Breast cancer is just one part of HER Story

Susan Morreale considers herself a very fortunate woman and doesn’t take that for granted.

A licensed nurse who keeps her credentials up to date in case they’re ever needed, Susan can be found most days at her shop on Hertel Avenue in Buffalo, HER Story, a carefully curated collection of jewelry, clothing and other items that appeal to the senses, including her own line, HER Story Jewelry, born from finding her own strength along her journey. It’s a comforting and empowering place where she hopes women can come in and take a little break while looking at beautiful things.

Most of the items in her store are from women-owned companies; when possible, she also features items that benefit breast cancer survivors like herself.

“I had a baseline mammogram at age 35 and I don’t really know why my gynecologist sent me for that. There wasn’t any history of breast cancer in my family,” Susan says. That initial mammogram was clear, but during a self-exam years later, at the age of 41, she found a lump.

Initially, she just wasn’t feeling well and sensed that something was wrong. “As you get older, you get in tune with your body and you start to listen,” Susan says. “Being the nurse I am, I was at my regular doctor’s and asked them to give me all these tests. Everything was coming back negative, but one night I was laying in bed and, I have to say that I did not faithfully do breast exams, but there was a sharp pain in my left breast. I felt a lump in there.”

She called her gynecologist the next day to make an appointment and he sent her for a mammogram and sonogram where the 2-centimeter lump was confirmed. “In reality, 2 centimeters is nothing. But when it’s a cancerous growth in your body, it’s the Grand Canyon. It’s the moon. It’s massive,” Susan recalls.

Deciding her treatment with an eye to the future

Her cancer wasn’t an aggressive form, nor was it the result of a gene mutation.  But Susan decided on what might be considered an aggressive course of treatment, including removal and reconstruction of her left breast and the removal of her ovaries, in addition to chemotherapy and a month of radiation. She explained to her care team at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center that she didn’t want to worry about the cancer coming back. Her doctors, including Stephen Edge, MD, and Ellis Levine, MD, worked with her through her decisions.

“You have to be comfortable with your doctor and the decisions you’re making together as a team, building your team,” Susan says. She had an initial consultation with doctors at a different healthcare facility but she didn’t feel comfortable with them. Her team at Roswell Park made her feel supported, respected and listened to, something she urges all women facing a cancer diagnosis to find.

At the time of her diagnosis, in March 2007, Susan’s daughter Ciara was 16 years old and about to start her senior year of high school. “There was a lot of stuff going on, trying to figure out college and all that, and I was just trying to get through my days. I was scared and, back then, none of my friends had gone through this. I was just trying to figure out how to survive and stay alive so I could see my daughter grow into the beautiful young woman that she is.”

Supporting others through their cancer journey

Within a few years, unfortunately, Susan was called on to help her sister Cindy after she was diagnosed with breast cancer. “Her cancer was more minimal than mine, so she had a lumpectomy, no chemo, one radiation treatment and that was it,” Susan says. But sadly her sister passed away, leaving behind two young sons.

“I’ve never been a ‘why me?’ girl. I know a lot of times people are like, ‘How could God do that?’ I have to believe in my heart that there is a purpose and a journey for everyone in their life. For whatever reason, that was my sister’s journey. That was her path and it wasn’t mine.

“I think one of the best things to do is just try to live your best life and honor the memory of that person. For me, the work that I do is giving back to women. That is so healing and beautiful for me,” Susan says.

That mission is central to HER Story and goes beyond the shop to the farmer’s market at Roswell Park, where Susan was a vendor this season, and to the gift shop in the main hospital that features the HER Story Jewelry collection. Susan also worked with the 11 Day Power Play Resource Center and Roswell Park Care Network Resource Centers at our Northtowns and Southtowns locations, to offer a special code for purchasing her Butterfly Kisses gift box for those going through treatment for breast cancer, featuring things Susan would have wanted during treatment. Each product in the box is made by a survivor and the box comes with a card detailing each survivor’s story.  A second box, “Give the Gift of Strength,” contains care items, including teas, bath and body care items and inspiring books, all created by women to support other women.

A welcome, soft presence and reminder

The response to Susan’s merchandise in and around Roswell Park has been positive and inspiring, says Christine Wesley, Director of Volunteer Services and coordinator of the Roswell Park Farmer’s Market.

“She is a genuine, selfless, loving person that just wants to support the community and I find that to be so endearing,” Wesley says. “I see her involved in these lovely conversations with people at the market and that’s what stands out. She gives so much to the market each week because she has those thoughtful conversations.”

Susan had limited access to resources available to her when she was first diagnosed; she now sees herself as an advocate and resource for women on their cancer journey. “If I can make a difference and bring support and love and strength, then my job and my purpose is that,” she says.  “I feel like God has been very good to me and I feel like I’m here doing the work I’m supposed to be doing. And that’s my story.”