A Mother’s Bravery, A Daughter’s Love

Andrea Koster-Crain and Amanda Crain — Survivor and Co-Survivor of the Year

Sixteen years ago, when Andrea Koster-Crain was 40 and her daughter Amanda was 10, Andrea was diagnosed with Stage 1 breast cancer. A cancer diagnosis is difficult enough for a parent but is shocking for a child. But thanks to her treatment – which included surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy – Andrea went into remission after a year. Her hair grew back and life for her and her daughter went back to normal.

For nine years, Andrea lived life without illness. Her daughter grew up and left for college. But in 2006, at the age of 50, Andrea began to experience back pain and spams so severe that she couldn’t get out of bed. Trips to the emergency room, a chiropractor, and physical therapy couldn’t pinpoint the source of her suffering. Then, one day, an alert breast doctor reviewed earlier scans and discovered that the tumor in Andrea’s breast had been growing. The news was worse. The cancer had metastasized.

Tumors were in Andrea’s spine, hips, pelvis and shoulders. Doctors looked at the patient and her family with concern, sorrow, even pity. Everyone assumed the worst. But they were wrong. The oncologist ran some tests on the breast tumors and determined Andrea was a good candidate for Herceptin – a breast cancer therapy designed to treat aggressive HER2 positive metastatic and adjuvant breast cancer. It had not been on the market when she was first diagnosed and worked in only 10 to 20 percent of patients. A cocktail of Herceptin, chemotherapy and pain management saved Andrea’s life, and she began the road to recovery.

Amanda – a college junior at the time of the second diagnosis – stayed in bed with her mother morning, noon and night, helping her through the nausea, fatigue, uncertainty and pain.

Within six months, Andrea was back at work and her old self. She enjoyed good health for almost a year. Then, the chemotherapy stopped working. She began a new chemo regimen, but it did not interact well with the Herceptin so the drug was dropped from her treatment regimen. Once again, the future looked foreboding.

Amanda graduated college a year-and-a-half after the return of her mother’s cancer. She moved back in with her parents and attended graduate school while interning at Komen Greater NYC. During that time, she spent a lot of time with her mother.

One Sunday, Andrea had a seizure in front of her daughter. Amanda won’t forget that day for the rest of her life.

Tests confirmed the unthinkable – the cancer had spread to Andrea’s brain. She had to undergo gamma knife surgery and radiation therapy to her head. The radiation had terrible side effects. She couldn’t eat and lost so much weight she was unrecognizable. Her extreme fatigue resulted in physical pain. Again, she fought and got back to something resembling normal life.

This has been the pattern ever since the 2006 diagnosis. Andrea does well for a while and then the chemotherapy stops working. The cancer spreads somewhere new, and more radiation is required. Yet even though the future is unsure, she makes it look “easy.”

To honor her mother’s bravery and raise money for cures that could prolong her life and those of others battling the disease, Amanda founded Team Momma! and has walked in the Race for the Cure in San Francisco, where she now lives. This year, the team will be walking in New York City.

On Sunday morning, September 9th, Andrea Koster-Crain will be honored for her bravery, receiving the Komen Greater NYC Survivor of the Year Award. Amanda Crain will be honored for her love and support, receiving the Co-Survivor of the Year Award.

Help Amanda and Team Momma! Consider making a gift so they can achieve their fundraising goal.