Stories

To say that breast cancer was the last thing on Joshalyn Mills’ mind at her final wedding dress fitting would not be entirely true; her great aunt passed from breast cancer and her mother is an ovarian and two-time breast cancer survivor, so her family history is often front of mind. However, she never expected to be diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 33 more…

In January 2020, while finishing graduate school in London, Madeline McCloughan found a lump in her left breast. Alarmed by this discovery, she visited her doctor, who told her to keep an eye on it. After a month, when it didn’t go away, she went in for an ultrasound more…

My cancer journey began in October 2018. I did a self-examination and discovered a hard lump on my right breast. I was shocked as I was 33 years old and I did not expect any issues with my breasts. My mother and grandmother both died from ovarian cancer, so I began to do blood tests for ovarian cancer at a young age. I had no prior tests on more…

Maggie’s story started as a bruising sensation in her left breast, which was something she initially attributed to exercise or a tight sports bra. Because she had no family history of breast cancer, she wrongly believed she was not at risk. When the lump grew, her concerns deepened, but as a visitor in the U.S., the cost of medical care made seeking immediate answers difficult. When she finally returned more…

I’m Nancy. I’ve been a member of BCO since late 2011, when I was first diagnosed with Stage I Grade 2 IDC. I had four nodes with isolated tumor cells but no micromets so we felt really positive going forward. My oncologist called it ‘garden variety’ breast cancer and figured it would be easy to treat. The Oncotype test came back with a recurrence score of 42, which allowed me to participate in a chemotherapy clinical more…

Doctors had discovered a benign cyst during Sharon Rivera-Sanchez’s annual mammogram in 2013. Still, Sharon had no reason to think her preventative mammogram two years later would find anything concerning. Unfortunately, the scan proved  more…

While pregnant her third child in 2019, Kate Williams discovered a lump in her left breast. With her delivery date fast approaching and given that her doctors didn’t seem concerned, she put it out of her mind until her postpartum appointment in early  more…

My breast cancer journey began in August 2009. My husband and son had just left for vacation when I found my lump by chance. I felt something along my bra band line under my breast and my heart sunk. I was in disbelief that my worst fear was now happening to me. I reacted fast and two days later I got in for a mammogram followed by an ultrasound. My 2 cm lump did not show up more…

Tawana Reynolds was 44 years old. She lived with her husband of nine years, and her two children who were then five and six years old. Her mother had just moved in. Between raising her children, caring for her mom and working, Tawana was constantly more…

I was 41 when I was diagnosed with DCIS (Ductal Carcinoma In Situ). The “good” cancer. The non invasive kind. Stage 0. If you’re going to get cancer, who doesn’t want stage 0? DCIS is so controversial that some doctors say not even to treat it. Why treat a cancer that’s contained to the ducts? It MAY not spread. Some say we are over treating DCIS more…

Raffaella Zanuttini’s busy life as a Professor of Linguistics at Yale, as a wife, and as a mother of two boys, 12 and 15, does not leave her much spare time. So when her February mammogram showed more calcifications lined up in a suspicious pattern and the nurses at the Breast Center at Smilow Cancer Hospital recommended she have a biopsy, she more…

All of Abigail’s adult life, she has been hyperaware of breast cancer. So many members of her family have been affected by breast or ovarian cancer that she requested BRCA gene mutation genetic testing at the age of 24. Even with the negative BRCA mutation result, Abigail knew she needed to stay more…

My first encounter with breast cancer came in 2010, when I was diagnosed with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), or stage 0 breast cancer. At that time, I decided to have a lumpectomy to remove the small portion of my breast that was affected, followed by eight weeks of radiation and treatment with the estrogen-blocking medication tamoxifen. I had hoped that more…

In 2019, I was diagnosed the day before my 42nd birthday with DCIS – Ductal Carcinoma in Situ- Stage 0 Breast Cancer. I sat in shock in my surgeon’s office with my best friend taking notes next to me as the doctor discussed the findings of my biopsy the week before. I walked out of the office with appointments to make, more…

