no stranger to cancer’s impact. In her 20s, she witnessed her mother survive her battle with breast cancer.
Always having this in the back of her mind, Bell was vigilant about her breast health, especially after a non-cancerous mass was removed more than a decade ago by Dr. Angela Mislowsky, her breast cancer surgeon at Tidelands Health Breast Center.
Tidelands Health Breast Center is part of the Tidelands Health Cancer Care Network, the region’s most advanced provider of cancer care and a member of the MUSC Hollings Cancer Network.
When Bell’s yearly mammogram showed something suspicious in June 2023, she felt a familiar fear.
“They found something and sent me back for an ultrasound, and then another diagnostic mammogram,” Bell says. “I was scared because you never want to go through extra testing. You know it could mean something’s wrong.”
Dr. Mislowsky says that because Bell’s mother had breast cancer, her risk was about 20 percent, or one-in-five chance. If someone doesn’t have a family history of breast cancer, their risk is one-in-eight chance.
Bell’s husband, father and stepmother were by her side when Dr. Mislowsky delivered the news—Bell had breast cancer. She was diagnosed with invasive ductal carcinoma, which is the most common type of breast cancer diagnosed by Dr. Mislowsky. Biopsy results showed Bell’s cancer was the more aggressive triple-positive subset, which means it uses estrogen and progesterone to grow, according to Dr. Mislowsky.
“I couldn’t help but think of my mom,” Bell says. “I was scared the same thing would happen to me, but Dr. Mislowsky reassured me. She told me treatments have come a long way since then and that we would get through this together.”
Bell’s battle began with six rounds of chemotherapy. She started feeling the effects of the medication after her first infusion. But despite the physical and mental effects of treatment, Bell leaned on her faith, her church and her family for strength.
“We had so many prayers going up for me,” she said. “My church family would call and text every day to check on me. Just when I would start to feel down, I would get a message from someone saying, ‘You got this,’ and it would lift me up.”
Bell was never alone in this battle—she learned a childhood friend was also diagnosed with breast cancer at the same time and leaned into that truly empathetic support.
“We grew up together and were there for each other,” Bell says. “She had chemotherapy on Thursdays, I had it on Tuesdays, and we would check in on each other. Having someone who knew exactly what I was going through helped a lot.”
After chemotherapy, tests showed Bell’s cancer had shrunk by more than 50 percent. And in March, Bell underwent a lumpectomy to remove the non-invasive cancer, followed by 21 rounds of radiation.
“Sherry was vigilant about her mammograms,” says Dr. Mislowsky. “Thankfully, because she was getting them annually, we were able to catch the cancer early, significantly improving her outcome.”
What gave Bell strength during her journey was the upcoming birth of her first grandchild.
“My daughter found out she was pregnant in the middle of my treatment,” Bell says. “That gave me the push I needed. I finished my radiation on May 16, and two days later, my granddaughter was born. God works things out.”
Today, Bell’s cancer is in remission, and she is enjoying her life as a new “Mimi.” Though she still faces challenges, including joint pain and medication side effects, she remains grateful.
“I’m alive, and I have my family. That’s what matters,” she says. “My hair has grown back completely different, but I don’t mind. I have hair, and I’m here.”
Bell continues to advocate for others to get their annual mammograms, fully understanding the importance of early detection.
“I tell everyone, ‘Don’t put off your mammogram,’” she says. “If I had, my cancer could have been much worse. I’m thankful every day for the Lord, my team at Tidelands Health, my family and everyone who supported me.”
