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PHOTO: Breast cancer survivor Janelynn Deprey, of West Gardiner, with husband, Justin, and their children. (Submitted photo)
By John D. Begin
AUGUSTA — Janelynn Deprey was halfway through her third pregnancy when she found a lump in her right armpit. Having breastfed two older children and about to do the same again, she thought a clogged milk duct was to blame.
Twelve weeks after son Corbin was born in July 2020, the lump was still there. She had an ultrasound on her first day back to work as the nursing float pool supervisor at MaineGeneral’s Alfond Center for Health. Three days later, she heard “You have breast cancer.” Deprey knew her life had veered down an unexpected, scary path.
“I had no family history, so I was blindsided,” said Deprey, 33. Her shock was worsened by the fact that she and husband, Justin, were adjusting to life with a newborn who joined older sisters, Addison and Carlie, then 5 and 3 – while also building a house in West Gardiner.
After meeting with Dr. Sneha Purvey at the Harold Alfond Center for Cancer Care, Deprey had a second consult at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and was enrolled in a clinical trial. The trial wasn’t available locally, however, so the Depreys traveled to Boston for 12 weeks. The treatment shrank the tumor significantly.
“I had a great response to the trial drug, but it didn’t take care of the mass completely, so I still needed more chemotherapy,” she said. She received the chemotherapy at the Alfond cancer center from October to late May.
“There is nothing like getting treatment close to home,” Deprey said. “When you walk into the cancer center, which we’re privileged to have, they know exactly who you are,” she said. “The care is so personalized.”
She had a double mastectomy and reconstructive surgery in late June and started a 25-round course of radiation therapy in early August.
A MaineGeneral nurse since 2011, Deprey recently became director of the emergency departments in Augusta and Waterville. She will share her story on Saturday, Oct. 2, as one of the speakers at MaineGeneral’s Day of Hope, an education and fundraising event dedicated to supporting, honoring, remembering and celebrating those affected by cancer.
One message she’ll share is the importance of finding motivation to continue living actively.
“I want to encourage others to have the drive to continue, to live their lives as normally as possible,” she said. “You can still live your life after a diagnosis that’s so harsh. Looking into my kids’ faces every day and knowing I needed to work gave me a drive to get out of bed and give my best.”
“Some days are physically taxing, others are mentally exhausting. That comes from not knowing what’s going to happen next,” Deprey added. “It’s normal to feel scared while fighting this terrible disease, but being scared should never take away your fight. It should make you fight harder.”
To learn more about the Day of Hope, visit give.mainegeneral.org/hope. For information about MaineGeneral’s cancer care program, visit www.mainegeneral.org/cancer.
– John D. Begin is a communications specialist in MaineGeneral Health’s Marketing and Communications Department.
