Chemotherapy for Breast Cancer: 453 Real Stories
453 stories match breast cancer and chemotherapy. 392 of them mention surgery.
Stage II BRCA1 Invasive Ductal Carcinoma: Roxana’s Patient Story
Roxana Lopez was 25 when she was diagnosed with Stage II invasive ductal carcinoma in her left breast in August 2015. Breast and ovarian cancer had affected several women in her family, including her mother, who died of breast cancer when Roxana and her twin…
Read this storyBreast Cancer: Monica’s Patient Story
Monica Wright was 44 when she was diagnosed with breast cancer in November 2015. She underwent a lumpectomy in December, with an old friend beside her during that first treatment. When Monica later began weekly chemotherapy infusions in Boston, friends…
Read this storyHER2-Positive Inflammatory Breast Cancer: Trish’s Patient Story
Trish Vickery learned in 2013 that she had inflammatory breast cancer, a diagnosis that carried particular weight because her mother had died from the same disease. At age 58, Trish described coming to Dana-Farber as one of the luckiest decisions of her life…
Read this storyStage III Breast Cancer: Melissa’s Patient Story
Melissa Angiolillo was 35 when she was diagnosed with Stage III breast cancer. Alongside fear about the disease, she felt pressure to handle cancer with constant positivity. During chemotherapy, when treatment was taking a physical toll, that expectation…
Read this storyBreast Cancer: Marianne’s Survivor Story
Marianne Gongos was 60 when a lump appeared in her left breast in 2011. She was already living with chronic myeloid leukemia, diagnosed in 1999, and had reached remission through a clinical drug trial. Surgery confirmed breast cancer, leading to removal of…
Read this storyBreast Cancer: Michelle’s Survivor Story
Michelle Hines was diagnosed with breast cancer in June 2015 and received 6 rounds of chemotherapy followed by 17 rounds of targeted therapy. Treatment could be difficult even with strong anti-nausea medication, and some days she felt too sick to move…
Read this storyStage IV HER2-Positive Breast Cancer: Sarah’s Patient Story
Sarah was 37 when she was first diagnosed with breast cancer. Breast cancer had affected several women in her family: her grandmother was a 40-year survivor, her aunt a 20-year survivor, and her mother had also been diagnosed. Sarah said her family did not…
Read this storyStage IV Breast Cancer: Debora’s Patient Story
Debora, 65, lives in the United Kingdom and was diagnosed with Stage III breast cancer in 2017 after noticing a dimple across her left breast. The diagnosis brought anger, fear, sadness, numbness, and vulnerability. Her initial treatment plan included…
Read this storyStage III Breast Cancer: Elizabeth’s Survivor Story
Elizabeth was 45 when she was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer after first finding a problem in November 2017. Her mother had developed breast cancer at 51, so the family had already been encouraged to remain alert. When an initial appointment was delayed…
Read this storyStage II Breast Cancer: Natalia’s Survivor Story
Natalia, from Colombia, had a hard, growing lump in her left breast. An early ultrasound found nothing, and three months passed before a mastologist removed the lump and confirmed cancer. Dissatisfied with the information and manner of her first doctor, she…
Read this storyStage III HER2-Positive Invasive Ductal Carcinoma: Dorothy’s Survivor Story
Dorothy Paterson found a lump in her right breast while showering in 1998, even though her mammogram the year before had been clear. Testing first showed invasive ductal carcinoma, and additional evaluation at MD Anderson revealed HER2-positive breast cancer…
Read this storyBreast Cancer: Stephanie’s Survivor Story
Stephanie Spiesz was 50 when she was diagnosed with breast cancer in November 2013. She had noticed lumps in her left breast but was not especially worried until her husband urged her to see a doctor. Within days, she had a checkup, mammogram and biopsy, and…
Read this storyBreast Cancer: Mauriel’s Survivor Story
Mauriel Davis sought a mammogram after her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. She had felt a small lump months earlier but had ignored it until her mother urged her to get checked. At a Cleveland Clinic OB/GYN visit, the area was first thought to be a…
Read this storyStage I Breast Cancer: Shirley’s Survivor Story
Shirley, from Canada, was diagnosed with Stage I breast cancer in 2016 after finding a hard lump in her left breast. The news brought anger, fear and sadness, although she also held onto a sense of hope. Her doctors recommended breast-conserving surgery with…
Read this storyStage II Invasive Ductal Carcinoma: Sarah’s Patient Story
Sarah Cawley, a 32-year-old physician assistant and mother of 2, first noticed a breast lump while breastfeeding. That lump was a milk cyst, but she was advised to return after breastfeeding ended. At the next visit, another lump was found and monitored…
Read this storyTriple-Negative Breast Cancer: Robin’s Survivor Story
Robin Roberts, anchor of Good Morning America, became a public face of triple-negative breast cancer after sharing her own diagnosis. She had found the cancer early and went public in July, a decision she described as the moment healing began. A formal stage…
Read this storyStage III Triple-Negative Breast Cancer: Bridgette’s Survivor Story
Bridgette was 66 when she found a lump under her arm in the shower. Just 3 weeks earlier, her mammogram had been reported as clear. Further testing led to a stage 3 triple-negative breast cancer diagnosis in May 2012. The diagnosis was frightening…
Read this storyStage I BRCA1 Breast Cancer: Karen’s Patient Story
Karen first had a breast lump biopsied and learned that it was a benign galactocele. A separate, asymptomatic lesion was found in the other breast and became the focus of follow-up. When it was rechecked and biopsied three months later, it was diagnosed as…
Read this storyStage II Breast Cancer: Martha’s Survivor Story
Martha was diagnosed with stage II breast cancer more than a decade ago after the cancer was found during a health examination. She had no symptoms and no family history of breast cancer, so the diagnosis was unexpected. She sought a second opinion while…
Read this storyStage 0 Breast Cancer: Linda’s Survivor Story
Linda, originally from Malaysia, found a lump above her right breast while showering in 2007. Further evaluation showed stage 0 breast cancer. She had no other symptoms. The diagnosis left her worried, nervous, and overwhelmed. Following her doctor’s…
Read this storyStage III Breast Cancer: Mary’s Survivor Story
Mary was diagnosed with stage 3 metaplastic breast cancer in May 2007 after an 11-month delay. She had noticed a lump in her left breast, along with nipple discharge, redness, irritation, and thickening. Across nine medical visits, mammography, scanning…
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