She has always been fit and healthy, but when Janai Mitchell learned she had breast cancer, an extended care team came to offer help.
By IU Health Senior Journalist, TJ Banes, tfender1@iuhealth.org
Her reinforcement network is tight. The photos show Janai Mitchell smiling with friends and colleagues and on the beach with her father and stepmother. Another photo shows her with her mother, aunt and friends wearing silly party hats.
The last photo was taken in April for Mitchell’s 27th birthday. A month earlier, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She doesn’t have an inherited genetic mutation, but given her family history, she is diligent with her self-exams.
It was during one of those checks that Mitchell discovered a tumor in his right breast. Her great-grandmother died of complications from breast cancer. Her grandmother is a survivor.
A longtime resident of Kansas City, Kan., Mitchell played basketball and volleyball for four years in high school. She is a center forward on the volleyball court and the center of the basketball team.
She received a scholarship to Kansas City Community College and continued to pursue an interest in sports. After graduating, she moved to Indianapolis to be closer to her family.
And now, her family members and friends are surrounding her as she goes through her treatment.
On a recent visit to IU Health Simon Cancer Center, Mitchell was accompanied by her aunt, Tavara Holliday. Under the care of IU Health Dr Carla Fisher and Dr Tarah Ballinger Mitchell underwent surgery to remove the tumor and she recently completed her sixth round of chemotherapy. Two weeks after the treatment, Mitchell joined a new program at IU Health called Multidisciplinary Oncology Vitality and Exercise (MOVE), created by Dr. Ballinger. The program brings together a group of like-minded healthcare professionals from a variety of fields. The goal is to provide cancer support services as part of each patient’s survival journey. Physiotherapy is one of those services.
As an athlete, Mitchell is no stranger to the benefits of physical therapy.
“I was lucky because I didn’t get sick from chemotherapy and my count stayed the same so it didn’t drop. I had a bit of stiffness in my fingers and physical therapy helped,” says Mitchell. In addition to regularly visiting a physiotherapist, she also practices strengthening exercises at home.
Living alone and commuting to work every day as a Modified Pharmacy Technician also helps Mitchell focus on the treatment process. It was her friends and family members who were involved in providing transportation to treatments, groceries, cleaning, and emotional support.
“She is very independent,” her aunt said. “We’re here to provide backup and we’re glad she allowed us.”
