She was told during a routine medical exam there was a lump in her breast. It was just a few months after her mother had died of breast cancer.

Two years ago, she began chemotherapy. With the help of two Amgen drugs, Jurbala underwent treatment with few of the terrible infections that plagued her mother.

Today, the staffing manager shares her story with company employees and community residents in the hope they can avoid some of the suffering her mother endured.

The drugs help treat the side effects of chemotherapy. Fast-growing cells, cancerous or not, are often killed during treatment, leaving low levels of oxygen-carrying red blood cells and the immune system's first line of defense, white blood cells.

"I was on Neulasta for the white blood count and I started with my first cycle of chemotherapy, and had it each time, and I was infection-free," she said. "So I think that says a lot for our product. My white count got low a couple of times, but I was able to fight that by having the Neulasta, and just rebuilt my white blood cells so I was able to continue living my life as normal as I could."

Neulasta helps the body make more white blood cells to protect a patient against infections, which can delay or reduce chemotherapy treatments.

When her mother began cancer treatments, Jurbala had hoped that some Amgen drugs would be able to make her more comfortable. But the doctor did not use any immunity boosting drugs when chemotherapy started. Her mother ended up with nine secondary infections.

"Her quality of life was so poor the last four months of her life, when she finally lost her battle," she said. "And I know that with Amgen's products, with Neulasta and Neupogen, I know her quality of life could have been so much better."

Jurbala talked with her mother's doctor about some of the Amgen products but was told that they would not be necessary.

"I was quite taken aback by that because I couldn't understand why any doctor wouldn't want to use these products, but I also had to trust that he knew what was best for her, and never going through (chemotherapy) with anyone in my family ... I did believe she was in good hands."

When it was her turn, the small 40-something woman was determined that she was going to get up and go to work every day.

"About four weeks or five weeks into my treatment, I experienced a time where I was very, extremely fatigued -- hadn't felt that before, could barely walk down the stairs," Jurbala said. "I actually sat at the top of my stairs one morning getting ready for work and then I came to find that afternoon that I had a red blood count that was depleted. So that day, they gave me a shot of Aranesp and I spent the whole weekend just lying on the couch. But I have to say that by Monday or Tuesday I had the energy back, which was amazing."

She was able to work a flexible schedule, golf on the weekends and walk. She was able to do all the things her mother could not because she was battling infections.

"I just wish she had that opportunity to be able to have had the experience that I had," she said.

Now with the cancer in remission, Jurbala has become the de facto leader of an employee support group for cancer patients. She uses her experiences to help them know what is coming.

"Little things like going to the dentist beforehand, because when you start on chemotherapy, that's one thing you can't do is have your teeth cleaned ... you don't want to ever put yourself in the situation where you are going to be faced with possible infection," she said.

Or not being able to eat raw vegetables or fruit that cannot be peeled.

She is also adamant about patients becoming their own advocates.

"What I've tried to share with people is that you have to take charge of your own life ... and sometimes you think that the doctors know everything, but I found myself (getting) educated as I went along," she said.

Her story has so many positive Amgen elements, it could be scripted, but she feels it is important to share her personal story with the company and the community.

"You always hope that's not going to happen, but it's phenomenal to think that I can share that experience with everyone and how phenomenal those drugs have been to me as a staff member as well as a patient," she said. "It's really changed my life."

She is more active than ever. She practices yoga, goes for bike rides, golfs and visits the gym regularly. And, she really understands the importance of her job.

"I've got a good life -- no complaints," she said.

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