Donna C. Kirton, the daughter of Panamanian immigrants, has described her breast cancer journey as “surreal.
Kirton, a former New York City and New York State public servant who retired in May 2023 after 30 years of service, told Caribbean Life on Tuesday, Sept. 7, that she prides herself on the fact that her paternal great-grandfather, Barbadian-born Robert Issac Kirton, assisted in the construction of the Panama Canal.
She also said that her maternal great-grandfather, Jamaican Arthur Phillip Wallace, was “the coachman for the first President of Panama, Manuel Amador Guerrero.”
Kirton, who also prides herself as a first-generation Panamanian-American, said that in March 2024, she was scheduled for a digital mammogram screening with Tomosynthesis—Bilateral at New York Presbyterian Hospital/ Methodist Hospital—Brooklyn.
“Soon, thereafter, I received a letter from the Breast Imaging Center, which stated that, due to breast density, I needed to come in for further screening,” she said. “Subsequently, it was found that I had breast calcifications on the left breast. My only question was: ‘What do I do next?’”
On April 11, Kirton said she was scheduled for a mammogram diagnostic tomo–left, which was followed by a Mammogram Core Biopsy on April 29 and a Mammogram Stereotactic Biopsy on May 21, 2024.
“I was diagnosed with Stage 0 breast cancer – left breast,” she said, stating that there are four stages of breast cancer, zero to four.
“All during this journey, I was confident that I would be well, both physically and, even more, so mentally well,” Kirton added. “My statement was turned from ‘What do I do next?’ to ‘What do we do next?’”
On May 9, she said she “met a fantabulous team led by surgeon Dr. Vivian Bea.
“I was immediately at ease with her candor, care, and empathy,” Kirton said. “After we discussed my future outlook, Dr. Bea asked me if I would be interested in speaking at a symposium in October 2024. I immediately signed up for the cause.”
On June 11, 2024, Kirton said Dr. Bea and her team of specialists successfully performed a lumpectomy on Magseed.
She said her post-care has also been “equally a surreal one.”
Kirton said she was issued medication, along with a specific set of instructions, “whereby I felt I had no discomfort, no pain, nor any adverse effects up until this day. My only issue was a rash due to the tape adhesive.”
Kirton said she underwent five weeks of radiation treatment.
“And, on Aug. 12, 2024, I rang that glorious bell,” she said, signifying that she was cancer-free.
In October 2024, Kirton said she spoke before the medical community-at-large – at a symposium sponsored by Methodist Hospital.
“The topic of discussion spoke to the disparities of breast cancer within the African American community,” she said. “I was the sole patient and lay participant.”
Kirton said her quest is to continue giving back to the breast cancer community.
“I graciously accept the challenge,” she said. “Let us continue to weather the storm and turn lemons into lemonade.
“A cancer survivor is anyone who has been diagnosed with cancer, while a thriver is a survivor who not only lives through the experience but actively grows, finds meaning, and lives a positive, high-quality life beyond the diagnosis and treatment,” Kirton added.
She said thriving involves “a conscious choice to move from merely existing to living intentionally and embracing new possibilities, focusing on mental, emotional, and physical well-being.
“And yes, my thriving still continues,” Kirton said. “My mantra is ‘Live, Love, Laugh and Learn.’”