I was diagnosed with Ductal Carcinoma In Situ (DCIS) stage 0 at the age of 39 in January 2016 in my right boobie. As an avid runner and someone who follows a healthy diet, I was shocked to the say the least. At my physician’s recommendation, I began baseline mammograms at the age of 35 because my mom had stage 1 breast cancer. The DCIS was identified through my annual more…

My name is Megan and I was diagnosed with DCIS at 43 in January 2014. In December of 2013 I had my first MRI on the advice of the radiologist due to dense breasts and strong family history. I did not have a follow up meeting with my OB/GYN but was reassured when a month passed and I didn’t hear anything regarding these results. I assumed the results were negative. I was shocked to get a call from the radiology practice regarding scheduling my biopsy. My reply more…

In 2012, I gave birth to our second child, Whittaker. My husband, Nick, and I also have a daughter, Margaux, who was 2 years old at the time of Whitty’s birth. Near Whitty’s 1^st birthday, I turned 40, and my doctor recommended that I get a baseline mammogram. But I was still breastfeeding, so I had to wait. After completing breastfeeding, I went in to see my gynecologist for my annual check-up. I mentioned that I had some pain more…

When I noticed pain in my sternum that extended to my right breast, I thought I had pulled a muscle while working out. It was time for my annual mammogram, so I decided to have it checked then. A week after my May 2021 mammogram, my doctor asked me to return for additional images. I also had two biopsies performed – one on more…

Jill Schiaparelli is the CEO of a successful healthcare start-up company. Between her work and her family, she is always on the go. Early one morning as she prepared to leave for a business trip in late 2018, she discovered a lump in her breast more…

After experiencing a persistent cough she’d chalked up to allergies, acid reflux, and COVID-19 at one point, Jen Feinberg was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer two months before her 44th birthday. To say the diagnosis was shocking doesn’t begin to describe it. Two years prior, Jen learned she had ductal carcinoma in situ more…

On Oct. 6, 2020, the 25th anniversary of her mother’s death from breast cancer, Angela Sells was diagnosed with stage 2 HER2 (human epidermal growth factor receptor 2)-positive breast cancer. She was 64 years old. “Having a family history of breast cancer, I have always been dutiful about getting mammograms,” Angela says. “I think I’ve always kind of anticipated that I might be diagnosed, but I didn’t realize how afraid I was of that diagnosis until more…

“We have to accept there’s no going back,” says Vicky, 64, of Madison, Alabama, of life after a breast cancer diagnosis. “It’s either lemons or lemonade.” Vicky’s diagnosis of breast cancer in both breasts in June 2016 took her by surprise. Based on family history, she’d already decided what her greatest health risk would be. With a rueful laugh, she recalls responding to the news of her diagnosis with, “There’s no way! I’m dying of a stroke!” The bilateral disease also surprised her doctors. They thought she had cancer in one breast, but an MRI  more…

“I was diagnosed with Stage 2 invasive ductal carcinoma in my right breast at the age of 33.” Now that my hair has grown back in and I cover up the newly added gray hairs, my eyes are once again framed by eyelashes and I am back putting in 18 hour days as an attorney, wife, and mother of two, people have stopped asking me about my “cancer story”. I blend in to the crowd of thirty somethings at the grocery store and the movies, and no one stares when I’m out for a walk. When people see  more…

I always wanted to be a kindergarten teacher. I have a brother who is five-and-a-half years younger than me. As a child, my favorite thing to do was to play school. I would bring out the chalkboard and pretend I was the teacher. I taught my brother the alphabet and how to count. I loved working with him, and I always knew I was going to be a teacher. When it was time for college, I went to Oral Roberts University. There, I studied to become a teacher, but I learned so much  more…

After working on Wall Street for more than 20 years, Jill is used to taking action and focusing on what’s next. When she was diagnosed with breast cancer in the spring of 2016, she knew she needed to keep moving forward. “Time is of the essence,” she says. “And you don’t want the cancer to spread.” Jill knew the road ahead would be filled with choices and decisions — and her first was to go to Memorial Sloan Kettering  more…

