By: Justin Lafleur, Lehigh Sports Communications
Justina Barone was used to overcoming plenty of hurdles in her life when the biggest hurdle came her way – breast cancer.
Then it happened again.
And she beat it again.
"It's surreal to 'celebrate' being a breast cancer survivor," said Barone, a 2003 Lehigh track and field standout. "It's not a goal you pin on your wall as a child. 'Get a scholarship to a great school, be an impactful part of the track team, create a successful business, survive breast cancer.' It's not something you strive to achieve; it's something that happens to you without your knowledge or permission.
"It is difficult to find the joy when so many are mourning the loss of a loved one, still fighting metastatic disease, and others are getting newly diagnosed," she continued. "But, telling my story knowing it may cause one woman to get the test she needs – spreading the awareness that could ultimately lead to early detection and treatment – there is joy and purpose in that."
At Lehigh, Barone won seven Patriot League Championships and was inducted into the Roger S. Penske/Lehigh Athletics Hall of Fame, but her biggest victories have come as a breast cancer survivor.
"When you receive a diagnosis like that, even though so many medical advancements have been made, you go from feeling invincible to knowing you're very human and life could be shorter than you think," said Barone. "There were so many things I still needed to do."
Barone's first diagnosis came in 2007 when she was only 27 years old.
"I felt a lump myself and followed up with a physician," she said. "Everything happened pretty quickly as far as additional testing. The biopsy came back positive for breast cancer. It was obviously shocking because my history is of an athlete. You just feel like you're healthy, so the diagnosis of breast cancer matching up with the career I had at Lehigh didn't seem to go together."
Barone was able to turn shock and dread into a focus towards winning her battle, something she was quite used to from her days as an athlete.
"I treated my breast cancer journey as a race," she said. "Each test, chemotherapy treatment and surgery was a hurdle to get over and each got me closer to the finish line of becoming cancer free. I kept active with local walks like the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure (now The More than Pink walk). There is a solidarity and camaraderie in being surrounded by folks who all have different versions of the same story."
Barone was thankful to be around so many people who uplifted her from all aspects of life, including several former Lehigh teammates in the medical field.
"I got to speak with Dr. Nii Darko, Dr. Yasmin Deliz, and Dr. Jenny Warner (Southard)," said Barone. "It was great to have that support system and know if I had questions, I could get them answered from a friend."
Barone admitted the scariest aspect of a breast cancer diagnosis are the unknowns, now knowing what to expect. But having so many people she could turn to helped her push forward beyond the initial scare and into her battle on hand.
"I wanted to outline the path and quite literally know what the finish line would be," said Barone. "With the empowerment of information, it helped me outline a path which allowed me to use those benchmarks and stepping stones and not be as overwhelmed with everything that was about to happen."
The first thing that happened for Barone was a bilateral mastectomy followed by approximately one year of chemotherapy.
"I only had breast cancer on one side, but because of my young age and wanting to be very aggressive and get through it as quickly as possible, I decided to go that route," she said. "Actually two weeks after chemotherapy and the surgery, I was invited back to Lehigh to be welcomed into the Hall of Fame. It was great to be able to come back to Lehigh in the middle of this health battle and actually celebrate something."
Barone went on to take control of her cancer treatment to ensure she would have something else to celebrate (being cancer free).
That day would come.
"You prepare for things, but are never truly prepared and it may sound silly, but I think one of the biggest hurdles that women struggle with chemotherapy is getting ready to lose your hair," she said. "As a bi-racial woman, hair is part of the story. Doing it, fixing it, figuring it. The treatment causing my hair to fall out was more traumatic than I was prepared for."
So, Barone asked herself, "What can I do to gain some power back in that moment?"
Barone and her fiancé at the time (now husband) Chris Lambert (also a 2003 track and field graduate) set a date to shave Justina's head.
"When you feel so out-of-control that you don't understand why your body is doing this to you, you get a little bit of control back in the moment," she said. "That helped me emotionally get through that hurdle."
Barone found something else to be empowering… resources.
"There are local nonprofits who have patient advocates," she said. "They help you navigate all the things that are about to happen and utilize some of their resources, like shopping for wigs. They'll even meet you at the store. There's a community out there to make sure you don't feel so alone during a moment when you feel pretty alone."
Thankfully for Barone, she had plenty of great resources and support from friends and family. But perhaps most important was her attitude and mindset.
Eleven months after diagnosis in June, 2008, Barone was declared cancer free on May 26, 2009 – the date of initial survivorship.
But unfortunately, in 2016, Barone was diagnosed with breast cancer again.
Diagnosis the first time as a young woman was difficult. Diagnosis a second time as a mother with a one-year old daughter lit a different fire for Barone.
"I focused on helping local resource centers and on outreach to other women newly diagnosed," she said.
Like her first diagnosis, Barone again discovered a lump. Early detection was key.
"Where you feel very powerless, there's power in knowing that a lot of times, women are diagnosed because of something they see and feel in their bodies and get it checked out," she said. "I encourage all women, no matter your age, health or race to make sure you are getting regular checkups.
"Do not miss a mammogram. It can save your life."
The recommended age for mammograms is 40, but Barone's first diagnosis came at just 27.
"Breast cancer does not care how old you are, how healthy you are or how athletic you used to be," she said. "If I had waited or ignored the symptom, my story could be very different."
Thankfully, Barone did detect both cancers early and both her bouts with breast cancer ended positively.
"A dear friend, Saunsanie Kitchko, guided the way following my second diagnosis," she said.
A minimally-invasive surgery conducted with the da Vinci surgical system allowed Barone to get back to work and life quickly, feeling confident in her care and the impact in awareness that still needs to be made.
Flash forward four years and today, Barone is enjoying life.
"Chris and I got married in 2012," she said.
The same year, they started a business in Austin, Texas called Custom Fundraising Solutions.
"We've been able to give $1.5 million back to local schools, athletes and children in fine arts programs," said Barone. "We had our daughter Nyah in 2015. Her name means goal and purpose. I hope by telling my story during breast cancer awareness month, she can see that a diagnosis does not have to derail anyone from their dreams."
Barone also wants readers to know it could happen to anyone.
"Men, this means you too," she said. "If anyone has a history of breast cancer in your family, you may want to pursue genetic testing."
Cancer can be overwhelming, but take control of your health through early detection.
"According to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), breast cancer is the second most common cancer among women in the United States," said Barone. "So chances are, if you know eight women in your life, one of them will be affected. Something to also point out is that although white and Black women are diagnosed at about the same rate, the mortality for Black women remains higher. We have to encourage each other to seek treatment."
For as scary as the numbers may sound, there have been so many medical advances that make outcomes like Barone possible, if not likely, if caught early and with the right mentality.
When asked her advice for newly-diagnosed breast cancer patients, Barone stressed mindset.
"Allow yourself the time to feel the emotion you're feeling," she said. "Allow yourself the time to be a little bit scared and a little bit overwhelmed… but don't get stuck in that. Dive into new resources because the information you get allows you to outline a path and break it down into those small steps, those small hurdles along the way.
"Stay positive and focus on one small step at a time," Barone continued.
"I've been blessed to be surrounded by former Mountain Hawks who never let me give up."
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Breast Cancer Awareness Month Hits Home for Barone - Lehigh University Athletics
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