Surviving cancer with a sense of purpose: Heather Quiroga earned her CMU degree in August 2017 three years after breast cancer diagnosis
When Heather Quiroga was declared a breast cancer survivor, she wanted to analyze why she had the disease.
Her curiosity triggered the pursuit of her community development degree at Central Michigan University. She said education gave her a sense of purpose.
Now, Quiroga is seeking employment in the health sciences field.
Quiroga’s first reaction after being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2014 was “Oh my God, I’m going to die.”
The mother of two reflected on the life she had left to live. She thought about her children and how losing her would impact them. Suddenly, Quiroga realized that although she was about to battle the disease that kills 1-in-37 women each year, she was not going to be a statistic.
Quiroga was determined to do whatever it took to survive breast cancer.
“I knew I had to do what I had to do to get through that journey,” Quiroga said.
Quiroga, 43, is a breast cancer survivor who earned her community development degree from Central Michigan University in August.
A former stay-at-home mom, Quiroga made the decision to go back to school in 2013. She attended Saginaw Chippewa Tribal College to earn her associate degree from 2013-15. During her second semester at SCTC, doctors informed her of her breast cancer diagnosis at age 40.
“It was devastating,” said Jeff Sawyer, Quiroga’s father.
People told Quiroga to drop out of school. They suggested she heal and stay home so she could go through treatment. She refused to give up her life.
“You don’t want to let the cancer win,” Quiroga said. “You just want a sense of normalcy. I was determined to graduate.”
A positive attitude
Quiroga largely kept the reality of her cancer diagnosis to herself. In the beginning, not even her daughter knew. She believed doctors were removing some bad cells.
Quiroga then began changing her diet and she looked at everything from a positive perspective. Sometimes she had seven doctors’ appointments in a week in addition to being a student and a mom. Some nights were difficult, especially trying to write a paper with an illness, she said.
In 2014, Quiroga had surgery in June, started chemotherapy in August and radiation at the end of October.
“Isabella County has amazing medical (professionals),” Quiroga said. “They let me have my moments of emotions. They are all so supportive.”
On Dec. 23, 2014, Quiroga finished radiation treatment and was declared cancer-free. She still has follow-ups, even now. Doctors receive her bloodwork every three months to make sure her cancer hasn’t returned.
Sawyer said his daughter would contact him after every test. When she told him she was cancer-free, he said it was a “happy day.”
“I’ve seen people with cancer and sometimes you just lose the fight,” Sawyer said. “She had a great attitude.”
After finishing her associate degree, Quiroga looked at CMU’s health science programs and knew that’s where she was headed next. She started the program in August 2015.
Quiroga balanced doctors’ appointments, studying and being a mom by taking a one day at-a-time approach.
“It was overwhelming, but failing was never an option,” she said.
Quiroga’s decision to enter the health sciences field was triggered by her breast cancer diagnosis, she said. Education was a distraction from Quiroga’s cancer treatment. She focused on learning, she said, rather than focusing on “that I’m fighting for my life.”
“You just want to know about your health and you want to analyze why — why did I get sick and how can I prevent it in the future?” she said.
Quiroga recalled being nervous starting her first classes at CMU. On her first day on campus, she remembered somebody asking her for directions to class and she joked she didn’t know where her class was.
She attempted to incorporate her cancer into her studies in an effort to better understand what she had and what steps can be taken to improve health and wellness. She took classes on nutrition and anatomy in an effort to improve her health.
Quiroga never told anybody about her cancer and said it was healing for her to write about it and incorporate it into education.
Going back to school is something Quiroga wishes she would have done years ago.
“When you’re diagnosed with cancer, you start analyzing what you should have done with your life,” she said. “You try to start accomplishing those things.”
Moving forward
There is always a fear of recurrence of the disease, Quiroga said, and described it as a “cloud hanging over your head.” With a full class load, Quiroga received her degree from CMU in August. Her two children, Anthony, 26, and Anissa, 12, surprised her by putting her degree up on the wall at their home.
It hangs there today.
“You look at it and it’s a great sense of pride,” Quiroga said.
There were times where her daughter expressed some concern, she said. The two did a cancer walk together last month to support survivors. Quiroga has joined private Facebook groups to discuss her experience with disease and to teach others with breast cancer to maintain a positive outlook and stay motivated.
While she was diagnosed at 40, Quiroga knows some are diagnosed as young as 18 and need support.
“I want to get out there and help others stay healthy, stay positive,” Quiroga said.
Quiroga plans on walking in the December commencement ceremonies. A Saginaw native, she has lived in Mount Pleasant for the last seven years. She is currently on a job search and is seeking employment in the health science field, urging those at-risk for breast cancer to visit a doctor.
“It’s important for people to get check-ups,” she said. “A lot of us don’t go because we think it’ll never happen to us.”
Quiroga said she wouldn’t have made it through cancer without her support system, which includes her father. A Bay City resident, Sawyer said he and Quiroga would always talk on the phone and in person – describing himself as a marshmallow emotionally.
Sawyer, 62, said he is proud of his daughter and what she has gone through, calling it “unbelievable.”
“I’ve told all my friends she’s probably the strongest person I’ve ever met in my life,” he said. “Going through this plus raising her children, too, at the same time — if that was me going through that I would have folded.”
Quiroga said she will never take her health for granted again. Her biggest takeaway is to take care of yourself and to do what you love.
“Life goes by so fast,” she said. “Go out and achieve your dreams because you never know when your whole world can be turned upside down.”
