At age 66, Steamboat Springs resident, artist and master printer Sue Oehme thought she had dodged the breast cancer bullet.

“It was a complete shock,” Oehme said, recalling her cancer diagnosis earlier this year.

A cancerous tumor removed during her lumpectomy surgery in April, unfortunately, showed an elevated recurrence score through oncotype testing, which is a tumor profiling test of genes in cancer cells.

Terri Chapman, oncology nurse navigator at UCHealth Jan Bishop Cancer Center in Steamboat Springs, explained that the Oncotype DX test is used in the early stage of estrogen-receptor-positive, progesterone-receptor-positive and HER2-negative breast cancer.

The test provides insight into whether chemotherapy would be beneficial by looking at an individual’s genes in the cancer cells and the level of risk of the cancer metastasizing or spreading, the nurse explained.

Oncologists told Oehme her specific type of cancer was easily spread from breast cancer to other organs such as the liver, lungs or brain. Her medical team recommended both chemotherapy and radiation.

The long-time artist completed powerful chemotherapy treatments from June to mid-September at the cancer center in Steamboat. Now she is completing four weeks of radiation treatments at Shaw Cancer Center in Edwards.

Oehme encourages all women to continue with regular screening mammograms even as they age. Because of COVID-19 disruptions followed by a series of serious family accidents, injuries and surgeries, Oehme had delayed four and a half years since her last regular mammogram. Luckily, a required tele-health wellness check-up with a Medicare nurse practitioner directed her to have a mammogram that found the cancer concern.

“My biggest message would be just, please, go get your mammogram regularly,” Oehme said. “Keep on top of it. Make records so that you remember because, clearly, I didn’t remember.”

Dr. Malaika Thompson, a fellowship-trained breast imaging radiologist at UCHealth Gloria Gossard Breast Care Center in Steamboat, agreed that “continuing mammography is of crucial importance.”

“Breast cancer actually gets more common with age, so it is very important for women to continue screening as they age until mid-70s at a minimum,” Thompson advised.

Oehme said support, understanding and humor from her husband Randy, adult son Jason and friends helped pull her through during her trying treatments. One of the silver linings during her breast cancer was when good friends visited with her during each hour of her long days of chemotherapy.

Oehme moved to Steamboat in 1996 and has been a master printer for more than 35 years. She opened Oehme Graphics fine print studio in 2010 in Steamboat.

Her artistic work helped her focus on efforts outside of feeling ill and undergoing treatments. She curated a major art show that ran from June through August at the Steamboat Art Museum called “The Art of Printmaking: Process and Passion.” She said the opportunity to engage with fellow artists and community members at the art installation helped her feel grounded.

To keep thinking about art instead of cancer, she is currently embarking on a four-year career-encompassing artistic project. This spring, she received a prestigious invitation from the chief curator at the Denver Public Library Special Collections and Archives. The library curator requested to acquire the complete Oehme Graphics archives, which include her print work with some 75 artists.

Despite support and artistic inspiration, the artist’s breast cancer treatments were not without complicated challenges. Oehme experienced side effects from strong chemotherapy and had serious concerns after her first round of chemo. The treatments made her body feel as if loaded with lead and created brain fog that impacted her ability to concentrate, she said.

Oehme was very trepidatious about starting a second round of chemotherapy. She turned to Katie Keller, a licensed clinical social worker on staff at UCHealth Jan Bishop Cancer Center, who assured her it was normal and common for patients to have concerns before the second round of chemo.

Keller taught Oehme some calming breathing exercises to reduce physical stress levels and explained how stress can exacerbate brain fog symptoms. They talked about the grief, fear, anxiety or worry that many patients experience with a cancer diagnosis and the feelings of loss of control over one’s body and life when fighting cancer.

“It’s a very common reaction when going through treatments that you are losing control of your own life and pieces of who you thought you were,” Keller said. “It’s normal to have reservations about getting treatment, and it’s important to be able to talk about those reservations and talk about what those choices are.”

Keller advises patients to give their bodies space to feel different to lessen stress and fight or flight reactions. She counsels patients to realize their own strengths from everything they have already been through in their lives.

Oehme encourages other patients to take advantage of the ancillary services available for cancer patients. The cancer center in Steamboat offers free massage, acupuncture, support groups, nutrition counseling and social worker support for patients and their families.

The artist said her “biggest silver lining is just feeling like I have grown up.”

“I have a lot more courage about life now,” Oehme said. “Part of that is because of all the help that all these people gave me, including my wonderful family.”