Proud To Wear pink: Donna Morgan-Esquibel’s Survival Story

Most everyone knows someone whose life has been impacted by cancer, but they never expect it to happen to them. Breast cancer knows no age, gender, or race. As the most common cancer in women worldwide, it remains a fact of life. Approximately 2.3 million women around the globe were diagnosed in 2021, and incidence rates are on the rise. 

That’s because breast cancer has no boundaries. It is the leading cause of cancer death in the world’s poorest countries and the second leading cause of cancer death in American women. The developing world is experiencing higher mortality rates than ever before due to a lack of screening and access to treatment, and we are seeing disparities right here at home as social and economic factors create barriers to proper diagnosis and care. Many of those deaths result from metastatic breast cancer. In November of 2012, Donna Morgan-Esquibel was faced with a phone call that no one ever wants to receive.  

“I did what every woman my age was told to do each year, which was to go and have a mammogram and do your self-checking breast exams regularly,” said Morgan-Esquibel, sales manager at StorageAuctions.com and self-storage veteran of over 30 years. A breast self-exam (BSE) is a step-by-step approach a woman can use to look at and feel her breasts to check for anything abnormal. Although Morgan-Esquibel regularly performed her BSEs, she never felt any lumps or had any type of pain that would have alerted her to any issues. More recent research now suggests that a BSE isn’t recommended as a screening tool for breast cancer. Although it seemed promising when it was first introduced, studies have shown that a BSE doesn’t offer the early detection and survival benefits of other screening tests.   

For Morgan-Esquibel, November 2012 is a time she will never forget. A call came in that would change things forever. After having a routine mammogram, she was asked by her doctor to come in to have more detailed imaging of her breasts. “After a few days had passed I was informed that I would need to have a biopsy of my right breast as something on my images appeared to show some indications of crystallization on the X-rays,” she said. A biopsy removes cells or tissue from a suspicious area in the breast. The cells or tissue are then studied under a microscope to see if cancer is present.  

Morgan-Esquibel describes the time she spent waiting for the results as “torturous.” After several days that seemed to pass more slowly than normal, she received the news that she was in the early stages of breast cancer. “I was devastated. We were in the process of moving from Phoenix, Ariz., back to Athens, Ga., and then my world just stopped,” she said. She was relieved when her trusted doctor in Arizona told her that they could provide her the care she needed prior to when she had planned her move to Georgia. She was hopeful and quickly proceeded with the necessary surgery to remove the tumor, then she began radiation treatments.   

She explained, “It wasn’t the full breast radiation; it was radiation seeds that went in directly to the site of where the tumor was removed. I went twice a day for seven days and I was done.” Once her treatments were complete, Morgan-Esquibel was encouraged and expected this to be the end of her cancer journey, so she and her husband began their move to Georgia.  

One short year later, during another routine mammogram, she was shocked to hear the news that another cancerous spot was found in her left breast. “I couldn’t believe it! I had my biopsy, and my cancer was back, just in the other breast, and it was even more aggressive,” she said. Breast cancer survivors have an increased risk of getting a new breast cancer compared to people who have never had the cancer. A new breast cancer is called second primary breast cancer. Unlike a recurrence, which is a return of the first breast cancer, a second primary tumor is a new cancer unrelated to the first.    

Morgan-Esquibel vividly remembers the words her surgeon then said to her: “You need to look at this as life or death, and I won’t do a single mastectomy, only a double mastectomy.” She was paralyzed with fear, and the only thing that was moving on her body were the tears coming from her eyes. “To say I was devastated was an understatement,” she said. She decided to take heed to the advice of her surgeon and proceed with the double mastectomy.   

Her next step was to call her boss, Lonnie Bickford, and let him know what was going on. She still remembers his exact words to her, “I was afraid it was back, but do whatever it takes to get well and let me know what you need.”   

She was relieved at his response. “To have the support of your employer,” Morgan-Esquibel says, “was just priceless for me, and I knew that it would take some time to heal, but I was ready to move forward.” Bickford has since founded StorageGives, a philanthropist organization that allows self-storage owners and operators to give back and make positive impacts on those who need help both in the U.S. and around the globe. This is done by designating a percentage of auction proceeds to be donated to charities that have been vetted by Bickford and his team. He also offers the ability to give directly on StorageGives.org. Morgan-Esquibel is proud to be a part of Bickford’s team and honored that one of those charities the origination gives back to is Breast Cancer Research Foundation.  

As Morgan-Esquibel’s surgery date came closer, she was understandably afraid and did not know what to expect. After six long hours in surgery, the surgeons were pleased with how it went, and she was finally in a room and working towards recovery. “I remember when they took off my bandage and I heard my husband for the first time say, ‘It doesn’t look that bad,’” she said. “If you haven’t seen anyone with a double mastectomy before they started reconstruction it will make you feel like there is a big lump in your stomach, and it is devastating just to see it along with tubes hanging out of both sides for drainage.”  

Although the surgery was complete, the recovery was just the beginning. “I went through months and months of recovery from having 50 ccs of saline injected into the metal spacers in my breasts each week,” she said. In retrospect, Morgan-Esquibel admits that she may not have had the reconstructive surgery if she had known what she knows now. “I don’t think I really knew how painful this process would be, because I might have thought twice about reconstruction,” she said.    

Thankfully, Morgan-Esquibel now continues to remain completely cancer-free and continues to see her doctors on a regular basis. She is proud to be a part of StorageGives and feels honored that Breast Cancer Research Foundation benefits from the donations made through this organization. As Bickford states on the organization’s website, StorageGives.org, “We are facilitating a platform to connect the storage industry to worthy causes to make an impact in lives all over the world.”   

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Madison Martin an alumna of Louisiana State University, earning a bachelor's degree in mass communication, concentrating in digital advertising and copywriting. She helps run the marketing department of StorageAuctions.com and has been with the company for five years.