After Nearly 14-Year Battle with Both Breast and Thyroid Cancer, Former Jackson Memorial Mammogram Technician Fights Lymphedema with Help from Specialized Therapy at Jackson North

Tamera Johnson, 49, knows what it means to fight hard. As a former radiology and mammogram technician at the Roberta Orlen Chaplin Digital Breast Imaging Center/Taylor Breast Health Center at Jackson Memorial Hospital, she saw breast cancer patients and survivors every day.

“I saw everything – from women who came and passed away, to women who came back and were cancer-free,” Johnson said. “I never imagined I would become a patient, too.”

In December 2010, Johnson felt a knot in her left breast when she reached over for the television remote control at home.

“I remember that I sat up immediately in my bed and felt it,” Johnson said. “I always found it strange when patients reported knots showed up ‘out of nowhere’ – until it happened to me the same exact way.”

On December 23, 2010, a biopsy revealed that Johnson had breast cancer.

She was only 36 at the time.

For the next 10 years, she did everything she could to fight the disease, including a double mastectomy, a total hysterectomy, removal of her ovaries, and removal of her lymph nodes underneath her left arm. Additionally, she underwent chemotherapy and radiation for a year after her surgeries.

“I just knew that I wanted to fight because I didn’t want to die,” Johnson said. “The chemotherapy felt like someone was pulling every piece of energy out of your body. If I wanted to live, I had to fight with all that I had. It was a strength I never would have imagined I had.”

In January 2012, Johnson finished chemo and radiation therapies, and was cancer-free. She then underwent breast reconstruction surgery, which involved a lengthy waiting period due to skin damage from radiation therapy.

That same year, Johnson’s doctor suspected she also had thyroid cancer. Rather than take chances, she followed her oncologist’s recommendation and had a total thyroidectomy.

In 2022, after years of taking chemotherapy medication and remaining in remission, Johnson’s oncologist informed her that she was cured and again cancer-free.

“Although you never feel like yourself again, I feel blessed that I’m still here,” Johnson said.

For her entire cancer battle, she also suffered from lymphedema, a condition where fluid builds up in the body, usually in the arms or legs, causing swelling.

Over the years, Johnson received lymphedema therapy and did at-home exercises. However, the swelling became more uncomfortable, and in 2024, she was referred to Jackson North Medical Center for treatment, where she met Erica Poulin, an occupational therapist and certified lymphedema specialist.

“When Tamera came to me, her left arm was weak and felt heavy for her, making it hard for her to carry groceries and put on clothes. She was also feeling self-conscious with the way it looked,” Poulin said. “The swelling was impacting her quality of life and affecting her ability to fully participate in her roles.”

For a month, Johnson and Poulin worked on specific grip-strength exercises, and developed plans to help significantly reduce the swelling, including bandaging the arm, massages, compressions, and exercise.

“When it comes to lymphedema, we empower our patients to become independent with managing it at home. We practice exercises, compression, and massage until the swelling is reduced to fit the patient for a sleeve and maintain our results,” Poulin said. “It’s so important to know and understand what lymphedema is and how to treat it, because you’d be surprised how many patients come to us after major surgeries and have never heard of it before.”

Following lymphedema therapy at Jackson North, Johnson saw improvements in her arm’s range of motion, strength, and size. She regained the ability to wrap her arm independently, wear lymphedema sleeves comfortably, dress herself, and feel confident again.

“Tamera did so wonderful, and she was really excited about the improvements she saw – she was feeling a lot better,” Poulin said.

Today, Johnson remains cancer-free, thanks to annual visits with both her oncologist and lymphedema specialist. She focuses on managing her lymphedema and swelling, advocating for more breast cancer education in the African-American community, and maintaining a healthy lifestyle through diet and exercise.

“After so many years of battling cancer, my advice to any cancer patient is to fight – fight with all you have,” Johnson said. “Don’t give up – stay strong, and surround yourself with family and friends – don’t worry about anything else, because you will get through it.”