Mast: ‘when your body is speaking — listen right away

In the summer of 2019, local woman Erma Mast noticed something that would soon change her life — a lump in her left breast.

It was Dec. 13, 2019, when she received a call from her doctor and got the results.

“The cancer on the left breast was a tumor, but the biopsy on the lymph node was clear,” Mast said. “I had been so worried about the lymph node because if it was there, it means the cancer had spread.

“There was a relief in that clear result that tempered my fear with the breast cancer.”

She had stage 2 ER positive — which is an estrogen fed tumor, and was HER 2 Positive.

“I knew I needed to not get overwhelmed by what my outcome could be,” she said. “The worst part of cancer is probably all of the worries in the unknown.”

The doctors stressed to Mast that her treatment plan was curative.

Mast’s treatment journey began on Jan. 6, 2020, with the first of six rounds of chemo, and on June 3, 2020, she underwent a bilateral mastectomy with partial reconstruction. Her story was first published in the Cassville Democrat in October 2020.

“The chemo killed 90 percent of it,” she said. “The tissues surrounding it and the lymph nodes were clear, so I didn’t have to do radiation.”

Looking back now, one of the hardest things for Mast was losing her hair.

“In the Bible, it says God keeps prayers in little vials,” she said. “There must be a million little bottles in God’s heaven with all the prayers that went up for us.”

Today, Mast is fighting her second battle with breast cancer.

“It’s my second journey,” she said. “In the Spring of 2025, during my seasonal employment at Sanders Accounting & Tax Service, I started dealing with a persistent dry cough, shortness of breath and more fatigued than normal during our busy time.

“The cough was starting to make both sides of my rib areas painful when coughing and breathing. I just, somewhat quietly, endured it as I worked.”

On April 4, Mast scheduled an appt with her doctor, thinking she had something pneumonia- related going on.

“The only out of ordinary find was that the lymph nodes at back of my neck felt enlarged,” she said. “[I needed] to have a chest X-ray done, which was done that afternoon.”

The results came a few days later – inconclusive.

“[I needed] to have CT Scan with contrast,” Mast said. “I got that scheduled and done on April 10.”

Mast said that scans results used words like, widespread, critical result and likely malignant.

“There was likely metastasis in my lungs, lymph glands, liver, and bone,” Mast said. “Cancer was nowhere on my radar. But, I had to accept it was now another journey I was going to be on; I had no choice.

“I knew God was still sovereign in all this and he already had something worked out for me — his will be done.”

Mast’s first diagnosis of Invasive Ductal Carcinoma (ER/HER2+), in her left breast was in December 2019.

“I received my treatment in Tulsa at what was then Cancer Treatment Centers of America” she said. “I began chemotherapy and monoclonal antibodies (MABs) infusions Jan. 6, 2020. Every three weeks for six cycles, at which time the chemo was dropped and I just got the MABs for the remainder of the year.”

She chose to have a bilateral mastectomy without reconstruction on June 2, 2020.

“No radiation was recommended,” Mast said. “I felt I was good to go. I continued my every threemonth labs for three years and then every six months. I was absolutely perfect, in range of lab results 100 percent of the time.”

In April 2025, Mast had a consultation appointment with an Oncologist at OHA in Monett.

“[On April 18th], with his first glance at the info of [my] previous diagnosis, he said if the HER2+ type of breast cancer is the type that most often to returns,” she said. “The doctor said, ‘Cancer can’t wait; we need to find out if this is returning breast cancer or a new cancer. We need to get a PET Scan and liver biopsy scheduled as soon as possible.”

Mast had a PET scan on April 25, and she had the results that afternoon. She then had a liver biopsy on April 28.

“It confirmed HER3+,” she said. “Honestly, my question was never ‘Why?’, but, ‘Where did this all come from?’

“I was in very good health for that five-year interim, I even great labs on my first oncology appointment.”

Mast said the moral of the story so far, is when your body is speaking — listen right away.

“Research, research and be your own advocate when it comes to your health.” she said. “My first step was telling family, friends and church family at First Baptist. I needed prayers for moral support, wisdom, direction and on choices of treatment going forward.”

Mast said she knew the importance of nutrition and that I needed to clean up her diet.

“I increased on vitamins and supplements I already had been taking,” she said. “I gathered up what I later nicknamed my ‘prayer posse.’ It grew every day.

“Due to the extent of metastasis, I knew, even though I had alternative options, I would need to integrate the ENHERTU chemo treatments recommended by Dr. Holden at OHA.”

Mast also established care with a doctor in Joplin who practices functional medicine as her primary care provider.

“His protocol is simply to support and boost my own immune system to help fight,” she said. “I did quite well after my infusions, with the exception of extreme fatigue.

“After cycle three the fatigue was unbearable, and we agreed to reduce the chemo by 25 percent.”

Mast said with that and her alternative protocol she began to feel so much better.

“My cough had resolved, and I could take deep breaths without rib pain,” she said. “I continued with my every-3week infusions.

“I had a follow-up PET scan done on Sept. 17, 2025, and the results were amazing. Now, the words in the summary were ‘no longer distinguishable,’ ‘substantial improvement,’ “no new nodules,’ ‘substantial improvement of bone metastasis,’ and ‘greatly diminished.’” All of these changes in only five months’ time.

“Although, I still had some metastasis,” she said. “My new mantra is, ‘If I didn’t know I have cancer, I wouldn’t know I have cancer.’ Keep it up, prayer posse.”

This week, Mast takes the final cycle of the ENHERTU, then she will continue with MABs of Perjeta and Herceptin infusions every three weeks.

“Thank you, everyone,” Mast said. “And please consider supporting the Power of Pink ministry if you haven’t already. Every cent of money raised goes to the ‘Pink Lady’ recipients event each Mother’s Day weekend. I was incredibly blessed as a ‘Pink Lady’ in 2020.”