On July 10, 2016 Alene agreed to marry the love of her life. Just three days later, her entire world fell apart. Although she had no history of breast cancer in her family, she soon found herself sitting in a doctor’s office trying to process the words nobody wants to hear. “You have breast cancer.” It all started with a routine mammogram. Alene had just turned 41  more…

Tawana Reynolds was 44 years old. She lived with her husband of nine years, and her two children who were then five and six years old. Her mother had just moved in. Between raising her children, caring for her mom and working, Tawana was constantly on the go. She wasn’t even thinking about breast cancer. When Tawana went in for her annual mammogram, the physician noticed that some cells were clustering, forming  more…

I was 39 years old in April 2012 when I was diagnosed with Invasive Ductal Carcinoma. Breast cancer. And I was lucky. Lucky that I didn’t wait until age 40 for my first mammogram, lucky that I had a history of benign breast tumors, lucky that I had a gynecologist who was proactive and forward thinking when it came to those benign tumors, and lucky that Breast Health Services at LVH never treated me like a number but instead  more…

I had no symptoms. I went in for a routine mammogram. What was kind of odd about this mammogram is I had put it off for 6 months. I had a reminder on my bulletin board, and every day I walked past the bulletin board and out my door like, “Oh, I have to call.” I put it off for 6 months, and then as I was walking out my apartment door, I get a call from the imaging department. They’re like, “Hey, we noticed you’re past  more…

When I was diagnosed with breast cancer in September 2023, I had never heard of invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC). Because ILC generally doesn’t produce masses or tumors, it is hard to detect on mammograms, especially if you have dense breasts. This means many women do not receive a diagnosis until they are in later stages. ILC affects about 10-15 percent of individuals with breast cancer, with an average diagnosis  age of more…

For years, Martha York was concerned about a hardness she noticed in her right breast. She had regular mammograms, but they all had “normal” results. At the encouragement of a good friend and breast cancer survivor, Martha finally sought the opinion of general surgeon Phillip Frantzis, M.D.. Dr. Frantzis performed a surgical biopsy and confirmed that Martha had breast cancer. Her Stage 3A, 5cm tumor was of a particular type (invasive lobular carcinoma) that masks itself as breast tissue and does not show up on mammograms or ultrasounds. Martha was immediately started more…

Cynthia Garner, 62, exudes positivity. She’s a power walker who eats right and has never smoked. That’s why yearly mammograms did not intimidate her. After more than 20 years of normal scans, she expected the same in late 2018. But that’s when life changed for the Overland Park woman. Based on a minor abnormality from her mammogram, her primary care team at The University of Kansas Health System’s Shawnee, Kansas, location sent Cynthia to The University of Kansas Cancer Center. The breast cancer team performed a repeat mammogram, followed by  more…

Diana worked in the health service before she retired and knows how important it is to detect breast cancer early. Her regular mammograms were all normal, Diana’s only health issue was that she needed a knee replacement. After her knee operation in 2021, Diana couldn’t use the bath for 6 months and had previously used that time as an opportunity to check her breasts for any lumps or changes. It was with horror that Diana noticed a visible dimple and skin tethering on her left breast whilst looking in the mirror, and knew this could be a cancerous lump pulling the skin inwards. She immediately booked an appointment with her GP   more…

My mother died of cancer when she was just 48 years old, so I have always been diligent about having annual physicals and routine mammograms (even though she did not have breast cancer). I have always taken good care of myself. I eat healthily, walk and hike in the mountains. But two weeks after my annual physical in 2012, I was doing a breast self-examination and noticed that something didn’t feel right. I called my doctor immediately, and she told me to come in the next day. A mammogram more…

The stories shared on cancerstories.net are intended to provide inspiration and hope for individuals navigating their cancer journey. While these personal experiences may offer valuable insights and encouragement, they are not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

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