The Day Everything Changed: Discovering the Lump That Saved My Life

Kristie Callais owes her life, at least in part, to a poodle.

Callais had no symptoms when, in July 2022, her toy poodle Mocha began pawing at her chest. “She was just a little puppy at the time,” she recalls. “I did a self-exam and found a lump. I was already scheduled for an exam, but after that my doctor ordered a diagnostic mammogram and an ultrasound and found a little tumor in my chest.”

The cause was invasive ductal carcinoma, the most common type of breast cancer. Though serious, survival outcomes for invasive ductal carcinoma are encouraging if the cancer is caught early. Knowing this, Terrebonne General | Mary Bird Perkins oncologists moved quickly, carrying out a biopsy the week after concerns were raised during the ultrasound.

After meeting with Terrebonne General | Mary Bird Perkins doctors Dr. Donald Schwab, Jr. and Dr. Jeffrey F. Rau, Callais underwent a double mastectomy at Terrebonne General that August. The initial part of the process, from detection to surgery – where time is of the utmost importance – took less than a month.

Callais took a year off work to work through her recovery, which included additional rounds of chemotherapy and targeted therapies. Throughout her treatment process she became close with her doctors and their staff, and she credits them with making the treatment process more manageable.

“It’s like you’re in the trenches together,” she says. “I made lifelong bonds forever. I still keep in touch with the people (who helped me through the process) – I’m so grateful for everyone at the Cancer Center and my other doctors, because I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for them.”

Callais returned to her job as a school secretary at Golden Meadow Middle School in August 2023. Now cancer-free, she says being able to contact her doctors for any reason has proved to be immensely reassuring.

“I know I can reach out at any time, and they’re always so quick to reassure me,” she says. “They don’t hesitate to cater to my needs if I’m uncomfortable.”

Terrebonne General | Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center offers a wide range of services for breast cancer patients, from imaging to surgery and beyond. With its own waiting room, dressing room and exam rooms, Terrebonne General’s Women’s Imaging and Breast Center offers care for the patient’s whole journey.

Taking on cancer is a team effort, requiring support on a wide range of levels. When discussing her cancer journey, Kristie makes sure to bring up the help of her husband Corey, her daughter Alaina and her parents Evette and Chris.

But what about Mocha, the poodle that got the ball rolling in the first place?

Callais laughs. “Oh, she gets all the treats,” she says.