“I had driven past Cancer House of Hope millions of times,” said CHD Cancer House of Hope member Estelle Comacho. The Westfield resident had never given CHH a second thought while driving down Route 20—until she was diagnosed with Grade 3 breast cancer in 2024 at age 46.

Grade 3 tumor cells grow and divide aggressively, carrying a more challenging prognosis than Grade 1 or Grade 2. She had a choice—have a lumpectomy performed, excising only the tumor and a small margin of healthy tissue, or undergo a mastectomy, which removes the entire breast.

“I chose to go with the lumpectomy route, instead of a mastectomy and a breast reconstruction, because I wanted to be scheduled for surgery as soon as possible,” she said. “They also took out two lymph nodes.”

After chemotherapy and radiation, the side effects from the treatments included diabetes, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure. “I was on 16 different medications, including hydromorphone to combat the pain from inflammation, and three different blood pressure medications,” she said.

Comacho also gained a lot of weight because she retained fluid, her metabolism slowed down, and her appetite increased from the steroid medications. At one point she weighed 230 pounds, but in the past year she lost 97 pounds because she was able to wean herself off most of her medications and she underwent bariatric surgery on her stomach to reduce her absorption of calories. As she discussed her cancer diagnosis and treatment, she took out her phone and displayed photos of her from spring of 2005, when she was at her heaviest, and showed her driver’s license. “I’m going to have to get that driver’s license photo retaken. If I get pulled over, they’ll think that isn’t me. I don’t know the person in that picture,” she said with a chuckle. “Now I’m only taking two medications.”

At Cancer House of Hope, she was able to take advantage of the wig boutique, massage, support groups, Reiki, art therapy, and the Crafting with Friends group. Emily Labrie, CHH’s Occupational Therapist in 2025, was instrumental in helping Comacho deal with the neuropathy Comacho experienced in her hands and feet from chemo. “She was gentle, kind, and compassionate, and she helped me navigate going back to work,” she said. “She also connected me with the support groups and art therapy at Cancer House of Hope, encouraging me to tap into all the resources I could.”

Comacho is particularly active in CHH’s Breast Cancer Support Group. “We call ourselves the pink warriors,” she said. “The group has allowed me to build a community of folks that are going through the same situation. We’re tight. We text one another.” She explained that a cancer diagnosis can be deeply isolating, and even if you have support from your friends and family, “they haven’t been through cancer,” she said. “They are well-intentioned, but the people in the support groups know what it’s like to be in your shoes. The community aspect is huge, because when you feel alone, you can go into a really dark place.”

Now cancer-free, she takes particular pleasure in helping fellow support group members negotiate their cancer journeys. “To know that you’re not alone, and that you can be of assistance to others, is very meaningful to me,” she said. “I had a rebirth. Now I have a new lease on life. So I asked myself, ‘How am I going to flip this negative into a positive? How am I going to accept this blessing and utilize it for other people?’ I feel that the more I give, the more I get back in return.”