Crystal Hill was doing everything right to reduce her risk of cancer – so a breast cancer diagnosis in her 30s was a shock.
She found the expert care and positive support she needed with breast surgical oncologist Dr. Ashley Hendrix at Regional One Health Cancer Care.
By focusing on her faith and maintaining her fitness and active lifestyle, Crystal was able to turn her cancer journey into an empowering and inspiring experience.
In May 2024, Crystal Hill was getting ready for a friend’s 30th birthday party when her life was suddenly turned upside-down.
Crystal was determined to stay active and positive throughout treatment, and Dr. Hendrix supported her every step of the way: “She made it clear that we were going to get through this, and we were going to get through it together.”
It was a surprise party, so Crystal, who hates being late under any circumstances, wanted to get there on time. The fact that her washing machine wouldn’t cooperate was aggravating in the moment – but in the long run, it might have helped save her life.
“It kept spinning off track, and I was getting really frustrated, because I was trying to get out the door,” Crystal said. “I slammed my hands down on it and said, ‘Just work,’ and then I laid down on top of my hands. I felt a lump in my breast and I thought, ‘That doesn’t feel right.’”
She called her OB/GYN, who asked her to come in right away. When the doctor checked her out, “She just gave me this look…she was so upset,” Crystal recalls. “She’s been seeing me since I was 21. She saw me through my pregnancy and my son’s birth.”
From there, everything went very quickly. In two days, Crystal was having a biopsy. Within days of it coming back positive for breast cancer, she was meeting with Ashley Hendrix, MD, FACS, a breast surgical oncologist at Regional One Health Cancer Care.
Crystal, who was determined to remain positive and active throughout her treatment, knew right away she had found the ideal physician.
“Dr. Hendrix is amazing. From the moment I met her, she felt like family,” Crystal said. “She talks to you like you’re an actual human being, not a case or a number. She jokes with you and laughs with you. She made it clear that we were going to get through this, and we were going to get through it together.”
Dr. Hendrix developed a personalized treatment plan based on Crystal’s needs and goals: a lumpectomy, chemotherapy, and radiation, followed by immunotherapy medication aimed at preventing recurrence of her cancer. Crystal also underwent genetic testing at Regional One Health, which found her cancer is not due to a genetic mutation.
Crystal exercised every morning during her treatment, even completing the Making Strides for Breast Cancer 5K while undergoing chemotherapy.
For Crystal, it was a whirlwind.
She was only in her mid-30s at the time, and she didn’t have any major risk factors. In fact, she had the opposite of risk factors – an avid exerciser and healthy eater, Crystal does everything she can to manage her risk of serious illness.
Her alarm sounds at 4:30 every morning so she can go to the gym for weights, cardio, and stretching before work. Her go-to beverage is water, and she sticks to healthy foods like rice cakes, oatmeal, egg whites, and lean meats – the fact that her daily lunch is grilled chicken and rice is a running joke at the office where she works as a dental assistant.
While Crystal’s healthy habits made her diagnosis a shock, they also were key to her successful treatment. “She sailed through surgery and had very few side effects during chemotherapy. She attributes that to her physical activity, and I would agree with that,” Dr. Hendrix said.
After Crystal’s lumpectomy, she was at her son’s trunk-or-treat the next day. During chemo, she completed the Making Strides for Breast Cancer 5K run. When she faced challenges, exercise was the fix: For example, after her surgery, Crystal used a stretching plan to regain full mobility in her arm.
Crystal was motivated by her desire to be there her son, now 8, who was just in kindergarten at the time of her diagnosis. “I still wanted to be the mom who was able to be on fieldtrips, help practice soccer and basketball, pick him up when he needed me to,” she said.
Dr. Hendrix said there are lessons other patients can take from Crystal’s experience.
First, early detection is key, which is why breast awareness is important.
“My faith and fitness got me through it,” Crystal said. “I had a lot of support, and I completely trusted my care team.”
Crystal was only in her 30s when she was diagnosed, which is prior to the recommended age of 40 for starting screening mammograms. While experts no longer recommend formal breast self-exams, Dr. Hendrix said women should still be aware of changes in their breasts.
“Being mindful to your body and paying attention is the most important piece,” she said. “If she hadn’t noticed it and had it checked out it could have advanced more.”
The other lesson is to stay active as much as possible before, during, and after treatment.
“She kept up her stamina. It helped her with stress. She felt better,” Dr. Hendrix said. “There’s a lot of really good data about exercise helping with treatment, preventing cancer recurrence, and even in some cases preventing cancer in the first place.”
“My faith and fitness got me through it,” Crystal said. “I had a lot of support, and I completely trusted my care team. It’s just another stepping-stone in life that I had to get across. The good Lord puts things in front of you that he knows you can handle.”
Rather than feeling sorry for herself or asking, “Why me?”, she is using her breast cancer experience as an opportunity grow and to inspire other women: “I want to be thankful and give back for everything that was given to me every step of the way. It was an awesome journey.”